After a horrific 4-13 season, the NY Giants made several changes for the better to the roster. Whether it be through the draft or free agency, Joe Schoen and the front office added several potentially key players to the Giants’ success next season.
The offense of the NY Giants was one of, if not the worst in the entire NFL. Therefore, it is a good thing that Schoen added several players in key positions on this side of the ball, regardless of how much the team intends to compete this season.
While there are a good amount of returners to the Giants offense, there are still some exciting new faces to the team who will likely make a big impact on the success of the team next season.
Here is my prediction of what the NY Giants’ starting offense will look like next season:
Quarterback: Daniel Jones
This was one of the more obvious predictions to make.
Entering his fourth, and most important, season, Daniel Jones is looking to earn his next contract with the Giants after the team declined his fifth-year option.
Jones has not had the best career as a Giant. While not all of it is his fault, as a combination of poor personnel and bad coaching staffs have had a very negative effect on his development.
While Jones has had several moments in which he has looked like a very good QB and has shown the potential to be a franchise player for the team, he has had a ton of moments in which he looks just flat-out bad.
Despite this, I believe in Jones and his ability to be a great QB in this league. He has a great arm with unbelievable deep ball accuracy, tremendous mobility, and when he isn’t staring down his receiver, he throws a great short ball as well.
If he can put all of these tools together behind a revamped offensive line and potentially elite receiving corps, I believe he will be ready for his best season yet.
Running Back: Saquon Barkley
Similar to Jones, this is yet another obvious pick.
Whether it be due to injuries or the fact that Saquon Barkley has played behind one of, if not the worst offensive lines in the entire NFL throughout his career thus far, his tenure has not been as illustrious as we once thought it would
While the lack of success in Barkley’s career is mostly due to things outside of his control, fans still expected more out of the ‘back when he was drafted second overall in 2018.
However, with a revamped offensive line and an offseason of healing, it is likely that we will finally see Barkley return to his 2018 form. At least, I hope so.
We have seen that, when healthy, Barkley still possesses the speed and agility he once had. Despite this, the weight of a horrific offensive line has been holding him down for quite some time now.
As I previously mentioned, and will get into, the NY Giants have a new and revamped offensive line that will look to help the development of Barkley and Jones as they enter the final years of their contracts.
Fullback: Jeremiah Hall
In previous years, the NY Giants were one of the few teams in the NFL to regularly utilize a fullback, with Eli Penny playing the position and doing it well for the last four seasons.
However, with the addition of a new coaching staff, Penny was released, making it likely that the position will not be utilized as much as the Giants join the modern NFL.
However, after the draft, the NY Giants signed UDFA Jeremiah Hall out of Oklahoma, and according to ESPN, Hall is the only active FB on the roster. That means he will likely make it through pre-season cuts and be the team’s starting FB for the 2022 campaign.
While it is unknown how often Hall will be used, there is a chance he plays a big role on the goal line or in 3rd/4th-and-short situations.
Wide Receivers: Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, Kadarius Toney
While the wide receiver position has more depth than most other spots, there is still a clear group of three “starting” receivers who will likely see the field the most.
Despite the fact that Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, and Kadarius Toney are likely to see the field the most and be the team’s “starters,” it is still very likely that both Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton play important roles in the offense.
Last season, the receiving corps for the NY Giants was abysmal. However, this was mostly due to injuries to both the top two receivers and QB Daniel Jones. Alongside these injuries, the horrific playcalling of Jason Garrett and Freddie Kitchens plagued the team for the entire season.
With a new head coach and seemingly exciting new play caller, it is likely that we will see a massive improvement in the production from the corps.
There is too much talent in this receiving corps for it to not be one of the best in the entire NFL. The group has very good depth with different types of playmakers. Kadarius Toney and Wan’Dale Robinson should serve as dynamic, open-field playmakers, Kenny Golladay and Sterling Shepard will be all-around, medium threat receivers, and Darius Slayton will fit well as the team’s deep ball threat (as long as his hands return to normalcy).
With all of these variations in receivers and play styles, Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka should have A LOT of fun drawing up plays for this offense.
Tight End: Daniel Bellinger, Ricky Seals-Jones
After last season, the NY Giants moved on from all of the TEs on the roster, making room for some new faces to make an impact on the offense.
Generally, only one TE is listed as “starting” in the depth chart. However, due to the circumstances and abilities of each of these players, there is a good chance Daniel Bellinger and Ricky Seals-Jones split snaps.
The reason I believe they will split snaps is for the simple reason that they complement each others’ weaknesses. Bellinger is a great blocker with mediocre (for now) receiving skills, and Seals-Jones is a good receiver and mediocre blocker.
The reason I said “for now” with Bellinger is because he is a rookie and I believe he has the potential to be a very solid receiver in this league. However, it is unlikely that he reaches this status in his first season.
In recent years, the NY Giants have been without a consistent TE. This is due to Evan Engram having quite a rough career with the team in his five years in East Rutherford, only having 700+ yards and 4+ TDs in a season once in his career thus far (his rookie season).
Alongside Engram’s issues as a receiver, he has always been a bad blocker, making it difficult for the NY Giants to utilize the TE position properly. However, with the addition of Bellinger, it is likely that the Giants will be able to finally have a great dual-threat TE.
Offensive line: LT Andrew Thomas, LG Joshua Ezeudu, C Jon Feliciano, RG Mike Glowinski, RT Evan Neal
Finally, after years of waiting, it seems as if the Giants will finally have at least a decent offensive line.
Last season marked rock bottom for the Giants’ offensive line, with only one starting-caliber offensive lineman on the entire roster in Andrew Thomas. However, after free agency and the draft, the Giants have an entirely new offensive line for next season.
The only returning starter on the offensive line next season is Thomas, who — after a rough rookie season — burst onto the scene last year and had a Pro Bowl-caliber campaign, only allowing two sacks in 800 snaps.
Next to Thomas is third-round rookie Josh Ezeudu, who has been getting the majority of the first-team snaps thus far in OTAs over Shane Lemieux. While it is unlikely that he emerges as a star in his first season in the NFL, I believe Ezeudu will be a very solid addition to an offensive line that needs him.
At center is Jon Feliciano, the former Bills guard and center who has been a regular starter in the NFL since 2016. While he has played guard for almost the entirety of his NFL career, he has long stated that he wants to play center. Combine this with previous starting center Nick Gates still rehabbing from his gruesome leg injury, and you have Feliciano taking the role Gates once had. I believe Feliciano will do very solidly in his new position and will cement himself as the new center of the NY Giants for the foreseeable future
Next to Feliciano is former Colts guard Mike Glowinski, who has been a very good offensive lineman in the NFL for the majority of his career. However, last season was by far his best, gaining an overall grade of 70.1 per PFF, which would have been the second-highest on last year’s offensive line.
What I like the most about Glowinski, however, is his ability as a run blocker. The NY Giants have not had a legitimately good run blocking guard since Kevin Zeitler, who Dave Gettleman foolishly released after the 2020 season.
Finally, and in my opinion the most exciting player on the offensive line, we have seventh overall pick Evan Neal out of Alabama. Coming into the draft, Neal was by far my favorite player in the entire class. This was due to his rare and unbelievable combination of size and talent.
Coming in at a beastly 6-7 and 351 pounds, Neal is one of the most fascinating prospects I have ever scouted. If he can come in and play as well as I think he can, he will join Andrew Thomas as a franchise cornerstone for the NY Giants and will help turn this team around.
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