During the offseason, the NY Giants made several changes to the roster that still has people talking. Whether it be free agent signings, draft picks, or even releasing/not retaining veterans, the roster looks quite different compared to this time last year.
However, due to the Giants not retaining or releasing several key veterans, new and current members of the team will have to attempt to step up and replace them. While these players may or may not not start right away, there is a good chance that they come in and play an important role. If these players are able to step up in a big way, there is a good chance we see the Giants take a big step forward in 2022.
Here are 3 underrated players on the NY Giants who could have big roles this season:
3. Daniel Bellinger
With the NY Giants moving on from all three of their main tight ends last season, the team had a massive hole to fill at the position. With that in mind, the Giants opted to sign Ricky Seals-Jones and Jordan Akins, while also drafting Daniel Bellinger in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Being that the Giants seemingly expect a lot more out of Bellinger than they do with Jones and Akins, it is likely that Bellinger either takes over the TE1 role, or is a high usage TE2. Coming out of college, Bellinger was seen as an elite blocking TE with high upside as a receiver. When you combine this with the lack of starting caliber TEs on the NY Giants roster, then it is very likely that Bellinger is used a lot this season. He’s got big expectations.
Thus far in OTAs a minicamp, Bellinger has received high praise from members of the coaching staff, as it seems his ability as a receiver is much better as anticipated. It is also worth noting that Bellinger did not drop a single pass throughout his entire college career. The Giants have not had a TE with the ability to be both a great blocker and receiver in quite some time. If Bellinger is able to step into this role and perform well, it is likely that the Giants will have themselves a tight end of the future.
2. Dane Belton
After releasing Logan Ryan this offseason, the NY Giants were in need of another safety. Outside of Xavier McKinney, the only other NFL caliber safety on the roster was Julian Love, who has struggled mightily in pass coverage thus far in his career.
However, the NY Giants may have found their new stud safety in the form of Dane Belton, a fourth-round rookie out of Iowa who had a PFF pass coverage grade of 82.3 while also snagging five interceptions during his last season of college. Unlike Love, Belton is a great all-around safety who can be used both against the run and to defend the pass. This is something that could prove to be very useful.
Something that somewhat surprised people is how the Giants coaching staff has been using Belton in blitz situations, sending him after the QB multiple times throughout practices this spring. It might be worth noting that Belton had three sacks during his last season at college, which isn’t too bad for a safety.
#Giants sent safety Dane Belton on blitzes twice in a row during 11 on 11 drills and looked like he would’ve gotten a sack both times.
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) June 7, 2022
If Belton pans out like it seems he will, the safety duo of him and McKinney might make for one of the best in the division. While it is currently unknown whether Love or Belton will start to begin the season, we still believe that Belton will step up and play a big role for the Giants regardless of whether he is the starting safety opposite to McKinney or not.
1. Darnay Holmes
With the release of James Bradberry, the door is wide open for the position of CB2. As of now, the main three candidates for the position are Aaron Robinson, who is likely the early frontrunner, Darnay Holmes and Cordale Flott.
While Robinson is likely to take the spot as of right now, there is still plenty of time for Holmes to potentially take the position. Regardless of if he does or not, we still believe Holmes could play a big role for the team this season
Despite struggling in his first season in the league, “Broadway” Holmes stepped up big time, improving tremendously in almost every statistical way. His performance moved us so much that we chose him to be one of the NY Giants potential breakout players this season.
If Holmes can continue to build off of his improvements from last season, then it is likely that he will play a pretty big role with the team. While it is unlikely that Holmes becomes a “star”, we still believe he has what it takes to be one of the better CB2/3s in the NFL if he continues to work on his game. He’ll be a player to watch this fall and winter.