Throughout the first five games of the 2022 campaign, the NY Giants are sitting at a spectacular 4-1 for the first time since 2009. This is truly an unreal start for Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen in their first year in East Rutherford.
No one expected this, but these wins wouldn’t be possible without the elite play of certain members of the Giants offense. This is an offense which, despite having some ups and downs, has looked quite impressive early on. In this piece, we take a look at five key players and offer up our early grades for them. Some, of course, are better than others.
5: OT Evan Neal: C-
Evan Neal was seen as a generational offensive tackle prospect with an insane combination of size, speed, and athleticism entering the 2022 NFL Draft. While this remains true, his level of play throughout the first five games has left a lot to be desired. However, before we dive into his play, Giants fans must remember that this is Neal’s first professional season.
If there is one thing we know, it is to be patient with offensive linemen. In Andrew Thomas’s rookie season, he was playing worse than Neal currently is, and now Thomas is looking like potentially the best tackle in the NFL. We’re not saying that this is how Neal’s career will carve out, however, we all must remember to stay patient.
Neal certainly has the power and athleticism to succeed in pass protection snaps, and he has shown it off this season. The biggest issue with Neal thus far has been his footwork. Often times, Neal looks too sluggish with his feet, which causes him to consistently get beat around the edge. While his insane reach and strength made up for it in college and at times still in the NFL, it is no way to stay consistent as a pass-blocker.
Neal obviously has plenty of room to improve as a pass protector. However, with Bobby Johnson as his offensive line coach, and Thomas as a teammate, we truly believe he has what it takes to be worthy of his top 10 selection. Give the kid some time. He can improve that C- grade.
4. WR Kenny Golladay: F
It almost feels like a crime to see Kenny Golladay make the amount of money he is making considering the lack of, well, anything out of the former Pro Bowler. After signing a massive four- year, $72 million contract with the NY Giants in the 2021 offseason, it seemed as if the team finally had their star receiver to replace the production they lost in trading Odell Beckham Jr.
Throughout the 18 games in which Golladay has played with the Giants, he has only caught 39 passes for 543 yards and zero TDs. Obviously the offense around Golladay was not ideal in his first season with the team, however, he had several questionable moments in terms of effort.
Regardless, Golladay has barely seen the field this season, only playing in the 37 percent of the offensive snaps thus far. It’s very clear that Daboll will not put up with Golladay’s antics. Even when Golladay has played, he has not looked very good, having already registered two drops on only six targets.
Kenny Golladay, Week 3 vs. Cowboys: 3 targets, 0 receptions
— Kevin Boilard (@KevinBoilard) September 27, 2022
Reminder: Golladay ($25,150,000) has the largest salary cap hit of any NFL receiver in 2022 pic.twitter.com/2Z4tjzgm0D
Throughout his two seasons with the team, Golladay has shown no leadership, looks uninvolved, and has done nothing to be worthy of his ridiculous contract – adding yet another horrific move to former GM Dave Gettleman’s resume.
3: OT Andrew Thomas: A+
What is there to say anymore? After a horrific rookie season, Thomas has turned things around and developed into arguably the best offensive tackle in the NFL. PFF has him with a 92.1 grade, which is amazing to see.
Regardless of your belief’s on PFF, you can’t deny that Thomas has been one of the best tackles in all of football, allowing zero sacks while also looking much improved in the run game. Last season, Thomas was absolutely fantastic in pass protection, however, he lacked at times in the run game.
This season however, Thomas has shut down the little amount of doubters he may have had, as he has truly put it all together and is putting together what looks to be an All-Pro season. Thomas may already have some of the best footwork in the NFL, as his ability to stick to it and not allow pressure to impact his technique is truly fantastic.
In terms of Thomas’s ability in the run game, it is absolutely fantastic. Last season, there were far too many reps where he would lead with his upper body too much and end up on the ground. However, it seems an offseason with Johnson has fixed that, as his balance in the run game is much improved. The evolution of Thomas has truly been awesome, and it is about time that other NFL reporters and personnel start recognizing it.
2. QB Daniel Jones, B
Don’t get us wrong, Jones has not been the best this season. However, it is hard to hate on Danny Dimes at this point. Not only has he been playing solid, mistake free football for the most part, but the leadership and toughness he has shown is spectacular to see.
Jones’ stats may not be the most impressive, completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 848 yards, three TDs, and two interceptions. In addition to this, Jones has also gained 230 yards and two TDs in the run game.
Entering what could be his final year on the Giants, Jones has done a very solid job leading this team to their electric 4-1 start. Even when Jones struggles, it is hard to pin it all on him, as not only is the offensive line, outside of Thomas, not playing that well, but almost all of his receivers are injured.
For example, in the Giants latest game against the Packers, Jones’ top receivers were Darius Slayton, David Sills, Richie James, and Marcus Johnson, making for one of the worst receiving cores in the NFL that week. However, Jones still got the job done, completing 21 of his 27 pass attempts for 217 yards.
Has Jones been worthy of a contract extension? That is still up in the air. With the way things stand now, if the Giants keep on winning, and Jones keeps playing like this, it will be very hard not to keep him around for at least one more campaign.
1. RB Saquon Barkley: A+
After back-to-back injury riddled seasons, it was unknown if we would ever see Saquon Barkley return back to his 2018 form. However, only five games in, forget the 2018 form, Barkley looks like the best running back in the entire NFL thus far.
In said five games, Barkley has ran the ball 97 times for 533 yards and three TDs. In addition to this, Barkley has also caught 18 passes for 143 yards. When you compare Barkley’s stats from this season to recent years, it’s not even comparable. Barkley already has more rushing TDs and is only 60 yards behind his 13-game total in 2021.
Barkley has undoubtedly been the MVP of the Giants throughout their 4-1 start, being arguably the No. 1 reason for their early success. If Barkley is able to remain healthy this season, there are no doubts that he will win the Comeback Player of the Year award.
You never know, if the Giants keep the winning up, he could potentially insert his name into the MVP discussion. Barkley has a bright future beyond this season, and fans are hoping Schoen can bring him back for 2023 and beyond.
4 NY Giants needed back to help this offense
Big Blue comes back from behind to win 27-22 vs the Packers in London. Here are four NY Giants desperately needed back to help this offense