For the first time since 2016, the NY Giants have made it to the playoffs. This is, for the most part, due to the stars of the team stepping up at the right moments. However, not everything was perfect for head coach Brian Daboll.
Obviously, you can’t expect every player to be a standout, but several guys were given every chance to succeed and have simply failed. There were four guys in particular who had big-time goals and expectations leading up to Week 1, but they didn’t even come close to living up to the hype:
4. DB Darnay Holmes
While the expectations surrounding Darnay Holmes certainly weren’t the highest, there were many hopes that he would be able to step up and become a very solid option at corner behind Adoree’ Jackson after showing some flashes towards the end of last season.
However, with the season ending up this week, it’s safe to say that Holmes will likely never reach those expectations. Through 16 games, Holmes has allowed 43 receptions on 66 targets for 456 yards and one TD, obtaining a coverage grade of 49.5 per PFF.
Holmes has made some very nice tackles in the open field, there’s no doubts about that, but his ability in coverage this season has left much to be desired. Again, the expectations around Holmes were never very high, but the team needed him to simply improve just a little bit, and he has not done that.
With Jackson missing the last six games, Holmes abilities, or lack thereof, has been much more noticeable than in previous games. He may not be a liability, but he certainly hasn’t played as well as we hoped him to.
It is a good thing that Joe Schoen made the great decision to bring in Fabian Moreau, who has been the one to step up to the plate and be the CB2 the Giants have desperately needed. Maybe Holmes can step it up in the playoffs or next season, but this year was certainly a dud for the 24 year old former fourth-round pick.