The New York Giants are back. Training camp is over. The preseason is over. It's officially time for real football.
The G-Men enter the 2025 season stuck in a weird limbo. On the surface, their schedule looks absolutely brutal. The Commanders, Cowboys, Chiefs, and Chargers are their first four games. That's daunting. However, it's hard to completely ignore what happened during their 3-0 preseason stretch, where they outscored their opponents 107-47. Something is different about this team.
Related: 5 biggest winners (and 3 losers) from Giants' unprecedented preseason
Yes, the preseason won't necessarily dictate any sort of regular-season success, but for a team needing an uptick in the positive energy department, the preseason couldn't have gone better. With the offseason in the rearview, it's time to look ahead to the games that matter. It's tough to predict what this team will look like, but we're not here to predict what their record will be or anything like that. No, we're here to get weird with the predictions.
So here are three of the more realistic weird ones fans should expect in 2025.
3 weird Giants predictions too realistic to ignore
1. One Giants defensive player will score a touchdown... on offense
One of the best storylines of the offseason has been second-year defensive tackle Elijah Chatman moonlighting as the team's de facto fullback. The 6-foot, 278-pounder has been lining up in the backfield during training camp and the preseason, indicating this might be a legitimate role for the 24-year-old.
One of the most explosive athletes on the roster, Chatman was once a backfield ace himself, running over 1,600 yards in high school. SMU utilized him in their red zone package — 27 snaps at FB during his final season alone. So while he's used to blocking out of the backfield, don't be surprised if we see some trickery from offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. A sneaky one-yard run up the middle for six might just be in store for Big Blue Nation.
Chatman will likely start 2025 on the practice squad, but look out for the fireworks when he gets called up.
2. Theo Johnson pushes for a Pro Bowl nod in Year 2
Theo Johnson had an interesting rookie season. After being a non-factor through the first half of the season, things really started to pick up for the 24-year-old. That is, until he suffered a season-ending injury, halting his impressive ascension.
Johnson's numbers won't wow anyone (29 receptions, 331 yards, one touchdown), but his 6-foot-6, 260-pound refrigerator frame and elite athleticism point to potential outstanding production. With a better quarterback room and a clean bill of health, who's to put any sort of limitations on the former Penn State product?
With Russell Wilson finding Johnson up the seam and looking for him in the red zone, there's a very real world where the second-year tight end becomes a major player in this offense. Don't be surprised if he takes full advantage of his camp breakout by turning it into something bigger.
3. Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll remain with the team
Now for the weirdest prediction of them all. Yes, perennial hot-seat general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will do enough to keep their jobs past 2025. This team is vastly improved roster-wise, and it looks like it's also improved coaching-wise.
Dabs has handed the play-calling keys over to Kafka, whose preseason showing was more than any Giants fan could have hoped. Things are looking up in East Rutherford, and if the season goes marginally better than expected, with flashes of promise along the way, don't expect the dynamic duo to go anywhere.