4 former NY Giants Brian Daboll is surely missing with his team 2-4

Things have been challenging for the NY Giants, who are 2-4 through the first six weeks of their centennial season. Big Blue has shown flashes of optimism with two road victories over the Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks this season. Still, the G-Men have come up short against NFC East rivals, losing to the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys in Weeks 2 and 4.

Now, the Giants prepare to host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7, but this one will mean a little bit more to New York with a familiar face on the opposite sideline. Arguably, the biggest story of the offseason was star running back Saquon Barkley trading in his blue threads for green. The two-time Pro Bowler signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency and will return to MetLife Stadium this Sunday.

Barkley returning to New York while the team is struggling reminds us of former Giants who would have made a difference on this year's team had Joe Schoen retained them. Here are four former NY Giants Brian Daboll is surely missing with his team 2-4 this year:

4. TE Evan Engram

While Evan Engram has missed time on the Jacksonville Jaguars with a hamstring injury, the Giants could use a veteran tight end in a very young room. In his first game back last week from his Week 2 injury suffered during warmups, the two-time Pro Bowler caught all 10 of his targets for 102 yards.

Theo Johnson has 11 receptions and 115 yards in six weeks compared to Engram's 11 for 107 yards in two games. The 2017 Giants first-round pick has broken out since joining the Jaguars in 2022 and is coming off of his best season in the league last year, where he had 963 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games. With Darren Waller retiring, yes, this team sure misses Engram.

3. S Julian Love

While the Giants may have the best rush-defense in the league with a healthy Kayvon Thibodeaux, Dexter Lawrence, and Brian Burns, their pass defense is slowly improving. New York's young secondary, consisting of Deonte Banks, Dru Phillips, and Tyler Nubin, is a veteran away from being stout. The Giants' defense has improved as they allow 20.2 points a game, tying them with the Green Bay Packers for ninth in the NFL. This is the first time since 2002 that the Giants have held five of their first six opponents to no more than 21 points.

While the Giants' defense is clicking, this time of year is always challenging to win, with bye weeks and several injuries impacting the team's depth. With the Giants' secondary younger than most in the NFL and the team 2-4 through the first six games, an experienced player like Julian Love would provide New York with much-needed depth.

Love is in his second year with the Seattle Seahawks and has been tremendous since leaving the Giants in 2022. The 26-year-old DB played a significant role in the Giants' playoff run in his last season in New York and was a Pro Bowler with Seattle last year. This year, Love has 35 solo tackles, one forced fumble, one interception, and three passes defended.

2. S Xavier McKinney

Through the first six weeks, Xavier McKinney has made his presence known with his new team. This year, Xavier McKinney has 17 solo tackles, six passes defended, and is leading the league in interceptions with five. McKinney has had at least one interception every week except this past week against the Cardinals. The Giants' 2020 second-round pick signed a four-year, $68 million contract with the Packers before the season, and it's already starting to pay off for Green Bay. McKinney is a big reason for the Packers' early pass-defense success.

McKinney's five interceptions have already tied his season high from his sophomore campaign in 2021. The 26-year-old safety became the first player since the AFL-NFL merger to have an interception in their first five games. McKinney is on pace to break the Packers' team record for interceptions in a single season, which is 10, putting him in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation with players like Patrick Surtain II. You can imagine Daboll misses McKinney with the team sitting at 2-4 and in last place in the NFC East.

1. RB Saquon Barkley

Not only did the Giants lose McKinney last offseason, who is now thriving with the Packers, but Barkley, who is also succeeding with his new team. Saquon will face the Giants this Sunday in a highly-anticipated division rivalry for both teams. We can expect the MetLife crowd to greet Barkley back to New York by showering him with boos, but that shouldn't faze the two-time Pro Bowler who has been unstoppable this season as arguably a top-three running back in the league.

While the Giants have found production out of Devin Singletary and, most especially, rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr, losing Barkley to the Eagles is tough to recover from, especially with how he is performing in Philadelphia this year. This year, Barkley has 482 yards, which is the fourth-best in the league among running backs, on 91 carries and four touchdowns. The Giants fans miss Saquon and take his departure personally, so this Sunday's meeting will be entertaining.

Despite Thibodueax being sidelined, the Giants' run defense has been outstanding this year, and they could give No. 26 problems this Sunday. The Giants will look to get back in the win column after a frustrating loss to the Bengals last week. Still, with the Eagles sitting in second place and the Giants 2-4, you can imagine how much Daboll and the coaching staff miss having the veteran lining up in their backfield.