The New York Giants are moving in two directions at the same time. John Harbaugh's arrival has fast-tracked the G-Men into offseason playoff conversations, but lingering injury issues have other analysts sounding the alarm before pads come on.
Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports recently released updated NFL power rankings heading into training camp. The Giants fell to 21st, two spots down from their ranking earlier in the offseason.
A drop in the rankings is nothing to be concerned about. These things fluctuate throughout the offseason. But the reason behind it warrants real attention from Giants fans.
Giants' roster is more fragile than anybody wants to admit
Vacchiano's reasoning for dropping the G-Men was singular: Injuries have this roster looking more fragile than ever.
He said, "The good news is RB Cam Skattebo is healthy enough to do backflips. But WR Malik Nabers’ return from a knee injury isn’t as clear. No one wants to give a timetable or talk about Week 1, which is usually a bad sign."
Skattebo's current health isn't a concern. He has recovered from the leg injury that ended his rookie season and is ready to go for training camp. But his style of play puts him at a constant risk of being sidelined again.
Nabers does appear to be on an encouraging timeline after staying off the Physically Unable to Perform list to start training camp. He's still not a lock to be ready for Week 1, but things are trending in the right direction.
The star receiver's injury saga has exposed an uncomfortable truth, though. The Giants need Nabers to be healthy for their offense to function at a high level.
Jaxson Dart was able to survive without Nabers in the lineup last season, but the offense was severely limited. A late-down completion rate of just 56.57% shows just how badly New York's offense missed its top receiver.
Wan'Dale Robinson filled in admirably for Nabers, eclipsing 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. He followed Brian Daboll to the Tennessee Titans this offseason, leaving Darius Slayton as the de facto No. 2 wideout. The rest of the group is more stable than it was last season after additions like Malachi Fields and Darnell Mooney, but without Nabers, it's still one of the worst WR rooms in the NFL.
That's a common theme on the Giants' roster. The current group can be competitive, but if just a few players miss time, it could quickly collapse.
Hopefully, Nabers and the rest of Big Blue's stars can spend enough time on the field to keep the team afloat.
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