You could put Dexter Lawrence in just about any defense in football and watch it immediately improve. The same goes for Andrew Thomas on any offensive line. And Malik Nabers already looks like one of the best wide receivers in the league after a historic rookie season. That trio alone should make the New York Giants one of the more interesting teams in 2025.
But there’s one obvious issue keeping this group from being taken seriously. One position that, if it’s not figured out soon, will keep all this promise and progress squarely in the “they're great pieces, but” column. You already know which position it is. Until the G-Men find a quarterback, all these stars are being built around a black hole.
That’s why it was a little jarring to see what came out of Trevor Sikkema’s latest piece for Pro Football Focus. He highlighted the top three foundational players for every NFL roster heading into 2025. To absolutely no one's surprise, he chose Lawrence, Thomas, and Nabers.
Dexter Lawrence, Andrew Thomas, Malik Nabers can’t mask QB uncertainty
His picks for the Giants were spot-on. But it also made something very clear — this team still doesn’t have a quarterback worthy of that list:
“Lawrence ranks among the league’s best interior defenders, logging grades above 89.0 in each of the last three seasons, including an 89.9 in 2024. Thomas has battled injuries but remains elite when on the field. Nabers takes the final spot after earning the team’s top non-quarterback WAR at 0.56 and finishing his rookie season with an 87.1 receiving grade.”
There’s nothing to nitpick here. Lawrence is one of the league’s most —if not the most — dominant interior forces. Thomas has been elite when healthy. Nabers just had an electric rookie season despite playing with a carousel of quarterbacks. But none of them touch the ball every play. None of them dictate how far this team can go. That’s the quarterback’s job — and the Giants still don’t know if they’ve got that guy.
Russell Wilson is likely a future Hall of Famer. He also just turned 36 and has struggled to consistently execute a high-level offense for the past few seasons. Jameis Winston is a seasoned backup, but definitely not a franchise answer. That leaves Jaxson Dart, who might be the future — but still has to prove it. New York liked him enough to trade back into the first round. They also liked him enough to sit him and give him time to develop.
If he becomes the guy, everything changes. The top three will have to make adjustments, which would be amazing. The roster will look more complete. The team will finally be taken seriously again. Until then, the Giants’ three best players will keep carrying the weight — while the fans wait for the most important one to step up.