4 reasons the NY Giants defense can become elite this season

When you look at the best teams in the NFL, you think of the top quarterbacks in the league and the offense around them, but you know what they say: defense wins championships. While the NY Giants roster looks slightly different this year than the previous seasons, especially on offense, their defensive unit may be slept on by football fans and could be one of the best in the league.

Yes, Big Blue lost veteran safety Xavier McKinney to the Green Bay Packers in free agency and parted ways with former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale this offseason. Still, Big Blue has upgraded at many positions via the NFL Draft and free agency.

The Giants replaced McKinney with arguably the best safety in this year's NFL Draft, Tyler Nubin out of Minnesota, who the team drafted with the No. 47 pick. The Giants also expect breakout campaigns from cornerbacks Cor'Dale Flott and Deonte Banks. Don't forget about the addition of Brian Burns too. With that said, things are looking great for the Big Blue defense. Here are four reasons we think the unit can become elite in 2024:

4. What Giants new DC Shane Bowen brings to the table

After all the drama surrounding Martindale's departure from the team, the Giants found his replacement, picking former Tennessee Titans DC Shane Bowen as the team's next defensive coordinator. Bowen is touted as a pass-rush specialist, which should make for an excellent fit in New York with the team's talented defensive linemen and linebackers.

Bowen has been the Titans' defensive coordinator for the last three seasons. During his tenure in Tennessee, he has built up a track record of producing defenses that consistently perform well on third downs and in the red zone. The Titans finished first in red zone defense last year and placed in the Top 15 in the league in the past three seasons. In Bowen's three seasons as Tennessee's coordinator, the Titans finished sixth, third, and 17th in third-down defense.

The Giants struggled to stop the run in the past two seasons, and with Bowen expected to run a base 3-4 defense, that should correct those issues depending on the opponent. Lawrence should also benefit from a 3-4 scheme as he would be able to serve as the Giants' nose tackle, which he became a two-time All-Pro when taking on this role for the G-Men in previous seasons.