After the NY Giants fell to the Eagles 38-7 in the NFC Divisional round, all eyes shifted toward the offseason - one of the most important ones in Giants history. If you told a Big Blue fan after that loss that the offseason would turn out like it has for NY, that fan would be thrilled.
Joe Schoen re-signed his quarterback Daniel Jones, franchise tagged his running back Saquon Barkley, re-signed wide receiver Darius Slayton, signed wide receiver Parris Campbell Jr., and traded for former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller. Schoen also signed Bobby Okereke to fill the Giants biggest hole - inside linebacker.
The Giants front office also hit a grand slam in the first three rounds of the draft. The Giants drafted Maryland corner Deonte Banks in round one to play opposite Adoree' Jackson, drafted starting center John Michael Schmitz on Day 2, and thanks to Brian Daboll's trade with the Rams, the team drafted Tennessee wideout Jaylin Hyatt in round three.
Big Blue has a ton of roster strengths thanks to the strong work the front office put in this spring. Here are their four biggest ones:
4. Running back
The Giants running back room is the deepest it has been since the tandem of Amhad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs left New York. Barkley will return to be the workhorse back for the 2023 season, and possibly more if the Giants can reach a long-term extension with their star back.
Barkley rushed for the most yards of his career in 2022, and also recieved the most carries of his career. Behind Barkley, Matt Breida will return as his primary backup, at least to start training camp. Breida signed a vet minimum deal last offseason and had a real strong season for Big Blue, rushing for 220 yards and playing in all 17 games. The veteran had the Giants only touchdown in the divisional round loss.
The Giants drafted Eric Gray in the fifth round out of Oklahoma, and he could beat out Breida for the backup role. Gray, a bruising back, rushed for 1,366 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022. The Giants also have Gary Brightwell, a big, physical back who was their lead kick returner in 2022, and second-year player Jashuan Corbin, who nearly made the team as an undrafted free agent in 2022 after a strong camp, on the roster.
3. Tight end
The Giants tight end room received a big boost this offseason with the addition of Waller. That trade alone makes this position one of the biggest strengths on Big Blue's roster. Waller was a superstar in Las Vegas.
In 2019, the former Pro Bowl tight end hauled in 90 passes for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns. In the COVID laden 2020 season, Waller snagged 107 passes for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns. Only one New York Giants tight end has amassed 1,000 yards in a single season (Mark Bavaro had precisely 1,000 in 1986). In 2021, Waller played in just 11 games and had 665 yards, which still would have been the best production Jones received from a tight end in his career.
ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky recently said on NFL Live that the Giants will be "Kansas City-light" thanks to the addition of Waller.
.@danorlovsky7 thinks the Giants can be "Kansas City-light" with Darren Waller 📈 👀 pic.twitter.com/fCPSuG5aml
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 31, 2023
Waller is also an excellent blocking tight end, as is his backup, second-year player Daniel Bellinger. Bellinger, who showed up to OTA's absolutely chizzled, had a strong rookie season, hauling in three passes for touchdowns (one of which was is in the NFC Wild Card win at Minnesota), and added another on the ground in the Giants win over Green Bay in London.
Behind those two is athletic freak Lawrence Cager who made some big plays for the Giants last season. Schoen also added Tommy Sweeney, a former Buffalo Bill this offseason. Dre Miller, a standout in training camp last season before getting injured, will receive another chance this summer to make the roster.
2. Wide receiver
The Giants do not have a WR1, but they have one of the deepest wide receiver rooms in the league. Isaiah Hodgins, the 2022 phenom, is the leader in Giants wide receiver room heading in 2023. Hodgins had 351 yards across eight games with Big Blue in 2022. He had eight catches for 105 yards and one touchdown in the NFC Wild Card win at Minnesota.
Slayton re-signed with the Giants on a two-year, $12 million deal this offseason. He will continue to be the G-Men's downfield burner. Campbell comes over from Indianapolis and will provide the Giants offense some blazing speed, as will the rookie Hyatt, who caught five touchdowns in a game against Alabama last fall.
Sterling Shepard and Wan'Dale Robinson, two slot receivers, are both returning from ACL injuries, but have a chance to be ready for Week 1. Shepard has been Jones' favorite target throughout the early portion of the quarterback's career.
Collin Johnson looked like the best wideout on the Giants during training camp last season, but also tore his ACL. He has dominated OTAs so far this spring. The Giants wide receiver room also has veteran Jamison Crowder, elite special teamer Jeff Smith, blazing return man Kalil Pimpleton, and undrafted rookie Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who will have a real chance to make Big Blue's roster.
1. Defensive line
For the first time in ages, the Giants defensive line is the strength of the team. In the interior of the defensive line, the Giants have two stars, Dexter Lawrence, who just signed a massive four-year contract extension, and former Pro Bowler Leonard Williams.
PFF graded Lawrence as the second-best interior defender in 2022, only behind Chris Jones. Lawrence was ahead of both Aaron Donald and Quinnen Williams. In his recent position rankings, ESPN's Mike Clay ranked the Giants interior defensive line as the best interior defensive line in football.
2023 NFL Interior Defensive Linemen Unit Ranks and Depth Charts.
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) May 11, 2023
The Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence led Giants pace the field. pic.twitter.com/XWfOA3Nodn
The Giants signed A'Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nuñez-Roches this offseason. Both of those players will provide tremendous depth for the interior defensive line, something the Giants sorely lacked a season ago.
On the edge, the Giants boost two young studs, Azzez Ojulari, and Kayvon Thibodeaux. If both players stay healthy in 2023, they will each record double-digit sacks. Thibodeaux had the play of the Giants season in 2022, a strip-sack touchdown in a Week 15 at Washington, a win that all but secured Big Blue's postseason berth.