Following the team's most successful season in eight years, the NY Giants enter the 2023 campaign with hopes to be even better than they were last fall and winter. As you can already guess, there are individual players ready to live up to the hype as well.
These guys may not have played poorly in 2022, but in New York's biggest season in a while, they must show that they are the real deal and can lead this team to success at the highest level. If they don't, then people will surely be ready to call them out.
With that being said, here are five Giants (including one coach) with the most to prove in the 2023 season. Hopefully, they don't let us down and lead the team to tons of success this year:
5. OLB Azeez Ojulari
Following his second-round selection in 2021, Azeez Ojulari has shown some promise to be a very good pass-rusher. However, injuries limited his sophomore season and there were several rumors surrounding the Giants either signing or drafting a pass-rusher to add depth/potentially be a replacement for Ojulari in the future.
While we definitely understand the injury concerns, it's worth noting how successful Ojulari was when healthy last season. Through just seven games last season, Ojulari racked up six sacks, 19 pressures, seven combined tackles, and two forced fumbles.
This level of production out of a player who was dealing with injuries all season is special. However, if Ojulari wants to prove himself to Joe Schoen and the rest of the Giants, he must stay healthy and keep up the elite level of production.
The pass-rushing duo that both Ojulari and Kayvon Thibodeaux could form could be one of the best in the NFL and they are both under the age of 23. These two are nasty enough, but when you add Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams into the mix, it starts to get very scary. Hopefully, Ojulari can remain healthy in '23 and prove all his haters wrong.
4. OT Evan Neal
It's tough to say that a second-year offensive tackle has so much to prove. However, for a No. 7 overall pick, while also being regarded as the best tackle in the draft class, Neal was definitely a little disappointing. This isn't the end of the world, as rookie offensive linemen tend to struggle, but Neal must improve in 2023.
Neal doesn't have to make a jump like Andrew Thomas did in his second season, but he needs to improve nonetheless. Neal struggled mightily at times and was arguably the Giants' worst offensive lineman last season. While he had moments of excellence, he definitely didn't do the Giants any favors a lot of the time.
Through 453 pass-blocking snaps last season, Neal allowed 39 pressures and seven sacks. We aren't going to dog on him too much considering he played a new position while also making the transition to the NFL, but there are no doubts he could have been better.
Coming out of an offseason in which he received training from some incredible talents at his position, we're hoping to see a jump out of Neal. If he manages to do this, the Giants' offensive line may finally have some stability at both of its tackle spots.
3. RB Saquon Barkley
Following an offseason full of disappointments with his potential contract extension, it seems like Saquon Barkley very well could be playing the 2023 season on a franchise tag. If this is the case, he needs to show not only the Giants, but the entire NFL, that he is a player worth the big-time money he wants.
When healthy, Barkley has consistently been one of the best running backs in the league. The problem, though, is that Barkley has only been "healthy" for two seasons. This obviously isn't his fault, but Barkley needs to show that he can string together consecutive elite seasons if he wants to earn his Christian McCaffery money.
Last season, Barkley ran the ball 295 times for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns in addition to catching 57 passes for 338 yards. While there was a notable decline in his production as the season went on due to an apparent shoulder issue, Barkley was a huge reason for the Giants' success.
If Barkley can remain fully healthy in '23 and put up similar, if not better numbers than he did last season, then he very well could earn the big-time contract he so desperately wants.
2. OC Mike Kafka
The lone coach on our list, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka is going to want to open up the playbook this year. Last campaign, Kafka received a ton of criticism from start to finish in the regular season, as a lot of NY fans were tired of seeing some of his questionable play-calling. That can't be the case once again for him.
Kafka received head coach interest this offseason, which included some interviews. However, he's back on staff for head man Brian Daboll, which is great to see. What only makes things better for Kafka is that there are several new fantastic additions for his unit. This includes Jalin Hyatt, Parris Campbell, Darren Waller, John Michael Schmitz and others.
In terms of the aerial attack, people are thrilled about Waller, Hyatt and Campbell being in town. Darius Slayton is ready for the offense to be more explosive this year - and it will be on Kafka to make this happen. He needs to get creative and let the NY playmakers do their thing. It could prove to be a season to remember for the young OC.
1. QB Daniel Jones
It's funny, it seems like you could say Daniel Jones is the player with the most to prove for each of the last three seasons. However, it makes sense, as he has yet to string together multiple successful campaigns together. Obviously, the personnel around him has been far from ideal, but after his best season yet, Jones needs to prove he can actually be the team's franchise QB.
We have all the faith in the world for Jones, especially after all of the additions the Giants and Schoen made this offseason. However, he must show us that he's capable of consistently being a good QB. Jones will always receive criticism for the simple fact that he plays in New York, but real Giants fans know how talented he is.
In 16 games last season, Jones completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions. In addition to this, Jones ran the ball 120 times for 708 yards and seven touchdowns. Following this season, Jones was rewarded with an absolutely massive four-year, $160 million contract extension.
If Jones wants to prove his haters wrong, he must show that he can string together multiple successful seasons while leading the team at QB. We're confident in his abilities, but like we said, he must prove it before we jump to massive conclusions.
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