After a surprising 9-7-1 record in 2022 that saw the NY Giants sneak into the NFC Wild Card picture and a road playoff victory over the Vikings, the G-Men came into this season with hopes of building on the momentum they captured in head coach Brian Daboll’s first season. Alas, things have gone haywire in what is seemingly a lost season.
"We're 2-8, but it doesn't feel like we're 2-8, to be completely honest. The way we're practicing - we're fast, there's still joy. It's not like you walk in the building, 'I'm 2-8, my life is miserable.'"
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) November 16, 2023
- Saquon Barkley pic.twitter.com/nnXc5XpmG2
It’s good to hear Saquon Barkley and the rest of the team are still playing hard and with joy because that’s not how it feels from the fans' perspective. At this rate, the offseason can’t come sooner for Big Blue Nation.
This season, Barkley has held up his end of the bargain, playing through a high-ankle sprain and operating as the engine of a dormant Giants offense. Unlike Barkley, the Giants were expecting these five players to be relied upon heavily throughout the season, but they’ve gone completely missing through the first 10 weeks:
5. Parris Campbell
The Giants signed Parris Campbell to a one-year, $4.7 million contract this offseason. A former second-round pick out of Ohio State University, Campbell has always been regarded as a talented player with game-changing speed who thrives after the catch. However, injuries have plagued his professional career. Campbell played no more than seven games in his first three years in the NFL. However, health hasn’t been the issue for Campbell this season, he’s played in all 10 of the Giants games. Still, Campbell has left much to be desired thus far.
In 10 games, Campbell has earned just 26 targets, which he’s converted into 19 receptions and 106 scoreless yards. Campbell has been a non-factor in the Giants offense this season, limited to playing just 28 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. Now, with undrafted rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito under center for the foreseeable future, Campbell may never turn it around.
4. Sterling Shepard
After tearing his ACL in Week 3 of the 2022 season on the final year of his contract, the Giants re-signed Sterling Shepard to a one-year, $1.165 million deal. Shepard is currently the longest-tenured member of the G-Men, having spent all eight of his NFL seasons with the team. Shep has been a leader in the locker room and his presence goes beyond stats at this point, but that doesn’t excuse him for being completely MIA through 10 weeks of the season.
Shepard has seen just 10 targets which he has turned into five receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown. He’s barely been a part of the Giants offense this season, playing just 12 percent of the team’s offensive snaps.
In addition to his lack of contribution on the field, he was also involved in some heated sideline discussions this past week with fellow wide receiver Darius Slayton during the Cowboys’ second trouncing of the season against the Giants in Week 10.
It’s clear that frustrations are mounting in the Giants locker room and no one is happy with the way the team has played through 10 weeks, including Shepard. However, Shepard has all but disappeared in a season where the Giants have needed a reliable veteran pass-catching option to make things easier on the offense.
3. Isaiah Hodgins
Isaiah Hodgins followed general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll to the Giants last season after being waived by the Bills. His experience within Daboll’s offense dating back to their days in Buffalo helped him become an immediate offensive weapon for Daniel Jones, establishing himself as the team’s No. 1 receiver down the stretch of 2022.
In 10 games with the Giants last season, Hodgins caught 42 passes for 459 yards and five touchdowns, including a massive performance in the Giants NFC Wild Card win over the Vikings. Hodgins reeled in eight of his nine targets for 105 yards and a touchdown and was a major factor in the Giants reaching the NFC Divisional Round. This year, though, he's been used very little.
Through 10 games this season, Hodgins has 12 receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown. That is a far cry from his offensive production in 10 games as a member of the Giants last season. After playing nearly 80 percent of the team’s offensive snaps last season, that number has dropped below 50 percent in 2023 (49).
For some reason, the Giants have chosen to go away from Hodgins and look elsewhere for receiver production, which hasn’t boded well for either Hodgins or the team.
2. Adoree’ Jackson
Adoree’ Jackson is amongst the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL in 2023 in terms of average salary but has not performed like a top cornerback thus far through 10 weeks of the season. In the eight games Jackson has suited up this season, he’s amassed 28 tackles and a mere three pass deflections.
Jackson hasn’t recorded an interception since 2021. Despite being a near-every-down player for the G-Men this season (played in 84 percent of the team’s defensive snaps thus far), Jackson has done very little with his opportunity. In addition to not forcing turnovers, Jackson has zero tackles for loss this season.
Moreover, Jackson committed a brutal pass interference penalty in overtime of the Giants Week 8 loss to the Jets, which set up the Jets for a game-winning chip shot field goal attempt. In other words, not only has Jackson gone missing, but he’s done more harm than good when he does show up.
1. Azeez Ojulari
While Kayvon Thibodeaux has taken the next step as an edge rusher for the G-Men this season, Azeez Ojulari has taken a step back. Part of Ojulari’s struggles in 2023 have been health related, missing six of 10 games due to nagging ankle and hamstring injuries.
When healthy, Ojulari has shown he is a capable pass-rusher, recording 5.5 sacks in seven games in 2022 and eight sacks as a rookie in 2021. Ojulari has yet to record a sack this season and has only three tackles in four games. Simply put, that is not going to get the job done, especially for a player selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Thibodeaux and the Giants have desperately needed another pass-rushing presence to emerge alongside the defensive line and were hopeful that Ojulari would fill that role in 2023, but that hasn’t been the case through 10 weeks.
Over the past two seasons, Ojulari has played in 11 out of 27 possible regular-season games for the Giants. In other words, Ojulari has quite literally gone completely missing not just through the first 10 games of this season, but each of the past two campaigns.