Four Giants Who Could See Increased Roles in 2023
One of the coolest things about a team is when athletes from whom not much is expected by people on the outside rise up and become significant contributors to their team's cause.
So who are some under-the-radar types on the New York Giants who might have a larger role than expected, and why? Read on.
DL Ryder Anderson
Anderson, an undrafted free agent who made the team, started to come into his own at this level around Week 14 when he began getting an uptick of important rotation snaps, which included both playoff games.
Anderson, who had his issues at the point of attack against the run, really stood out on passing downs. He showed a good feel for maintaining rush lanes and a nose for the football, recording two sacks in 81 pass-rushing snaps and seven total tackles in pursuit in 193 total defensive snaps.
With all the hand-wringing over the Giants doing nothing to add to their pass rush and the concerns about whether they have anything more beyond starters Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, perhaps the coaches are looking at ways to get Anderson, who played all his defensive snaps lined up int he B gap, involved in that area of the game in certain personnel packages.
TE Daniel Bellinger
Some might question why a recent draft pick is listed among the sleepers. Still, in this case, it's because so much attention at the tight end spot has been drawn by Darren Waller that were it not for Daniel Bellinger's physical transformation into a baby Hulk, the second-year tight end probably wouldn't be in many conversations regarding Year 2 of this offense.
That would be a mistake, given what Bellinger brings to the table. As a rookie, Bellinger stood out with his blocking, both on the edge and on the move. Now that he's upgraded his physique and strength, imagine how much better he'll be against the big boys he'll likely see on the edges.
And let's not forget that Bellinger is a pretty good receiver as well, catching 33 of 38 pass targets (86.8 percent) for 290 yards and three touchdowns. The strength of Bellinger's game as a receiver was his ability to find holes in zone coverage.
This versatility means that opponents shouldn't necessarily think he's there strictly to block when Bellinger is on the field.
While no one will confuse Bellinger for a healthy Waller, the latter of whom has little better movement skills to beat single coverage, with the Giants looking as though they'll be playing a lot more two tight end sets this coming season, Bellinger should see his role expand significantly.
OL Tyre Phillips
The Giants need a swing tackle behind projected starters Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal, which will be one of the underrated summer camp competitions.
While each of the projected candidates has his warts, one guy whose experience at the tackle position could give him the edge is Tyre Phillips, whom the Giants acquired off waivers from the Ravens last year.
Phillips held the fort for the Giants at right tackle after Neal suffered his knee injury in Week 7. He held his own for the most part, as the Giants offense was based primarily on the running and short-passing game. Phillips seemed to thrive when asked to run block, exuding power, and good play strength to move his man out of the way.
His pass blocking on the deeper attempts is still a work in progress, but who knows? Perhaps with a solid off-season and summer, he will improve just enough to where if an injury does hit the starters, if Phillips has to step in, there won't be that much of a drop-off.
LB Micah McFadden
Other than for Bobby Okereke, the rest of the Giants inside linebacker depth has many questions.
Darrian Beavers, who looked to be on his way to securing a starting job, is coming off an ACL injury. While he should be physically ready to go, there are questions about whether he has the speed and quickness he did before his injury to keep up with what he'd be facing on the field.
The team also brought back Jarrad Davis on a one-year deal. Davis runs well for a bigger linebacker but had his struggles in coverage.
The sleeper of this group could be Micah McFadden, a fifth-round draft pick last year. McFadden was thrown into the deep end of the pool when the "talent" around him wasn't getting the job done, and while he made strides in terms of his physicality and reaction time, his mobility in space proved to be a detriment.
That said, there's no reason to think McFadden can't challenge for a role as a two-down linebacker who makes a living defending the run, an area in which this team sorely lacked playmakers last season.
McFadden also blitzes well and picked up two sacks last year off the blitz. While he's probably not going to turn heads in coverage, there are enough little things he does well to where he could emerge as a contributor in sub packages.
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