Giants Named One of Four Teams to Challenge Eagles for NFC Title

The New York Giants, last year's surprising 9-7-1 playoff-bound team, is a franchise that's clearly on the rise after making further off-season moves to improve their competition level.

They re-signed quarterback Daniel Jones and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to four-year deals and acquired star tight end Darren Waller via trade. They signed linebacker Bobby Okereke, defensive linemen Rakeem Nunez-Roches and A'Shawn Robinson, and receiver Parris Campbell in free agency.

And let's not forget about the draft, which looks like one of the best drafts this team has had in quite some time. The class includes cornerback Deonte Banks, center John Michael Schmitz, receiver Jalin Hyatt and running back Eric Gray--all players who could make an immediate impact as rookies.

Still, before those roster moves were made, the upstart Giants recognized a talent gulf between their roster at the time and that of the Philadelphia Eagles, who went on to win the NFC Championship only to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

While the Eagles also sought to beef up their roster with moves that included signing quarterback Jalen Hurts to a five-year deal, adding draft picks Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Kelee Ringo, and Moro Ojomo, and acquiring running back D’Andre Swift from the Lions, the Giants closed the talent gap with their division rivals.

This is no doubt why Bleacher Report's Bren Sobleski believes the Giants are one of four teams (the others being the Lions, Seahawks, and Panthers) that could potentially knock the Eagles off their throne.

Everything starts within the division, and the New York Giants made the biggest improvements to last year's roster after finishing 9-7-1 in Brian Daboll's first year as head coach and making a postseason berth.

The job Daboll and his staff did was nothing short of astounding, considering the deficiencies clearly found on the roster. The rapid improvement led to Daboll winning NFL Coach of the Year.

Sobleski concludes that the "evolving Giants" have become "difficult for everyone to handle, including the Eagles.”

The Giants have certainly improved on paper. The coaching staff squeezed everything they could with what they were given last season and emerged victorious.

On offense, they had what seemed like a revolving door at wide receiver thanks to a combination of injuries and performance letdowns. They went into the season with Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard, Richie James, Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, David Sills V, and Marcus Johnson.

Golladay, Toney, and James are no longer on the roster, replaced by rookie draft pick Jalin Hyatt and Parris Campbell. They also added tight end Darren Waller, who projects as quarterback Daniel Jones’ top target.

Waller and Hyatt’s speed and ability to stretch the field will open up things underneath for guys like Campbell, Sterling Shepard, Wan'Dale Robinson, and Darius Slayton. And let's not forget about Isaiah Hodgins, who came on at the end of last season and is a superb route runner with reliable hands.

On defense, there were two huge problems stemming from last season: Stopping the run and finding a second cornerback to keep up with the speedy receivers in the division.

The Giants boasted one of the worst run defenses in the league last season due to their lack of depth behind Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams and their nonexistent linebacker core.

New York finished 27th against the run, that unit prioritized for an upgrade by general manager Joe Schoen, who added Nunez-Roches and Robinson for depth on the line, and Okereke, who’s averaged over 140 tackles each over the last two seasons, behind them.

On the back end of the defense, they added cornerback Deonte Banks to pair opposite Adoree Jackson. They will hold a competition for the slot cornerback spot that will include Darnay Holmes, Cor'Dale Flott, and Aaron Robinson.

The Eagles are still the cream of the crop in the NFC, followed by the 49ers. But if the Giants aspire to progress in the overall rankings, it starts within their division and closing the gap with Philadelphia. Did the Giants do enough to put themselves in a position to snatch the NFC East divisional crown from the Eagles? Only time will tell if they have or still need another strong off-season next year to do so.

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