What Giants Need to Accomplish to Take Next Step

Not much was expected from the New York Giants last year, the first in the new regime of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll.

But the team had other ideas. Schoen, who inherited a decent enough core group of players, made the best of a terrible salary cap situation by building through the draft the way things should have been all along. And Daboll, in his first year as a head coach, focussed on building relationships with his players and tailoring systems designed to enhance their strengths.

The result was a surprising 9-7-1 record and a postseason berth, both accomplishments being the first since 2016, the last season the Giants had a winning record.

According to Sharp Football Stats, the Giants' Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans marked the first time in six seasons the Giants had a winning record at any point during the regular season.

Want more accomplishments? At no point in the regular season did the Giants have a losing record, and, again, per Sharp Football Stats, the Giants led the league in covering the spread, doing so 13 times.

That's quite the turnaround., indeed. But there is still so much more work to be done with this football team, and both Schoen and Daboll know it. There is a need to improve the run defense, make the offense more explosive in the passing game, and be a better overall football team.

The good news is the arrow is pointing up. Schoen had a little better salary cap situation this off-season but didn't go crazy, focusing more so on needs, such as the run defense, than luxuries, such as a No. 1 receiver. His second draft class also was a needs-based group that represented tremendous value.

Perhaps the biggest advantage the Giants have as compared to their NFC East counterparts is consistency in coaching. Mike Kafka and Wink Martindale are returning after receiving head coaching conservation around the league. That should help both sides of the ball play faster and without thinking.

Overall, the Giants seem set up for continued success in 2023. But let's take a closer look at the upcoming season's potential pitfalls and try to forecast what the future might bring.

Biggest Gamble This Offseason

Acquiring TE Darren Waller: The Giants needed to upgrade their playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. But with general manager Joe Schoen perhaps realizing that getting a legitimate No. 1 receiver in the draft and free agency wasn't easily attainable, he went in another direction by acquiring former Raiders tight end Darren Waller in a trade.

The cost was only a third-round pick, which isn't too bad. If Waller is healthy- which he has not been the last couple of years- he is one of the best tight ends in the league and one of the most productive.

Therein lies the gamble. If Waller, who played in 20 games over the last two seasons, isn't healthy enough, then what? Sure, the Giants have Daniel Belligner as an option, but he's not the same kind of athlete as Waller in the passing game.

And with the Giants looking to open things up this coming season, they will need a big body to help draw defenders into the middle of the field.

Toughest Stretch of the Season

Weeks 7 to 11: The NFL schedule makers didn't do the Giants any favors with their first ten or so games. That stretch includes four of the Giants' five primetime games, including a Thursday night date against the 49ers after playing the Cardinals the previous weeks.

Sure, the NFL schedule makers gave the Giants back-to-back road games on the West Coast, which means the Giants won't have to go back and forth across the country, but those first 11 weeks are a bear.

Breakout Player to Watch

WR Isaiah Hodgins. On paper, the Giants don't have a legitimate No. 1 receiver--and no, we're not including Waller in this equation even though he's the de facto No. 1 receiver. Arguably, the Giants have a bunch of No. 2s on their roster, but might one of them ascend to the next level?

Skillset-wise, the answer is probably not. But that doesn't mean that with the outstanding coaching the Giants had last year and will continue to have this year, one or more of the receivers can't have a breakout campaign that puts him in the discussion for No. 1 status.

Our pick for that is Isaiah Hodgins, the surprise waiver wire pickup last year who led the receivers in touchdowns (five, regular- and postseason) and whose 82.1 reception rate was just shy of now former teammate Richie James' team-leading 82.9.

Hodgins was also the only one of the Giants receivers with at least 20 pass targets to have a contested catch success rate over 60 percent (63.6). He also tied with Darius Slayton for the most forced missed tackles (four) among the receiver group and had a team-leading 126.2 rating when targeted in the passing game.

That's a lot to like about Hodgins, who, if he can continue that kind of production, could quell some of the concern about this team not having a No. 1 wide receiver.

Position of Strength

Defensive Line: Year in and year out, one can argue that the Giants defensive line, led by Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams, is the undisputed best position group on the team. This year is no different. Lawrence is coming off a breakout season and has a brand new contract.

Williams will hopefully be healthy after dealing with a neck issue last year. The Giants also added veterans Rakeem Nunez-Roches and A'Shawn Robinson. They drafted Jordon Riley to take some of the onus off Lawrence and Williams, who logged over 80 percent of the defensive snaps last year.

Robinson spent the spring continuing his rehab from knee surgery to repair a season-ending torn meniscus suffered last year with the Rams. Once he is healthy, he and Nunez-Roches should provide the depth this Giants team was missing on the defensive front last year.

Position of Weakness

Edge Rusher: Whether by choice or because the chips didn't fall as hoped, edge rusher is the one position the Giants didn't add to in the off-season. They're golden if Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari stay healthy, but right now, the depth behind those guys is a big question mark to the point where it's unclear if they even have a No. 3 guy in that group.

Jihad Ward, a Wink Martindale favorite, was signed to provide depth, and the Giants brought back Oshane Ximines to round out a group that also includes Tomon Fox and Elerson Smith. Smith hasn't been able to stay on the field in the two years he's been with the team. Ximines saw his play drop off last year, and it's probably not a stretch to wonder if the only reason he was brought back was that the Giants couldn't find a suitable upgrade.

Fox showed some potential, but he also looked to be a long way off from becoming that third guy behind Ojulari and Thibodeaux.

The Giants want to see what they have--that and our guess is that someone such as Yannick Ngakoue's price tag might still be a little too rich for the Giants' tastes, assuming there is an interest in him.

X-factor

RT Evan Neal. The seventh overall pick in the draft had his share of struggles last season as he sought to transition from the left side to the right. A mid-year knee injury didn't help, but with all that in the past, Evan Neal is looking to turn the corner and have the kind of second season his colleague on the other side of the line, Andrew Thomas, enjoyed.

If Neal accomplishes that, the Giants offensive line will be in good shape, barring injuries. But if he struggles again, it will be interesting to see how the coaches handle the position, especially considering that the identity of the swing tackle for this team is not yet known.

To his credit, Neal has attacked his off-season with the same vigor that everyone hopes to see him attack opposing defenders with. He has worked on developing a comfort level playing on the right side and fine-tuning his knowledge of the game and how opponents tend to attack him.

Offensive line coach Bobby Johnson said he was encouraged by the work Neal has put in over the off-season. However, until he shows that on the field with pads on, everything is still very much up in the air regarding whether Neal is indeed the bookend tackle this team has been seeking.

What They Need to Do to Take the Next Step

Last year, they finished 1-4-1, which is not a very good record. The year prior, they were 1-5, their last winning record against NFC East teams coming in 2020 when they went 4-2.

If the Giants aspire to participate annually in the playoffs, it starts with winning in the division. And what better way to test their mettle than to go up against foes that make up one of if not the toughest division in pro football?

Final record

9-8. The Giants haven't notched a double-digit win season since 2016, when they finished with an 11-5 record and in second place in the NFC East, and I'm not sure this will be the year they snap that streak, given the hellish schedule they have to start the season.

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