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What We Learned About Giants After Second Preseason Game

There is a lot to like about the way this Giants team is taking shape. A lot.
Brandon Olsen|
What We Learned About Giants After Second Preseason Game
What We Learned About Giants After Second Preseason Game

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New York Giants

The second preseason game for the New York Giants wasn’t the most exciting contest in the world, but there were enough bright spots to show Giants fans that last season wasn’t a fluke and that this team has the foundation to once again be a playoff contender. The front office and coaching staff have built a roster by retaining home talent, adding veteran contributors, and drafting players who can play early on.

So what can we take away from the impressive performance of the first and second teams? A lot.

The Starting Offense Can be Dangerous in 2023

The Giants starting offense didn’t play much, but when it did, it was effective and efficient together. Daniel Jones completed eight passes on nine attempts for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Teams typically keep a simplified version of their playbook available for the preseason. While that’s true for the Giants, they’re also giving glimpses of what fans can expect to see during the regular season.

Against the Panthers, we saw running back Jashaun Corbin play seven of his 31 snaps (22.6%) of his offensive snaps either in the slot or out wide while also calling plays that started with Jamison Crowder in the backfield before motioning out to the slot.

The versatility from the offensive personnel is going to be nightmarish for opposing defenses to try and slow down but add in an improved offensive line, more explosive weapons like Darren Waller and Jalin Hyatt, and a more confident Daniel Jones and this offense can be near the top of the league.

The Giants started hot, finding plays with scripted plays that, if they can carry that over into the regular season, could give them early leads that force opposing offenses into making adjustments immediately.

Eric Gray Can Contribute as a Rookie

A fifth-round pick out of Oklahoma during this past NFL Draft, the expectation wasn’t that Eric Gray would be ready to contribute much immediately, but he’s shown promise as an inside-out runner. The stats aren’t glamorous on first look, with just 25 rushing yards on ten carries so far, but of those 25 yards, 22 have come after contact, with 10 of his 16 yards against the Panthers coming after contact.

The offensive line depth has been an issue for the Giants during the preseason so far, and because of that, running backs like Gray and Corbin have seen their production suffer. Gray specifically has impressed on plays like his touchdown run against the Panthers, where he kept his legs churning through contact.

Kayvon Thibodeaux is Even Better Than He Was in 2022

Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu played arguably the worst game of his NFL career against the Giants, and a big reason for that was because of his matchup with Kayvon Thibodeaux. Thibodeaux left the game with one sack on ten pass-rush attempts but spent every snap against Ekwonu winning that battle.

In my opinion, Thibodeaux had the best first step of all edge rushers in the 2022 NFL draft, and he looks to have made it even more lethal this off-season. If he can continue to build on this momentum, Giants fans could see their first double-digit sack edge rusher since Markus Golden in 2019.

The ability to run around one of the most athletic offensive tackles in NFL history can’t be overstated, as well as the ability to stack plays by winning outside on one play, then rushing outside and countering in on the next. It’s only year two for Kayvon, but the flashes indicate he’s ready to take the next step in his development as a pass-rusher.

Run defense will still need to improve for Thibodeaux, but continued development is the name of the game here, and he’s doing that so far.

Bobby Okereke Fits in Just Fine

When the Giants signed linebacker Bobby Okereke from the Colts this past offseason, I was one of the first to say that the signing was confusing because it meant one of two things: either Okereke was going to be asked to play man coverage and rush the passer, which he had done very little throughout his career with Indy, or the defense was going to shift towards more zone coverage.

It appears that we have the answer from Wink Martindale: Okereke is going to play man coverage and blitz.

The question was never “Could Bobby Okereke work in this defense?” but was more about the decision-making behind signing a linebacker to big money without knowing definitively if he could function consistently in that role. In his first preseason game with the Giants, Okereke was tasked with doing all of the things he’ll need to in this defense--rush the passer, defend the run, operate in the hook zone underneath, and play man coverage.

Given his limited snaps played, the opportunities were few and far between. Still, as a pass-rusher, Okereke attacked aggressively and showed no hesitation when Chuba Hubbard tried to meet him in the hole, leading to him getting run over.

The Giants have a MIKE linebacker under contract that can take this defense to the next level with his elite play and versatility.

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Brandon Olsen
BRANDON OLSEN

Brandon Olsen is the founder of Whole Nine Sports, specializing in NFL Draft coverage, and is the host of the Locked On Gators Podcast. 

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