2019 Season Review: A Complete Look at the Roster and Where They Go From Here

The 2019 season left Giants nation disappointed. But there were some glimmers of hope and the path for general manager Dave Gettleman and new head coach Joe Judge to take is clear.

What to Expect from the New Coaching Staff 

by Chris Pflum

The Giants have turned the page on the Pat Shurmur to the Joe Judge era, a surprise hire as any out there.

Most observers concentrated on the big name, high profile candidates and overlooked the 38-year old special teams coach. And who could blame them?

The Giants have seldom strayed from the beaten path over the course of their 94-year history. The Giants rarely think outside the box—they, in fact, like the box.

But after winning just 12 games in the last three years, their box isn't as comfortable as it used to be. And, as the saying goes (generally found on inspirational posters hanging from the walls of gyms, but it appears everywhere), if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.

So the Giants decided to make a change and hire the coach nobody expected.

But that shouldn't be the only change made this off-season. Obviously, a new coaching staff will result in new (or at least different) ways of doing things for the Giants. But there are some specific changes the Giants should make (or at least consider) going forward.

As we await more details regarding what philosophies offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham plan to integrate into their respective sides of the ball, here’s a list of what we would like to see different in 2020, starting with the offense.

The Giants obviously need an infusion of young talent all over their roster, from the offensive line to the defensive backfield.

On the offensive side of the ball they need to address at least one of their offensive tackle positions, the offensive center position, and find a true number one receiver. But even if the Giants were to find those players this year, they could probably benefit even more from how they think about offense.

Here’s what we would stress, in no particular order.

Work smarter, not harder

Much has been made of Dave Gettleman's "computer folks" statement. Are the Giants embracing analytics? Or are they simply updating their computer software? As of this writing we don't really have clarity on that.

Much has been made of analytics in general, with reactions ranging from disgust at the pencil-necked geekery, to cries in support of the revolution.

But the one fact that everyone can agree upon is that winning in the NFL is hard. Generally speaking, the margin of error between a win and a loss is razor thin.

Much of the explosion of offensive innovation we've seen around the league has been driven by coaches looking for any advantage they can find to win a game.

For all intents and purposes, every NFL team gets the same resources at the start of every year. Every team gets the roughly the same amount of cap space and similar draft capital (adjusted for their performance the previous year to try and further force parity).

Every team plays on the same size field for 60 minutes per game, and every team can roughly plan for the same amount of possessions.

The differences between the best and worst teams often come down to which teams uses their resources the most effectively.

The fundamental nature of football is beating the unit—the man—across from you. A lot of the time it is out-executing with technique, but sometimes it comes down to one player imposing his will on his opponent.

But that also doesn't mean that teams have to double, triple, down and make the game any harder than it needs to be. And smart use of data can help expose areas where teams can exploit their opponents and maximize their opportunities.

But even for the analytics-averse it doesn't take a degree in statistics to see what the best teams do and take notes.

For instance, Daniel Jones threw into coverage the third most of any passer in 2019. While some of that can be blamed on Jones being a rookie, and some can be blamed on an inability of most of the Giants' receivers not named “Sterling Shepard” to consistently create separation with their routes.

But also Pat Shurmur and Mike Shula did little to scheme open passes for either Eli Manning or Jones. While being aggressive and fitting the ball into coverage is occasionally necessary, it isn't a good way to field a consistent offense.

Coaches can do a number of things to create open passing lanes for their passes. Play-action (which studies have shown does not need to be “set up” by the running game since defenders will always honor a run fake) as well as calling wheel routes and angle routes are “cheat codes” for the NFL.

Those plays are very difficult for defenses to cover and get players (particularly the running back on the latter two route) the ball in space, in soft areas of most defenses.

Another option is making greater use of RPO (run-pass option) plays. The Giants only called 37 RPOs for Jones and he only threw on 28 of them. What makes RPOs so effective is that they are a run play and a pass play at the same time, designed to target one defender and put him in a responsibility conflict.

At that point it simplifies the defense to the point where all the quarterback has to do is read that one defender and make him wrong. If he defends the run, throw the ball, and if he drops into coverage, hand the ball to the running back.

Finally, the Giants would do well to do is look further down the field with their passing game. Generally speaking, the value in the passing game peaks between 10 and 15 yards downfield.

Each of the last three years, the best quarterbacks—Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz, Aaron Rodgers, and Patrick Mahomes—have generally targeted receivers around nine yards downfield.

Pass protection has been a major concern for the Giants the last two years, but it does not take much longer for a receiver to run a nine-yard route than it does to run a 4- or 5-yard route. Likewise, at that range the risk of a turnover is not much higher than with the quick “safe” passes we've seen the past few years.

Don't be so predictable

The Giants have, to some extent, been predictable on offense for a long time now, dating back to Kevin Gilbride's tenure as offensive coordinator.

Granted, the Giants' offense has changed dramatically from 2012 to 2019, but while their exact tendencies have changed, defenses have generally been able to figure out those tendencies.

The Giants have typically favored an 11-personnel set, with three receivers one tight end, and one running back on the field. Going forward they should make greater use of a more diverse set of personnel groupings.

The Giants used 11-personnel a whopping 74 percent of their offensive snaps, the second-highest rate in the league. But while that is actually a good running set (using more receivers forces defenses into smaller subpackages and encourages them to use light boxes), the Giants passed nearly three-quarters of their snaps in 11-personnel.

Generally speaking, the NFL is now built to defend 11-personnel in the passing game. This is why slot corners are basically starters and most defenses spend most of the game in a nickel set. Teams are less able to defend 10, 12, or 21 personnel, which put stress on their normal defensive packages.

The Giants should also make use of a more diverse set of alignments. Per Pro Football Reference, the Giants used the shotgun set on nearly three-quarters of their offensive snaps.

And while that has some advantages, such as making it easier for the quarterback to see the defense, keeping him away from pass rushers, and allowing him to get passes off more quickly, it isn't as good for running the ball.

However, when the Giants did play from under center, it was almost a sure tip that they were going to run. The Giants ran the ball on 201 of their 284 snaps from under center, making it all too easy for defenses to predict and defend.

Going forward, the Giants' next offensive coordinator should look to mix up the team's tendencies. Introduce more personnel packages that the league doesn't see often and call both running and passing plays from both under center and the shotgun.

The Giants should also look at including the pistol set—essentially the shotgun but with the running back lining up behind the quarterback, as opposed to alongside—which would give them another look, but one with the advantages of both under center and shotgun alignments.

Now let’s look at the defensive side of the ball. Where the Giants need to freshen their philosophy on offense, they need a complete renovation on the defensive side of the ball.

The Giants fielded a dominant defense in 2016, powered by one of the very best pass defenses in the NFL (the short-lived “NYPD”). Since then they have floundered, lacking an identity with a fractured locker room and constant turnovers.

It is true that defense is a more volatile side of the ball than offense. There tends to be more turnover and defensive rankings are generally impacted by the quality of offense they play. However, the Giants did not play many good offenses this year and still fielded one of the worst defenses in the NFL.

The Giants have long prided themselves on their defense, and it's about time they got back to that. Here’s what they can do to accomplish that.

Be More Aggressive

This could be taken to mean that the Giants need to blitz more, and they should, only blitzing on about 30 percent of their plays. But the Giants should also be more aggressive in how they call their coverages.

Last year, James Bettcher frequently called zone coverages, likely to try and ease the responsibilities on a secondary largely made of rookies. However, they did not respond well to the calls and we frequently saw confusion, missed assignments, and coverage breakdowns.

Sam Beal and DeAndre Baker came from the college ranks as man coverage corners, and Corey Ballentine has the traits of a man coverage corner as well. And when they were played in man coverage, they tended to respond better than when asked to play zone.

While that makes it difficult for a defensive coordinator to disguise his coverages, the good news is that, across every level of football, offenses perform worse against man coverage than zone.

While there are passing concepts which can beat either concept, man coverage tends to prevent the kinds of quick-hitting plays which can extend drives and frustrate pass rushes.

The Giants' next defensive coordinator should look to build his defense on a much more aggressive coverage scheme.

Look at College

NFL offenses are looking to college for concepts to improve their offenses, getting more production from young players sooner. Therefore, it only makes sense to look to the collegiate game for ways to counter those offensive concepts.

Granted, that is easier said than done, but there are still ideas in the NCAA which the NFL could adapt to its own ends.

One of the more intriguing, at least for me, is Iowa State's “3-3-3” odd-dime set. Not known as a football powerhouse, Iowa State has had one of the best defenses in the nation in two of the last three years.

That is doubly impressive considering they play in the high-octane Big 12, a conference in which every offense is looking to find the endzone on every play and final scores often resemble those of basketball games.

Iowa State's defense uses a dime (five defensive back) set as its base personnel package, with three safeties, three linebackers, and three defensive linemen on the field.

While it is much smaller than what we typically see from base defenses, it is still effective against the run by funnelling plays toward the middle of the field and defenders maintaining gap discipline.

The addition of an extra defensive back allows them to be more versatile in how they defend various offensive alignments and effectively combat the ways in which Big 12 defenses weaponize spacing.

It is also a very fast defensive scheme, which uses the defensive backs to both disguise and create pressure from a variety of sources.

It would obviously need some adjustments to work at the NFL level, but even Bill Belichick has adopted aspects of collegiate defenses to great effect over the last couple years.

Use Jabrill Peppers & Lorenzo Carter as Linebackers…

One of the Giants' problems on defense is a general lack of speed. For years now they have been gashed by running backs and tight ends in the passing game, and things have only gotten worse as offenses have gotten faster.

While they must continue to add players to their defense, the Giants could also take another look at how some of their personnel are deployed.

In particular, Lorenzo Carter and Jabrill Peppers. The team has been trying to transition Carter to a full-time EDGE player since drafting him in 2018.

But while he has all the athletic traits of a top-tier pass rusher, he just does not seem to have the aptitude for the position. At Georgia he was much more of a “wild-card” on the defense, frequently used in space and to disguise intentions as much as rush the passer.

Likewise, Jabrill Peppers played a plethora of positions in college and the NFL but has always been at his best closer to the line of scrimmage as a pseudo-linebacker.

He has generally struggled when aligned as a safety, but has been active and effective when lining up at the second level.

Making Carter a space player and moving Peppers to the second level full-time would go a long toward improving the Giants' overall team speed.

Perhaps more importantly, it would make it more difficult for defenses to attack the middle of the Giants' defense as well as open up more possibilities in scheming pressure.

...and find a third pass rusher

The other side of the coin is that the Giants need to find (at least) one more pass rusher. The Giants defense had one of the worst pressure rates when not blitzing of any defense in the NFL.

Of their front seven players, only Dalvin Tomlinson generated pressure at an above average rate. Carter was below average, and Markus Golden was about average, but also one of the least-often double teamed EDGE players in the NFL.

While blitzing is all well and good, the Giants need to be able to create pressure with just a four-man rush to give them more options—and make their blitzes that much more dangerous.

For a while we thought that would be the easiest part of the Giants' off-season as it looked as though Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young would fall into their lap with the second overall pick in the 2020 draft, a la Lawrence Taylor in 1980.

But even though the Giants only slipped two spots in the draft order, Young is likely out of their reach.

Now the Giants will need to find another pass rusher somewhere else. Exactly what kind of pass rusher will likely be determined by who they hire to be their next defensive coordinator.

The team will likely find a pass rusher in free agency. Whether that is re-signing Markus Golden or going after a player like Robert Quinn, Jadeveon Clowney, Shaq Barrett, or Jason Pierre-Paul, remains to be seen.

There are good EDGE players on the market and the Giants should make sure to use some of their cap space to acquire at least one of them.

The Giants could also still look at the 2020 draft, even if Young doesn't fall to them. Players like K'lavon Chaisson from LSU, Julian Okwara from Notre Dame, or Terrell Lewis from Alabama are versatile players who should be able to perform in a variety of schemes.

With another young EDGE to go along with a veteran free agent and Oshane Ximines, the Giants would hopefully have the foundation of a pass rush that doesn't need blitzes to be effective.

2019 Player by Player Review 

For our player-by-player review, we are including those who finished on the practice squad (assuming they made it to the 53-man roster) and those on injured reserve.

Quarterbacks

Daniel Jones: The 6th overall pick of the NY Giants started the season on the sideline, but after losing the first two games of the 2019 season the coaches elevated Jones to the starting spot starting Week 3.

This started an impressive rookie season in which Jones showed more positives than negatives on his way to throwing 24 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, scoring 2 rushing touchdowns, and putting the ball on the ground an astounding 18 times (he lost 11 of them) in 12 games.

The things that impressed us were Jones’ high level of physical toughness, accuracy, arm talent, footwork, mobility, compete level, and mental toughness to bounce back from the bad plays to continue to compete at a high level.

Jones did all of this behind an offensive line that leaked like a sieve all year. Time and again, he picked himself up off the ground and went back to the huddle, moving onto the next play without criticism, reacting in so many ways like Manning to pressure.

Jones kept his cool, never got frustrated with his teammates (only himself), and never threw a teammate under the bus in his pressers.

We also liked how he stood tall in the pocket despite all the pressure and never stopped looking downfield and flinging it. He’s got a bit of the gunslinger in him (also like his predecessor); he just needs to learn how and when to modify his approach. That will come with time.

Teams were throwing all kinds of different looks at him, and being a rookie, it was only natural for him to miss a lot of those reads. He will learn.

In the long run all the looks he saw and had to react to will make him better. He needs to take charge of his offense, something a rookie isn’t set up to do. He will have to have a stronger voice, and that can only come with experience.

We’d like to see him make more plays out of the pocket, as we think he hangs in there a bit too long. In fact, improving his pocket awareness may be his biggest challenge. He also needs to set his protections and blocking schemes better. All of this will come with time.

The season was a great learning experience for him. In the midst of all the turmoil and the losing he showed that he throws a beautiful ball, can make every throw in the book, and seemed to play really well in the red zone.

The ball security issues are real and need to be addressed, but a good number of those lost fumbles came on unseen hits that no quarterback in the world could avoid losing. In that respect, he also needs to get the ball out of his hands quicker, as he holds it too long at times. That’s what happens to rookies when overload occurs.

He will also have to throw the ball away more often to live another day. The fumbles that we cannot accept are the ones when he is running with the ball, that’s the area that he really needs to firm up. Repetition is the great equalizer.

The more times he does these things, the more comfortable he will get.

Only time will truly tell if he’s the franchise quarterback, but he checked off a lot of boxes fighting through this very difficult season.

Most of the areas in need of improvement will fix themselves with experience, and it wouldn’t hurt to build a representative offensive line in front of him.

We give him a ton of credit and look forward to seeing him improve on every aspect of his game in the coming years.

Eli Manning: After the Giants made the decision to retain Manning and his $23M cap hit for one more season, they had no choice but to start him even though they had picked Jones in the first round of the NFL Draft.

After two lop-sided losses it was obvious that the team (especially the defense) wasn’t going to compete this year so Pat Shurmur benched Manning and handed the reins over to Jones.

It was the right move, turning Manning into a backup, and it was a role he did not enjoy. In his two early starts Manning had above-average stats but played only fair-to-middling quarterback.

He didn’t make the big throws or the big plays when they were needed. His lack of mobility was an issue, especially when his coach called three naked bootlegs on Opening Day, and in Week 2 when he did not move around in the pocket well at all.

Manning no longer reacts well to pressure, that’s a given at his advanced age. Yes, it felt like a good time to make the quarterback switch but it was also a sad time.

Manning didn’t get back onto the field until a Jones ankle injury in Week 13 forced Jones to miss two games. Manning got his chance to go out with his head held high, taking the Eagles to OT and then beating the Dolphins at home.

However, he didn’t play a complete game in either affair. One of the highlights of the entire season was the farewell the fans gave Manning at the end of the Miami game. Even Manning got emotional out there.

Manning finished the season on his feet and uncertain about his future. He’s a pending UFA and 39-years-old at this writing. The Giants need to move on from their two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback.

He doesn’t want to coach. Manning will only listen if a starting position is offered, but realistically, who’s going to offer that to an aging, declining quarterback who can still make all the throws, but whose skills in the pocket have diminished?

He will likely retire to enjoy his family and root for the only team he has ever played for from afar. We wish him only the very best and thank him for being the picture of class and professionalism.

Alex Tanney: After three years with the Giants, Tanney finally got his first regular season Giants on-field work in Manning’s final game as a Giant (Tanney previously played in a 2015 mop-up game with Tennessee).

Late in the game, the coaches sent in Tanney to replace Manning to give him a chance to leave the field in front of a rousing ovation from the home fans.

Tanney played three snaps and completed his only pass for one yard. As the third voice in the quarterback room, Tanney had value to the coaches and the organization.

At the age of 32 he probably has a few more backup years in him, but he simply lacks the requisite arm and athletic talent to be a starter in this league.

Accustomed to signing year-to-year contracts, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Tanney back in a Giants uniform in 2020 in a similar role.

Running Backs

Saquon Barkley: The injury that derailed Barkley’s season was an innocuous Week 3 sideline tackle that caught his ankle beneath him. Just like that, the Giants’ season was in turmoil.

Barkley had played really well in Weeks 1 and 2, eclipsing the 100-yard mark in each game, but they were both blowout losses, which goes to show how one great player is never enough to win football games.

Barkley missed three games, and even when he came back, he had lost that fine edge that the preseason had honed into a finely-tuned package.

Barkley looked like an average back, making bad decisions all over the place with the ball, dropping balls, and blocking terribly.

As the season wore on he slowly began to regain his form, particularly making a concerted effort to pick up his blocking game which quickly turned from a negative into a positive.

Finally, in Weeks 15 and 16, he broke out with a vengeance, going for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns against Miami, and his best game as a pro, and 22 of 189 on the ground and 4 of 90 through the air against Washington, plus another 2 touchdowns.

Even in the season-ending loss to the Eagles, Barkley shrugged off all the gang-tackling to go 17 runs for 92 yards and crack the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in two years.

It wasn’t a great season because of the injuries and the state of the team, but Barkley finished it strongly and showed he still has the kind of uber-talent that can break open a game at any moment.

We never felt that the coaches did him any favors with their game-planning this year, but neither did his blocking up front nor having to play with a rookie quarterback.

We look forward to a healthy year in 2020 and a coaching staff that will recognize the need to get the ball in this playmaker’s hands as often as possible. He is a great player, and needs to be leaned on a bit more out there.

Wayne Gallman: Only 25 years-old, Gallman is at a bit of a crossroads in his young career, having been dropped on the running back depth chart halfway through this season, barely seeing the ball in Weeks 7-12, and being a healthy scratch in Weeks 13-17.

After a solid rookie season three years ago, Gallman’s touches and playing time have gradually decreased. His two starts when Barkley got hurt at least nudged his yardage total on the ground above the 100-yard mark for the season.

His best game was in the first Washington win when he went 18-63 and played well. Alas, in his second start Gallman suffered a concussion and when he returned Barkley was back and Gallman never saw the ball again.

Finally, he lost his backup role to Buck Allen in Week 12 and that was that.

We’ve always appreciated Gallman’s game, perhaps more than the coaches do. He’s held back by a lack of speed and size to hold up to the between-the-tackles stuff, where he seems most comfortable.

His inability to contribute on special teams is a big problem, though. Gallman still has another year left on his rookie contract so expect him back for training camp.

We wouldn’t go to sleep on Gallman quite yet as he will be starting fresh with a new staff. He knows the game, he blocks, and he runs very hard. It will help his cause if he shows up on special teams next summer.

Buck Allen: Signed off the street on Oct. 11, this former 4th round pick of the Ravens (he actually played four full seasons in Baltimore) slowly worked his way into the line-up, contributing on special teams and finally getting his first Giants touch in Week 13.

Having wrested the backup job from Gallman, Allen got eight garbage time touches in the Week 15 win against Miami and celebrated a late rushing touchdown with unmatched exuberance.

At the age of 28 he’s a pending UFA and not in great demand. Allen’s talent is more of the master-of-none variety; his game lacks spark.

He had two 500+ rushing seasons in Baltimore but was not re-signed after his rookie contract expired in 2018. Whether he’s re-signed this off-season is a total unknown.

Jon Hilliman: This UDFA out of Rutgers showed enough in preseason to earn a practice squad nod and was promoted to the roster when Saquon Barkley was injured in Week 3.

Hilliman got 10 touches in Week 4 and 11 touches in Week 6 when Gallman went down. Alas, he lost a fumble in both games which sent him reeling back to the practice squad.

The Giants signed him to a futures contract for 2020 so he’ll be back in training camp to work on his ball security issues.

Hilliman is built low to the ground, which is a plus, but he’s got to realize what he is: a chains-mover at best, as he lacks burst and quick feet.

Elijhaa Penny: One of the more underutilized players two years running (at least in our opinion), the team’s lone fullback is a jack-of-all-trades type of player, lacking that one notable skill to work off of.

He’s a good but not particularly physical lead blocker, he’s an inside runner with good but not great push, and he’s got enough mobility and good hands to be a positive receiver out of the backfield, but the rookie quarterback never looked his way.

In his two years with the Giants, Penny has made enough positive plays to warrant more playing time, he just never got it. He was also a steady contributor on special teams.

We would have liked to see him get a chance as the punt team fullback, but the coaches never put him there.

Let’s hope the new regime will better appreciate what Penny brings to the table, albeit as a complementary piece.

Penny is a UFA and still just 26 years-old. We think he’s a piece of the puzzle.

Tight Ends

Evan Engram: In three seasons Engram has yet to suit up for 16 games, and always seems to be on the injury report even when he does manage to play.

His talent is undeniable but it’s tweener talent, and it’s hard to rely on someone who isn’t out there on every down. Engram’s inability to block reliably makes him a part-timer at tight end, while he doesn’t seem to have the quick-twitch to play every down as a receiver.

He’s a specialty act, which makes him a complementary piece not a core piece, and that’s a tough nut to sell in the northeast. Engram belongs in a place like New Orleans in a wide open offense on a fast track, not slogging it out in the bad weather.

That being said, his long speed is legit, he has a great nose for the first down marker, and though he has his drops he’s also capable of making the spectacular catch.

In eight games he still caught 44 balls for 3 touchdowns and some of the team’s biggest plays of the year. His speed and explosiveness make him a weapon that can’t be ignored. We doubt that he’s going to be a good match for an offense that needs to block for Saquon Barkley and protect Daniel Jones.

This year’s injury was a foot issue that was week-to-week for nine weeks and never did heal.

With Engram’s trade value depressed thanks to the injuries, look for the Giants to give him another shot in 2020. Who knows, maybe the fact that he’s cost-controlled for two more years and has game-breaking ability may lure a team to offer the Giants fair value.

We doubt it, as “availability” is such a key component in building a football team, and Engram obviously lacks that ability. He’s a conundrum, that’s for sure.

Kaden Smith: Rivalling Darius Slayton for the most pleasant rookie surprise of 2019, Smith was claimed off waivers on 9/16 (he was the 49ers 6th round pick), worked his way onto the field by Week 6, held up well when given over 50% of the snaps in Week 10, and then took the bull by the horns by starting the following week and never looked back.

Smith rarely left the field, earning all that playing time with some of the best blocking the Giants have had at the tight end position in quite some time.

Smith regularly handled defensive ends one-on-one, he executed some hellacious pulls that he finished off rather spectacularly, and then the rookie quarterback started throwing him the ball, and he rewarded him by catching almost everything.

Smith finished up with 31 catches and 3 touchdowns in only six games, showing off those hands, a great feel for running patterns and reading coverages, and never wasting a single step on the field, which turned his mediocre 4.92 40 time into something faster.

Young, smart and tough with a plan on every down, we envision Smith as not only a full-time starter but a core player to build around. His best game was his final one, an 8-98 receiving game combined with even more blocking responsibilities to cement his place on this team as an important player, and a core player.

Rhett Ellison: The combination of Ellison’s age (31), contract, declining health and declining game make him a prime target to be cut this off-season.

Ellison has one expensive year left on his contract for a player whose blocking has been gradually falling since he signed with the Giants three years ago.

He had a solid first season with the team but his game has been slowly fading since. Ellison has actually been a decent receiving option each year, hauling in 18 balls this year before a concussion in Week 10 kept him off the field week-to-week, the team eventually putting him on IR in Week 17.

We are most concerned with Ellison’s blocking which has rarely been as good as advertised. He has always been reliable, smart and tough but at his contract dollars he’s way over-priced.

Scott Simonson: After most assuredly earning a roster spot with a solid summer, Simonson suffered a knee injury in the final pre-season game while making a nice adjustment to a pass in the end zone for the touchdown.

He was placed on IR, then waived from IR in Sept, re-signed to the team in November, and IR’ed a second time with a concussion on 12/28.

Through all his travails Simonson suited up for five games, caught two balls, and blocked decently in limited snaps.

He’s another UFA who should be invited to training camp to compete for a roster spot with the new regime. The soon-to-be 28-year-old is a limited athlete but has good size, plays physically, and contributes on special teams.

Garrett Dickerson: Dickerson actually made the final 53-man roster out of training camp (thanks to Scott Simonson’s knee injury) but didn’t play much, suiting up in four games, bouncing around between the roster and the practice squad, and getting minimal playing time.

Dickerson is more of a move tight end than an in-line blocker. He needs to improve that blocking skill.

He’s also a UFA, and we think it’s doubtful that he’ll be re-signed by the Giants, as the team needs to get more physical at his position.

Receivers

Sterling Shepard: After the Giants signed Shepard to a 4-year contract extension in April 2019, he led the team in receptions with 57 (3 touchdowns) despite playing only ten games.

Two separate concussions robbed Shepard of six games. Though he finished the season on his feet concussions are a serious business that can crop up at any time.

When healthy, Shepard is a winning type of football player who will do anything for his team, including being pound-for-pound one of the best blockers in the league at his position.

Shepard’s love for the game is always out there on display, but he lost a bit of his recklessness upon his return from the second concussion.

Throughout the season’s final six games he played a safer game, getting to the ground more often, feeling correctly that it is better to give up that extra yard than get hurt fighting for it.

We agree that Shepard needs to protect himself better, for his career as well as his long-term health. In this, his fourth year in the league Shepard finished with his lowest per-catch average (10.1), in part a reflection of his injuries.

At the age of 27, Shepard should be entering his prime, but the health issues are a red flag. When healthy, he’s a tough and reliable target who is also capable of getting deep on occasion.

In fact, Shepard did do just that late in the year but his quarterbacks couldn’t connect with him despite getting behind the defense several times. His lack of height will always make the deep ball more difficult to complete.

Shepard was more productive on the end-around this year than he’s ever been, averaging 12 yards on 6 carries.

Shepard did record two 100-yard receiving games but there were also several near-invisible weeks as well.

Because he lacks great size and speed, Shepard will always be a complementary slot receiver and a very good one, this position being something that every team needs to move the chains and matriculate down the field.

We like him as a No. 2 or 3 option as part of any receiving group. He will always be more effective if he can play off of speed on the outside, which is something this team needs to get a lot more of.

Golden Tate: The signing of the 31-year-old Tate seemed like a short-term move to help give Manning his best shot as a starter. Alas, Tate was suspended for the first four games of the season and when he was activated in Week 5 Manning was on the bench.

Tate proceeded to haul in 49 balls in 11 games (he also missed one game to a concussion). He scored an impressive 6 touchdowns in those 11 games.

Tate is a gamer who really knows how to go up and fight for contested balls, most of which he comes down with.

He averaged a solid 13.8/yards per catch, often showing off a superior run-after-catch ability that is usually reserved for running backs.

He displayed these instincts on punt returns as well, but there’s no denying that Tate, just having completed his tenth NFL season and his first with the Giants, has lost a couple of steps.

Like Sterling Shepard, he’s a solid No. 2 or 3 receiving option and like Shepard he works best out of the slot. Tate still has a couple of years left on that his contract and will be in camp for certain and will very likely make next year’s squad if only as veteran depth to help school some much-needed youth with lively legs.

He’ll also be a reliable hand on punt returns. Still, the fact remains that Tate will be 32-years-old on Opening Day and that will be a tough pill to swallow for a young team that will look to be getting even younger, especially on this unit that is starving for talented live bodies to develop alongside their second-year quarterback.

The draft is loaded with receiver talent so expect to see a couple of those live bodies trying to push Tate off the team.

We’d love to keep him around, especially for those late season games where his savvy, clutch history and legitimate toughness will be much needed when the going gets tough.

The kids may not be ready in stressful times, but we have no doubt that Tate will.

Darius Slayton: One of several very unexpected surprises from 2019’s draft class, the 5th-round pick started slowly—he didn’t get on the field until Week 3—but quickly became the big-play outside threat that this team so desperately needed.

Slayton ended up leading the entire team in touchdowns with eight, caught 48 balls and showed not only his deep speed but sure hands and unexpected route-running that he hadn’t been taught at Auburn.

Slayton’s capacity to absorb coaching and improve his game in-season was important, because he was born with the kind of size and speed that you simply cannot coach.

To top that, Slayton also showed consistent toughness whether absorbing contact or blocking, and also displayed an ability to break tackles and thus make defenses pay for playing him one-on-one.

There were a couple of drops and mis-reads along the way, but he fought for balls and shook tight coverage often enough to provide hope that he might eventually develop into a No. 1 receiver.

That will take time we suspect. His game reminds us of Green Bay Davante Adams’ but the kid will have to get stronger to reach that level. He’ll also have to avoid the sophomore slump that so many successful rookies seem to fall victim to.

Slayton seems to be smart enough and a hard worker who really wants it. If he continues to develop, the Giants may just have found themselves a true diamond in the rough.

Cody Latimer: One of the more uninspiring receivers this team has seen in recent years, Latimer reminds us of Rueben Randle with his almost pathological willingness to accept the least from himself.

How many times did we see him catch one of his 24 balls this year and fall immediately to the ground, refusing to do anything more?

He played to avoid mistakes out there too often and that’s not the optic that this team will be looking for with its new head coach.

Even on kickoff returns, Latimer looked to avoid contact and played it tough when on a short string.

Latimer still scored two receiving touchdowns, his hands were relatively reliable, he returned 24 kickoffs at a 23.8/per clip, and still has size (6-foot 2, 215-pound), speed and youth (27) on his resume.

He’s also a pending free agent. We suspect that the organization will not offer him a contract. We see too much coach-killer in him.

We didn’t see enough mental or physical toughness in his two years with the team to warrant another contract.

Cody Core: Picked up off waivers after cutdown date, Core suited up for all 16 games with the Giants and excelled in his primary special teams role at gunner.

However, Core also was incorporated from time to time at wide receiver where he remains an interesting, somewhat untapped talent.

The soon-to be 26-year-old has pretty good speed to go with 6-foot 3, 205-pound size and could be in line for more playing time if he can find a role.

We have speculated about a move to safety for Core, judging off of his superior gunner play, but since he’s never played a single down on defense throughout his college and pro years, the position switch appears to be a longshot.

That doesn’t mean that he can’t provide some usefulness in a David Tyree-type of role at wideout. Core caught just three balls in 2019 (all in one game) but he got on the field in minor parts of twelve games on offense.

We’d like to see him given a bigger opportunity on the outside in training camp and preseason.

A pending free agent, we don’t see any way that the Giants do not sign Core to a multi-year contract of some sort. His youth and value on special teams are undeniable.

Perhaps this new coaching staff can get more out of this young man at something other than gunner, where he is one of the league’s best.

Russell Shepard: Signed in the 2018 off-season as one of those “locker room culture” additions that the new regime so desperately tried to acquire that year, Shepard did indeed provide just that: a solid voice in the locker room and on the sideline who unfortunately did not show nearly as much on the field.

More of a special teams type than a true receiving option, Shepard caught just 10 balls in 2018 and only 3 balls in 2019. The veteran has been quite injury-prone of late, this year’s knee injury sending him to IR on 9/26.

He never did return. Another pending free agent, this slow-footed 29-year-old is a real longshot to be offered another contract as the organization looks to get a whole lot faster on the outside and the draft is teeming with live, talented bodies at his position.

Da’Mari Scott: One live young body certain to be in summer training camp is this 25-year-old who still has a year left on his Giants contract.

After failing to survive summer cuts, Scott was signed to the practice squad in Sept and elevated to the roster on 11/27. He suited up for the team’s final five games and got plenty of opportunities to impress on both punt and kickoff returns. He did not.

Scott did catch two balls in mop-up duties and needs a lot of work refining his receiving game. He’s built strong and he has very good speed and has the type of raw talent that the coaches will be following closely in training camp.

It’s up to Scott to make the leap. It looks like he’s got an awful long way to go, but if he wants to put in the work there’s talent to develop here.

The flashes he did show on special teams (kickoff returns and punt gunning) should give him a longer look than most.

Offensive Line

Nate Solder: After his disappointing first season last year with the Giants, it was hoped that injuries had been the cause of Solder’s spotty play and that he would rebound. If so, said injuries must have bled into 2019 because Solder’s level of play was even worse this year than last.

His pass-blocking was simply unreliable, whether it was due to clumsy footwork, an inability to hold up against power, or just overall inconsistent technique and balance that could never overcome the compromises that he found himself floundering in much too often.

One of the culprits of this sorry season was the O-Line’s inability to block for their electric running back and their newly-minted franchise quarterback.

That Saquon Barkley rushed for 1,003 yards and Daniel Jones threw 24 touchdown passes are a testament to both young players’ talent and toughness, because they both took a lot of hits on the way to their positive seasons, Solder being at the point of many of them, particularly on Jones’ blind side pocket.

Solder wasn’t much better with his run-blocking. That he finished the season with two decent games cannot erase the memory of too many poor games when it counted from this soon-to-be 32-year-old, 9-year vet.

The Giants are stuck with Solder and his big contract for a couple more years—waiving him would create too much dead money.

They will have to hang with him and hope he miraculously re-gains the form that contributed to two Super Bowl wins with the Patriots.

A move to right tackle has been bandied about, the position where Solder started his career as a rookie. We’re not sure that’s the answer.

We are leaning towards keeping him on the weakside and trust the proven veteran to find a way. Solder is such a humble, earnest and positive presence, it is tough to give up on such a good man.

And since his contract says he stays, we say stick with him and hope the new staff helps him find his game.

Mike Remmers: The soon-to-be 31-year-old Remmers was signed as a one-year stop gap at right tackle while the organization went out and found its long-term answer there. To date, they have not.

Remmers’ 2019 play was far from championship-caliber level. The Giants are Remmers’ seventh organization for a reason. There are balance issues with his game that prevent him from both maintaining contact and playing with power.

It’s hard to believe that Remmers doesn’t play with power as he’s a very large man and his mobility, especially in retreat in pass pro, isn’t horrible.

He’s also got the quickest set-up off the snap on the team. It’s what happens after contact that makes Remmers such an unreliable blocker. He falls off of most every run block and gets walked back into his quarterback’s lap on too many pass blocks.

A bad back kept him from passing a physical and signing a contract till just before training camp. Give Remmers and his back credit for getting through 14 of the team’s 16 games.

Alas, he needed more help blocking as the season wore on, while his run-blocking grade was as bad as it gets. The Giants need to look long and hard at upgrading their talent level at OT in the upcoming draft.

As a backup Remmers would have value (he’s also played guard in the past), which is why he might be asked back to compete next summer for a spot.

Remmers’ versatility might get him another year, but not as a starter.

Nick Gates: We are totally convinced that this 2018 UDFA (who missed his entire rookie season with an injury) will be a starter in 2020.

Making the team basically as a rookie, Gates impressed in pre-season inside at guard but then stepped in at right tackle for Mike Remmers on three separate regular season occasions, starting two games and acquitting himself quite well with solid, reliable play.

Gates also looked the part at left tackle in pre-season, his versatility getting him a uniform on cutdown day.

He proceeded to earn the first man off the bench part on his unit, stepping in at a moment’s notice without the team missing a beat.

We are convinced that his best spot is right guard where his physical, mauling style of game seems such a good match. And yet, his positive play outside against some good competition also opened some eyes.

Gates lacks the light feet that the really good tackles have. He’s not very pretty but he’s the type that just gets the job done by fighting and clawing to protect every inch of the field, but only when his surprisingly-adept feet fail him.

He’s got good initial foot quicks to gain positional advantage, and then he’s got more than enough upper body strength to hold up to power and sustain contact.

He’s got a lot of the little things that a blocker needs. Certainly, there’s toughness and power to his game, but he also knows angles and plays with instinct. More than anything, he’s smart.

Why he stated that he has zero desire to play center is a big mistake in our eyes. The position is wide-open and he sure looks like he has all the attributes needed to excel over the ball. Let’s hope he changes his mind.

Though we think he’d make a solid right guard, we suspect that he would make a pretty good center too. Unless he’s needed outside at tackle. Talk about a valuable resource, this kid has it all.

With all the cap space available to the team, we’d love to extend Gates this off-season (even though he’s still got two years left on his rookie contract).

Why wait till they have to over-pay to keep him down the road? We think he’s going to be a core player.

Will Hernandez: One of the most disappointing stories of this 2019 season was the downward spiral that Hernandez suffered through as the season wore on.

After his very positive rookie season, he suffered through a terrible sophomore slump that was caused by a fall-off in his mental game and an inability to improve his technique.

A physical and powerful beast of a man, Hernandez perhaps listened too much to his rookie accolades and didn’t work hard enough at his craft.

His inconsistencies mostly reared their heads in pass protection where he found himself pushed back too often and beaten one-on-one more often than he was ever beaten as a rookie.

Teams had stopped challenging him as his rookie season wore on, but this year they found holes in his game, attacking him with quicks that surprised him, Hernandez not having the technique to recover when initially beaten.

Teams also attacked him with stunts and blitzes that at times made him look confused. Part of that was the rookie quarterback not setting his protections correctly, but it also was a second-year player not playing fundamental football out there.

When he’s right, Hernandez can be a beast with his physicality and power. Between his gaffes he was still hitting the daylights out of people, while also looking particularly adept on the move on long pulls and screens.

He needs to be put on the move more often as he’s the O-Line’s niftiest player in space. The Giants need a big bounce-back season from Hernandez, who is too talented to kick to the curb after one difficult season.

The new staff needs to help him correct his mistakes and return him to the scary level of power player that he showed often as a rookie.

Kevin Zeitler: This soon-to-be 30-year-old veteran, a starter at right guard since his very first game as a Cincinnati Bengals rookie, should be a candidate for a move to center on a unit that lost its starter (Jon Halapio) in Week 17.

With the 2020 position wide open, the smart and reliable Zeitler seems like a perfect match for a slide inside. It’s a position that requires communication, and that is one of Zeitler’s strengths.

He’s also a veteran of nine years in the league and has seen it all. The new staff will have to buy in, but if they do, we think the move is a good match.

If not, Zeitler will still be a positive player at right guard but he’s not the power player that the position usually plays.

A shoulder injury likely affected his struggles in his run-blocking game this year, but we didn’t see a big effect on his pass-blocking, which was and remains the strength of his game. He was able to hold up to power in pass pro well enough, while his toughness, hand technique, balance and power base all combined to make him a positive performer.

We think the move of a veteran with a ton of pelts on his wall between two physical players like Hernandez and Gates would theoretically make an ideal inside trio.

Numerous leaks sprung on the inside late in the season. The new staff will have to plug those leaks, and we think that threesome represent the team’s three best inside blockers.

We think Zeitler’s experience will help him handle all the line calls and duties of the position. We know he has the physical ability to do it. He’s a team player and would step up if asked. We think the new staff should consider this move.

Jon Halapio: Well before Halapio suffered the Achilles tendon tear in Week 17 that will likely keep him off the field in 2020, it had become obvious that he was not the answer over the ball for this or any team.

Halapio simply lacked the footwork, athleticism, balance and quickness to stay with any of his blocks. That’s a lot of negatives, which all affected his power game as well.

Halapio is a very large man who should be a power player but lacks in so many physical attributes even managed to affect his power game, and so he found himself getting over-powered and pushed around out there like a much smaller man.

He was the main culprit all year in the unsuccessful running game that hindered Saquon Barkley so often with penetration and bodies.

Even the big guy’s line calls seemed a problem, but that can also be laid at the feet of a rookie quarterback overwhelmed by complicated schemes. This team needs either a calm, veteran presence over the ball in 2020 or a physical, talented young beast to win some battles. Halapio is neither.

Now, with the injury he once again becomes the longshot that he was when he came into this league.

A pending UFA, he’ll soon be 29. Time may be running out. The Giants will certainly replace him in 2020, something that was going to happen even if the injury never occurred.

Spencer Pulley: Making the team as Halapio’s backup at center, Pulley only played in four games in 2019, actually getting a start when Halapio missed the Jets game with a hamstring.

Pulley was pretty much a disaster in his lone full-game action, particularly in the running game where he failed to sustain any kind of contact all game long.

He made his line calls and help-blocked in pass pro, but he was dominated in the pit time and again. It was a one-game audition that went badly and showed why Pulley remained glued to the bench for such long periods of time this year.

Pulley is actually signed for two more years and is only 26, so he should be invited to camp as depth unless the new staff wants to move on from this badly underperforming player.

Chad Slade: Slade made the team as a backup at OT by simply holding up to power in the pre-season, one of the few backups who were capable of doing so.

Slade was able to back up both tackle spots in pre-season but never got off the bench in the regular season. Slade will be an UFA this off-season and likely will not be back with the Giants.

Eric Smith: Smith was claimed off waivers from the Jets off on Sept. 1 of 2019 and somehow lasted the entire season as a little-used backup. Just 24 and a three-year vet of several practice squads, Smith finally saw his first NFL action against the Jets in Week 10 when Nate Solder went down.

Alas, Smith couldn’t keep up with the action and was regularly overwhelmed by the speed and power of the NFL regular season. He’ll be a UFA this off-season and will very likely not be invited back by the new staff.

George Asafo-Adjei: We’re including “Big George” in this review even though he never saw any 2019 game action, including pre-season, due to a concussion suffered early in camp.

A complete unknown as a pro, Asafo-Adjei has the size and the two-year-starter pedigree at Kentucky to at least intrigue at a position of major need. He was a 7th-round pick for a reason though, which is why he remains very much a mystery and a long-shot who has already lost a year of his NFL career to injury.

He’s got some marks against him for sure, but it will be interesting to finally, and hopefully, see him in action next summer.

Defensive Line

Leonard Williams: The organization’s “controversial” acquisition of Williams for two draft picks was more of the “interesting” variety of transactions to these eyes.

Yes, we’d love to still have that high 3rd round pick that Dave Gettleman gave up for Williams, but we also liked an awful lot of what Williams brought to the table in the eight games that he played as a Giant.

The Giants certainly saw enough from Williams to want to sign him as a UFA this off-season, and they have the inside track in that regard, which was the whole point of the trade.

If Gettleman does not sign Williams, then this trade will teeter towards the edge of being a disaster, which is why Gettleman will likely have to overpay the young man, who has all the leverage.

That being said, what did Williams bring to the Giants besides one measly 0.5 sack and 26 tackles? Williams is a tall, powerful, still only 25-year-old man (picked 6th overall) who plays a ton of snaps all along the line of scrimmage, plays a consistently physical game, and has enough athleticism to stay on the field on passing downs as well as being a rock against the run.

True, he seems to rarely “get home” on the pass rush which is a bit of a problem, but his legit athleticism and coordination getting upfield and bending the corner certainly impacted the Giants’ pass rush in those eight games.

He rushed from both edges but lined up primarily inside on those passing downs and was very active, especially as the point man on stunts.

Williams was easily the team’s most athletic D-Line player in his short time here. Pair him with another athlete or two and the combination could be lethal.

Williams will not come cheap, but the lack of sacks will also keep his price tag down a bit. We’d be stunned if he’s not a Giant for the next 4-5 years. He does a lot of things really well, the complete package nearly overcoming the paucity of game-changing plays, but not quite.

Superstars are hard to come by. Williams is not that level, but he’s pretty darned close.

Dalvin Tomlinson: We will talk about the victims of the Leonard Williams acquisition, but Tomlinson was the biggest benefactor of Williams’ arrival as it took away some of the attention Tomlinson was getting and freed him up to start attacking the line of scrimmage.

Once Tomlinson started doing this his game took a significant leap in production and effectiveness. Actually, Tomlinson started showing glimpses of coming out of his shell prior to Williams’ arrival.

He started off the season very quietly, playing an inordinately safe game till in Week 5 when he failed to get on the stat sheet completely despite playing 51% of the snaps.

Something clicked in, because in Week 6 Tomlinson came out throwing caution to the wind and accrued 7 tackles, 6 of them solo. The light had seemingly turned on. Two of his 3.5 sacks followed in subsequent weeks, but when Williams arrived Tomlinson really started getting off the ball.

He wasn’t just playing his wrestling-game at the line of scrimmage, he was pushing back O-Linemen into the backfield and also shooting gaps to disrupt the backfield.

He still wasn’t accumulating big numbers, but he was helping teammates do so by blowing up plays. Tomlinson finished the season with 3.5 sacks, 49 tackles, and a game that was very much on the upswing.

He’s still got another year left on his contract and should be a candidate for an extension this off-season.

The organization simply cannot let another of their talented youth get away, especially when it comes to the interior of their D-Line where it all starts, and where Tomlinson is starting to wreak some serious havoc.

Dexter Lawrence II: One of the Giants three 1st-round picks this year, Lawrence exploded on the scene right off the bat.

Suiting up and contributing in all 16 games, this man-mountain of a youngster (6-foot 4, 345 pounds) immediately used his great power and get-off to make regular contributions to the run defense, often clogging up the works with a rare combination of power, balance and mobility.

Once he learns the intricacies of this game (as early as next year perhaps?) he has the natural talent to be a game-changer.

Even at his size Lawrence has the quick-twitch ability to get off at the snap and attack his man.

He seemed most effective when lined up over the center, where most of the players at the position aren’t equipped to deal with such a large man.

Lawrence abused inside players with his size, not only against the run but on the pass rush where his bull rush was consistently effective taking away the front of the pocket.

He accrued 2.5 sacks and 38 tackles which is solid production when most of your time is spent occupying multiple blockers and disrupting blocking schemes.

It was odd that this rookie lead the entire defensive line in snaps, his 81% a season-high in Week 15. This is a testament to the great shape he arrived at in camp and maintained throughout the long season.

Lawrence is as reliable as it gets, both on the field and off. His game was all about power this year, but soon he’ll be anticipating plays and attacking upfield where he’s really going to be a weapon.

He has a bit of that “dancing bear” in his game. The future is bright for this quick study.

B.J. Hill: Hill’s productive rookie season seemed like an outlier through most of his eerily quiet sophomore year.

About a third of the way through his playing time decreased significantly and it never really spiked back up to his early-season level.

Hill actually did seem to see the light near season’s end, which is when he found his first and only sack (5.5 as a rookie). He looked more active and aggressive late.

Year 3 is our see-the-light deadline for young D-Linemen, which is why Hill remains very much a part of the bigger picture.

At 6-foot 3, 315 pounds, he’s got classic 3-4 defensive end size, which was where he lined up most of the time in 2019.

Another victim of the Leonard Williams acquisition, Hill needs to earn the playing time he lost by being more pro-active off the snap and start finding space and gaps. This defense needs big plays.

We think Hill has the movement skills to make some, he’s just got to get back to speed with seeing and exploiting those gaps.

R.J. McIntosh: This second-year player got only sporadic playing time and like Pierre, managed to run himself into two sacks in very limited snaps.

Still on his rookie contract, McIntosh needs to raise his game in 2020 if he’s going to become a factor in the rotation as the competition in his unit is fierce.

A D-Lineman’s third year is usually when things kick in. McIntosh is very young at 23 so patience will have to remain a virtue for him, but this off-season will be the time for him to grow up and find his game.

In college he was a penetrator but so far he hasn’t shown much of an upfield presence in the pros. McIntosh is strong enough to handle the pit player role but that great first step in college needs to be re-discovered.

He’s got two more years left on that rookie contract. He’s not going anywhere and should provide quality depth—we’ve always liked his size and talent—but even rotation snaps need to be earned.

Chris Slayton: The 7th round draft choice was waived at cutdown day and signed to the Giants practice squad where he spent most of the season till he was signed to the roster just before season’s end.

This showed the Giants interest in keeping Slayton from being “raided” by other teams and to ensure he would be Giants property in 2020.

Slayton has ideal 3-4 defensive end size at 6-foot 4, 310 pounds. In preseason he showed a quick first step and some intriguing upfield ability, but he had a problem finding the ball and keeping his head from a swivel. This happens to most rookies.

Defensive linemen typically take 2-3 years to adjust to the speed of the game, which is why retaining Slayton’s rookie-contract services for 2020 was a smart organizational move.

Edge Rushers

Markus Golden: The best free agent signing in Dave Gettleman’s two years with the Giants, Golden’s prove-it one-year contract also made him the biggest bargain on the entire roster.

Signing these one-year deals to players returning from injury is a great off-season gamble, as the return on Golden’s investment was incalculable.

For the cost of pennies on the dollar, Golden produced more big plays than any player on the entire defense.

One of the more ideal outside linebackers in the league, he played a physical game from the very first moment he stepped on the field till season’s end. Golden has a mad-dog, team-first personality that will never go out of style, and his stats reflected it.

He averaged over 80% of the defensive snaps, started and finished all 16 games, and played physically on every single down. He’s a winning player whose only quasi-negative is a lack of explosiveness around the edge.

His game doesn’t regularly challenge the corner on the pass rush, but his relentlessness does. He loves to mix it up in the pit, his best pass rush coming on the stunt where he attacks the inside gap after looping around.

He led the front seven with 10 sacks and 72 tackles. Golden was rarely used in coverage as it’s not a strength, but his game really translates when he’s holding contain at, and attacking, the line of scrimmage.

A pending UFA, Golden earned himself a lot of money showing that his rehab from a serious knee injury several years back is complete.

Question is, can the Giants afford him? We suspect not, as they need to get more explosive around the edges. We’d love to have him back, as he brings exactly what we like to see from an edge player: physicality.

Lorenzo Carter: Carter’s second season did not build much on his solid rookie season, at least not in the most-needed way. His off-season work did not improve his power or physicality, and that’s a problem.

Carter was regularly handled on his edge by solo-blocking, choosing a disciplined contain approach that was reactive more than proactive. On a defense with impact players all around him, his game can fill a role since he did shine in coverage and stayed home to handle mis-direction and bootlegs.

But the impact plays are just not there, which is why we have a problem keeping him as a starter on the outside where impact is required.

Carter has enough plusses in his game to be a rotation contributor. He’s smart, he hustles, he has speed and height and long arms.

By year’s end he was lining up inside on passing downs to play a pocket-front contain game against mobile quarterbacks and getting his long arms up to disrupt passing lanes.

There’s a lot Carter can do, but playing physical football is not one of them. We toyed with the idea of trying his disciplined game inside, but his long legs will make it hard for him to stop-and-go, and his lack of physicality could make him a target.

Another big hole in Carter’s game is his lack of a pass-rush on the edge. He is an invisible threat out there and can be solo-blocked by any competent OT.

Give Carter credit for still accumulating 4.5 sacks with hustle and crash-downs from the edge. He only missed one game to injury, but his tackle totals did not correspond to his heavy playing time.

We’re not sure where Carter will fit in 2020’s defense, but we’re not sure if it will be as a starter.

Oshane Ximines: Attempting to make the big jump from Conference USA’s Old Dominion (Ximines is the first-ever ODU football player to be drafted by the NFL), the third-round draft choice was able to suit up for all 16 regular season games, stay on the field, and start absorbing the intricacies of the position.

Against the run, Ximines was an early-season target of opposing offenses who found it easy to confuse and overwhelm the rookie around his edge. He didn’t know a thing about contain and the game was simply moving too fast for him.

He had to play a ton of early snaps because of injuries—he actually played 94% of the defensive snaps in Week 5—but when his playing time calmed down in the season’s second half, his game really started to come on.

The kid showed a really good feel for just what the Giants need from him, pass-rushing on the edge. He finished with 4.5 sacks on the year. In that second half he was setting up tackles with a variety of moves.

He showed live feet, just enough speed around the edge to be a threat there, an excellent jump off the snap, and some intriguing hand-fighting and arm-bar pop to knock much bigger men off their mark.

At 6’3-250 he needs to get a bit bigger and stronger, so his off-season work will be important. Ximines also has the ability to bend low beneath the taller blocker’s wingspan and threaten that way, while also showing relentlessness and hustle pursuit.

He flew around out there and under the radar a bit among this intriguing rookie class, but this kid has a chance to be a regular contributor next year and help provide the pass rush that this defense desperately needs.

Kareem Martin: Martin was injured opening day, placed on IR, and returned to suit up for the team’s final four games.

In those late season games Martin appeared to be a shell of himself, till he finally shook off the effects of his inactivity and looked more the part of the physical edge player that he was signed to be.

Martin has one year left on a contract that pays him pretty well to be a non-starter, which makes him another prime dollar-saving cut target this off-season.

If he’s back with the team we’d be surprised, as the defense needs to get more dynamic on the edges, something which Martin is most definitely not. His entire game is about physicality.

Off-ball Linebackers

Alec Ogletree: Currently only 28-years-old, Ogletree played some of the most disinterested football in recent memory, the majority of that disinterest coming in pass coverage where it often looked like he wished he was somewhere else.

In fact, Ogletree looked like a broken-down version of an aging linebacker most of the time jogging to the ball, not the in-his-prime top-shelf athlete that he certainly used to be, and perhaps can be again.

He was bothered by injuries this year which could explain the lack of urgency, but it sure was a bad optic to see the team’s defensive captain not hustling and being abused in coverage most of the time.

Ogletree missed two early games with a hamstring issue, which is likely the best explanation for his poor play as it likely lingered all year.

A back issue kept Ogletree out of Week 16. He still finished the season with 80 tackles, 1 sack and 1 interception. Ogletree never looked as good as when the coaches sent him on blitzes, where the hamstring issue never seemed a bother as he attacked the pocket with recklessness and positive abandon.

In every other role, he struggled badly. We were most concerned about his poor run reads, as he seemed to gamble too often and played in an unreliable cowboy-like style, not the disciplined approach that say Ryan Connelly put on tape.

We think Ogletree’s best role would be in a rotation at outside linebacker where his forward-moving preferences might be an asset, but he’s got one very expensive year left on his contract that pays him as a starter, which he should not be any longer, and is thus a prime target to be cut this off-season for cap purposes.

David Mayo: A former 5th round pick by Dave Gettleman of the Panthers in 2015, Mayo actually played in the Super Bowl as a rookie but played sparingly on Carolina’s defense in his four years there.

Waived at cutdown day this year, Mayo was immediately picked up by the Giants and proceeded to start the final 13 games on the inside, putting together a solid 80-tackle season.

The 26-year-old provided reliable run defense with discipline and physicality but found himself often vulnerable in pass coverage due to average mobility. Mayo also contributed on special teams (his calling card).

A pending UFA, Mayo should be re-signed as he’s such a reliable team-first type of player who can contribute as a starter while also handling his special teams duties.

He’s best suited for backup and special teams duties due to athletic limitations. As a smart, physical and solid backup he would be ideal.

Ryan Connelly: The most pleasant rookie surprise through the first four games, Connelly suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 4 that derailed an extremely-promising rookie season.

After the opening day blowout in Dallas, the coaches inserted Connelly into the starting line-up in Week 2 and it was like night and day on defense.

Though the Giants lost to Buffalo, the defense (especially against the run) was more competitive thanks to the lightning-quick reads by Connelly attacking the line of scrimmage.

There is no hesitation and no wasted steps in Connelly’s game, which makes him appear faster than his mediocre 40 time. The more he played, the more things Connelly began to do.

His pass coverage was better than the team had been getting, while his run defense seemed to improve snap-to-snap. He not only showed himself to be a fast diagnostician, he also showed an innate instinct for where the ball was going, where his defense was vulnerable, and what he could do to limit the chance of exposure.

It was uncanny how many good decisions he made to blow up plays. His overall mental approach got him around the ball often, where he became the johnny-on-the-spot recipient of two interceptions, which lead the team.

Being injured so early in the year gives him a good shot to rehab and be ready for 2020’s opening day, as players are recovering from these knee injuries all the time nowadays.

Time will tell, but the Giants are surely anticipating Connelly being in the starting line-up for the new head coach and leading a defense that really needs to step up its game in 2020.

Deone Bucannon: Bucannon may be the smallest inside linebacker in the league at 6-foot 1, 210 pounds, but he played some decent snaps for the Giants nevertheless.

Bucannon was signed by the Giants off the street after passing through waivers from the Bucs, where he suited up for the first five games but barely played.

Bucannon re-connected with James Bettcher from his Arizona days where Bucannon had his best years. He did not start till Week 16 (with Ogletree out) and had his most productive game in several years with 7 tackles.

Bucannon played primarily a passing down role where his speed and discipline were a good match. We liked his force-and-contain run reads which were always sharp, but he was not a great tackler primarily because of his receiver size, and being not particularly agile for that size.

Oddly, Bucannon barely played special teams in his nine weeks with the Giants. With Bettcher likely gone with the new regime arriving, Bucannon is a long shot to be re-signed by the Giants as he’s an UFA, soon-to-be 28, and a non-physical ILB playing a position that cries out for physicality.

Josiah Tauaefa: The Giants’ big UDFA signing in 2019, Tauaefa had a tough time immediately adjusting to the speed of the NFL game in pre-season, but once he did, he started to look worth the investment.

Waived on cutdown date and signed to the practice squad, Tauaefa was promoted to the roster on 10/1 and suited up for the season’s final 12 games as a regular on specials teams where he was solid.

He actually got his only defensive snaps (22) in his first active NFL game in the Vikings blowout, finishing off garbage time with three solo tackles, two of them in the backfield.

We were surprised that the staff never got Tauaefa on the field in any subsequent blowouts as he took good angles to the ball and did not look out of place.

The rookie is signed for another year, so he’ll be competing next summer for a roster spot at his natural inside linebacker position where we expect the competition to be fierce.

Devante Downs: The Giants signed Downs to their practice squad early in October and elevated him to the roster three weeks later.

Downs played in 11 games with the Vikings in 2018, 7 games with the Giants in 2019, and has not yet played a defensive snap in the NFL.

Off of his college tape, Downs is an inside linebacker with David Mayo size (6’3,250) and style of play.

He’s an UFA, so the Giants will have to decide if they saw enough on the practice field to sign him to a contract.

Chris Peace: The Giants claimed Peace off waivers from the Chargers in late September. Peace remained on the roster until he was IR’ed with a knee injury on December 7.

An outside linebacker with good size at 6-foot 2, 250 pounds, Peace was active in four games for the Giants and played mostly special teams, getting a couple of snaps against the Packers where he did not flash.

Expect Peace back next summer as he has two years left on his 2019 UDFA contract.

Defensive Backs

DeAndre Baker: The Giants traded up into the first round to select Baker, who played significant snaps all year without missing a single beat.

Staying on the field for all 16 games is quite an accomplishment for any rookie, availability being one of this game’s most important abilities.

The kid actually started 15 of those 16 games, recorded 61 tackles, and gradually grew into the starting role in which he struggled early. After being overwhelmed a bit in the season’s first half by the requirements of his position, Baker started to pick up his play around mid-season.

The benefit of playing time is a big teacher in this league and it sure showed in Baker’s improvement. The lack of interceptions—a big fat zero—is a concern, especially since he played so many snaps.

At the very least, the kid got a good taste for what it will take to excel in this league, which is something that seems important to him. He’s a man corner who needs a whole lot of work with recognition when playing zone.

We can only assume that the new coaching staff will do a lot better job of preparing its young secondary for what opposing offenses will be throwing at them in 2020. The number of 2019 communication errors was rather alarming.

We were pleased to see Baker’s edge force against the run improve throughout that second half, as well as his recognition of routes even when playing man. Baker has good but not great size, and good but not great deep speed.

He’s going to have to get it done with technique, smarts and the aggressive style that he likes to play but which will need to be tailored to what the refs will call.

It was a productive rookie season for Baker, mistakes were made, a lot was learned. It’s up to Baker to work on the negatives while fine-tuning the positives to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump that seems to afflict so many rookie starters.

Corey Ballantine: This surprise 6th round draft pick impressed in pre-season with a size/speed combination that had him staying with speedy wideouts well down the field and returning kickoffs aggressively.

Ballantine’s speed is a welcome addition to a secondary that was crying for it, but his (expectedly) raw game was exploited time and again by opposing defenses when he was forced into playing the slot, perhaps the most difficult defensive position at which to excel.

We liked how Ballantine never backed down even after repeated failures, never hanging his head or seeming to get frustrated. If he did have those feelings, he certainly did not show them.

His natural talent and that strong mental approach are very good signs. He never backed down from a challenge. As for Ballantine’s future position, we’re not sure that he’s a good fit in the slot except for that speed and athleticism package that he possesses.

He’s also not afraid to hit people. Making the huge leap from the football factory of Washburn University, we were pleased with Ballantine’s initial season, a rough first taste of the NFL but a necessary one.

Anyone expecting him to shine right out of the gate is an idiot, especially when the rookie was handed that impossible task in the slot. The kid missed two mid-season games with a back injury, but he returned and contributed the rest of the way.

Surviving one’s rookie season isn’t easy for the small-school player. Give Ballantine credit for never backing down and showing the toughness to return from injury. We liked how he always competed out there.

We think he’s got a lot of what it takes to play in this league. For a 6th round pick, that’s saying a lot.

Sam Beal: After missing his entire rookie season with a shoulder problem, Beal was IR’ed on 2019’s cutdown date because of a hamstring injury he suffered in training camp.

Finally activated from IR on 11/5, Beal got his first taste of NFL action against the Jets in Week 10. Beal gradually worked his way into the rotation on the outside and actually started Weeks 14-16, racking up the majority of those defensive snaps at strongside corner.

However, in Week 16 he suffered a neck injury that kept him out of the season’s final game.

Obviously, health matters are the primary talking point when discussing Beal’s future. When healthy, he looked and played like a big, physical, bump-and-run corner who can match up with big receivers well enough but who also seemed to have difficulty with the decision-making that goes with playing zone.

Beal’s size and playing style reminded us of former Giants corner Perry Williams. Beal has similar long speed and the size that makes him a good fit for manning the boundary. Beal also showed little aversion to contact, even recording a big contain tackle for a safety in the Miami win.

There’s a lot to like in the package that Beal brings to the field, but the matter of staying on it concerns everyone. He has starting potential, but until he can prove his durability on an NFL field his future will remain cloudy. Beal has two more years on his Giants contract so he’s not going anywhere.

The coaches may need to tailor his snaps to limit his contacts a bit, but eventually he’s just going to have to stay out there and tough it through.

Grant Haley: Still hanging around after two uninspiring years with the Giants, Haley actually started out the 2019 season as the defense’s starter in the slot, but he was so often abused in coverage that after eight games the coaches finally took him off that duty.

A sure tackler when he is in position to make a play, Haley simply lacks the foot speed and direction-change ability to match up any position on the field.

He would make an intriguing safety if he could only run but his open-field speed is lacking. A 5-foot 9 defensive back who can’t run is a liability, pure and simple.

We don’t see an NFL future in Haley’s game even if has survived two NFL seasons, though he is a solid locker room presence and a legit tough guy between the lines.

You would think he’d be a special teams ace due to the toughness and tackling ability but he barely played specials, which is another indictment of his lack of speed.

We’d be surprised if the Giants invited Haley to summer training camp (even though he still has one more year remaining on his contract).

As a role model for how to get the most out of your ability and survive in this league, Haley could teach the new kids a thing or two.

Antonio Hamilton: Known more for his special teams play, Hamilton has always had the look and size of a true boundary cornerback, but he’s always lacked the instincts, technique and confidence to play on the outside.

Hamilton actually started at corner in Week 1, got summarily torched by Dallas, and was relegated to special teams the rest of the until oddly enough when Week 17 arrived, when the coaches gave Hamilton an unexpected start.

To his credit, Hamilton seized the opportunity and responded by providing more aggressive corner play than he’s ever before shown.

The Eagles went after him, but he didn’t back down, registering five tackles with a handful of knockaways. It was the best corner play of Hamilton’s career.

Soon-to-be 27-years-old, the 6-foot,190-pounder is another pending free agent in the secondary whose special teams contributions at the very least could get him another contract with the Giants.

If the Giants see an emerging boundary player off of that playing time that he earned in Week 17 then he becomes an even higher priority signing.

There’s no disputing that Hamilton is a legit player at gunner, but if he can prove himself serviceable at corner then his worth increases dramatically.

It will probably just take a one-year make-good contract to sign Hamilton, which is an investment that we think is worth risking.

Jabrill Peppers: We are quite the fan of Peppers’ playing style. A physical and aggressive tackler, Peppers is tailor-made for the strong safety role.

He showed enough courage and instincts playing the run to be a legitimate defensive asset, especially when operating near the line of scrimmage.

Peppers loves contact and is never shy about throwing his body into the fray. It’s his coverage work that needs refinement. An improvement over the departed Landon Collins in coverage, Peppers remains limited by his lack of stature (he’s under six foot), his problems coming when covering tight ends.

He’s got the speed to stay with them, but he lacks the wingspan to disrupt them. He also did not show great instincts in coverage when playing deep safety.

On the injury front, Peppers may be too aggressive for his own good out there, going 100 miles per hour all the time. He suffered a neck injury in Week 12 and missed the final five games of the season, and yet still finished third on the defense with 76 tackles and 1 interception.

The big plays were missing but the hitting was not. Peppers is a legit, consistent physical force and a bit of an enforcer out there. He’s only 24-years-old with a lot of football in front of him.

A former first round draft choice, we are really interested to see how the new coaching staff employs him. We consider him a core player, an emerging leader, and a long-time starter on this defense.

Antoine Bethea: Signed as a one-year band-aid at deep safety, Bethea proceeded to lead the Giants in tackles with 110, and missed only 4 snaps as a defensive starter.

Alas, the numbers do not tell the whole story (they rarely do). Bethea was a liability all season long thanks to a combination of slow reactions, slow foot speed, and taking poor angles to the ball.

It was primarily the lack of suddenness in the soon-to-be 36-year-old’s game that robbed him of success. A 14-year veteran, Bethea is looking to tack on another year to his NFL resume.

Availability has always been one of his best attributes, but it’s getting late in the game for his declining play. We don’t see a starting role in Bethea’s future and seriously doubt that the Giants will bring him back (despite having another year left on his Giants contract).

Bethea was one of this abysmal secondary’s weakest links, a group that needs to be significantly purged. We suspect that Bethea will be one of its victims.

Julian Love: Strangely underused through the season’s first ten games, Love was finally given some defensive snaps in Week 12 and boy did he bring a much-needed spark.

He immediately intercepted a pass and showed enough smarts and instincts to earn more playing time, so much more that in the season’s final five weeks (all starts) he only missed a total of three defensive snaps.

In those starts Love played more of a strong safety role, which he is not particularly built for. Still, his nose for the football was hard to miss even if his tackling was spotty. He also had his adventures in coverage but there were enough positive plays to provide some hope for the future.

Love lacks the feet and live body to defend the slot, and he lacks the size to patrol the line of scrimmage. His smarts and build are a much better match for deep safety, but he’ll have to get a bit thicker in the upper body to hold up with his tackling.

His instincts though are legit. He’s got a good feel for the game and is smart enough to know when to gamble and when to back off. He’s quick and athletic enough but not a true burner, which could limit his deep patrol success.

He’s going to have to do it with smarts and instincts. Love though is a true football player who will contribute in some type of role. We’re not sure yet if he’ll be a long-term starter, but he sure has some legit tools to work with.

Michael Thomas: Signed two years ago as both a “culture change” guy and a special teams force, Thomas turned in a very productive first season with the Giants in 2018, making the Pro Bowl for his special teams play, but saw his contributions fall off in 2019.

A situational safety and special teams captain, Thomas was targeted on defense whenever the coaches slipped him into the game, and committed several bad penalties on specials.

One of the more economical free agent signings the Giants have ever made, the 30-year-old Thomas is now at the point in his career where he’ll be signing one-year contracts the rest of the way.

Thomas did indeed provide that culture change thing that the organization was looking for at the time. A leader in the community as well as in the locker room, Thomas backed up his voice with consistent hustle and sturdy play.

Now a pending free agent, we wouldn’t be too surprised to see the Giants sign Thomas to a one-year contract if only for his leadership, but we’re not counting on it as the secondary was such a mess and he wasn’t one of its answers.

Thomas will almost certainly play somewhere in the NFL next year, we’re just not sure in which direction the new coaching regime will choose to go with him.

Sean Chandler: This former UDFA out of Temple has suited up for 16 and 13 games respectively in his two seasons with the Giants.

Chandler has earned those uniforms thanks to what’s above his shoulders, not below them. Chandler has “future coach” written all over him, that’s how smart a game he plays, which was primarily on special teams.

He also got the occasional snap or two on defense, but his serious lack of foot speed makes him a big-time liability in coverage.

Chandler was actually waived on 11/5 for Sam Beal’s activation, was then signed to the practice squad and eventually promoted to the roster on 12/7.

In the team’s final four games Chandler saw his special teams snaps significantly reduced from his early-season playing time, which is not a good sign.

Chandler still has another year left on his contract and is such a good soldier that we expect to see him in summer training camp, but it may be more courtesy than anything else as the physical talent just isn’t there.

Rashaan Gaulden: It’s not often that teams give up on 3rd-round draft choices after only a year and a half but that’s just what the Carolina Panthers did with Gaulden.

A college corner who was moved to safety with Carolina, at a minimum Gaulden can hit and play special teams. He started at Tennessee and stayed with all the top-end SEC talent that he faced every week, so the talent is there.

However, Gaulden never showed the decision-making ability or the discipline to be a reliable player for the Panthers who gave up on him when he committed a couple of special teams gaffes in a bad mid-season loss.

The Giants immediately picked him up for their practice squad (he being a Dave Gettleman draft pick). Gaulden was promoted to the roster in mid-December and even got a uniform in Week 17.

Gaulden has the speed and toughness you look for in NFL safeties (though not a big hitter he’s a willing one), but it’s above the shoulders where he’ll have to make his biggest leap.

Only 24, the talented Gaulden will likely be given a long leash with the Giants. He’ll add to the talent level that this secondary needs and could be a likely roster replacement for either 30-year-old pending FA Michael Thomas or the less-gifted Grant Haley and Sean Chandler.

Special Teams

Aldrick Rosas: After last season’s Pro Bowl season the sky was the limit for this 25-year-old, but his third year in the league had its bumps and bruises.

Rosas did not get an awful lot of work this year—last year he went 32-33 but this year just 12-17. Blame the Giants’ offense for finishing off so many drives with touchdowns!

Speaking of extra points, last year Rosas was 31-32, this year 35-39. All told, that’s nine missed 2019 kicks.

In 2018 Rosas responded to the heavy work load positively. This year, the lack of work did not go so well.

Early season snapping inconsistencies didn’t help, which Rosas allowed to get in his head. It’s Rosas’ job to focus on the kick, but somewhere along the way he lost his technique and his confidence, and he struggled all year to re-gain last year’s form.

His leg is very strong so there’s no way in heck the organization is anywhere close to giving up on Rosas, especially since his struggles came in another lost season.

He really didn’t cost the team any games as that fell on the historically-bad defense to ruin anything positive that happened out there.

Last year everything went right for Rosas. This year, not so much. How he responds to the challenge of re-gaining his form will be interesting to follow. The Giants undoubtedly will bring in another kicker next summer to help his focus.

With a leg like Rosas’, it’s all mental. Keep it simple, don’t over-swing and trust the process. It really is as simple as that. He’s had success. He lost it. He’s just got to find it again.

Riley Dixon: The team’s lone Pro Bowl-level performer in 2019, Dixon had a choppy preseason but it all came together once the bullets started flying for real on opening day.

Dixon came out of that chute on fire and his punting game never let up through all 16 games. Last year his stats were Top 10 quality, this year they bordered on Top 5 across the board.

Nearly half of his 69 punts were downed or fair caught inside the 20, and yet he still averaged a career-high 46.1.

Only 24 of his punts were returned; the longest return he yielded was a 17-yarder. No matter how many ways you look at it, Dixon’s punting game was stellar as it was consistent – and he had to overcome two blocked punts to boot (that’s two more than any team should give up).

Dixon didn’t have a chance on either block, and had a third deflected that didn’t count in the official “blocked” category.

His holding for kicks was as good as it was in 2018, but this year his job was made tougher by too many of those snaps being all over the place. He somehow managed to snag one bouncer and get it down without showing any sign of panic, which is a big part of the job.

He remains cool and calm under pressure. Dixon is only 26-years-old and one of Dave Gettleman’s finest acquisitions (the price of a 7th round pick).

If Dixon gets that Pro Bowl nod it will be well-deserved and well-earned.

Zak DeOssie: Very likely dealing with injuries this year, DeOssie had probably his worst year as a deep snapper. His short-snapping was particularly inconsistent and off the mark and might have affected the down year of his young place kicker.

Soon-to-be 36-years-old, DeOssie was placed on IR after Week 12 with a knee injury, but wrist issues also had him on the injury report.

He may not be done yet, but the Giants need to continue to get younger, especially after allowing impressive pre-season snapper Taybor Pepper to get away.

The 25-year-old Pepper was immediately picked up by Miami and snapped well the entire 2019 season for them. The Giants can’t make that mistake again.

It may be the end of an era if the Giants don’t offer pending UFA DeOssie one of those one-year contracts.

Drafted in the 4th round way back in 2007, DeOssie has been a fixture (and special teams captain since 2011) in Big Blue for 13 very consistent years (at one point he had a 140-consecutive game streak going).

DeOssie has two Super Bowl rings in his trophy case and also snapped in two Pro Bowls. If he retires as expected, he will go down as the team’s all-time best snapper, one who was as noticeable running down under punts as he was snapping for them.

At the very least, his leadership will be sorely missed.

Colin Holba: Stepping in for the injured DeOssie in Week 13, Holba snapped well in the season’s final five weeks and earned himself at least a spot in camp to compete for the job.

Holba is 25 years-old, the Giants his third NFL team since being drafted by the Steelers in the 6th round in 2017.

Holba is not quite the athlete that Zak DeOssie was running down under punts, but his snaps were very sharp and reliable, especially in the difficult northeast wintry conditions that the team had to deal with down the stretch.

Golden Tate: Easily the Giants’ best option at punt returning in 2019, Tate’s ten returns averaged 9.7 per with a long of 17 yards.

Tate is a natural with the ball in his hands, and he’s also very smooth tracking and catching punts. His speed isn’t what it was but his running instincts remain, as he made nearly every right decision with his returns and never once hurt his team.

Coming off a late season concussion, the coaches took Tate off of returns his first week back except when they needed a fair catch of a pooch punt, which is when they sent out Tate to perform the job. As expected, he did so with typical aplomb.

Da’Mari Scott: Getting a late season look on returns, Scott showed much more of the slashing quality that’s required on kickoff returns than the more challenging catch, stop and go skills that make a good punt returner.

Off of what we saw, Scott is not a punt returner and it’s doubtful he will ever be one. We’re also not convinced that he’ll be a good kickoff returner either, but at least his style is a better fit. Scott actually flashed best to these eyes as a gunner on punts.

He’s got solid size and very good open field speed, both of which are needed to handle this position. Problem is, Scott has three better gunners ahead of him (Core, Hamilton, Ballantine) so he’s going to have an uphill struggle to make the team next summer.

Scott does have another year left on his contract so he will certainly be in camp as a longshot.

Cody Latimer: Turns out Latimer was the Giants’ best option on kickoff returns in 2019, though his competition wasn’t exactly fierce.

He didn’t inspire confidence with his less-than-aggressive style, though he did somehow average 23.8 on his 24 returns, with a long of 50 yards.

The production sounds pretty good but he didn’t often pass the eyeball test, leaving yards out there when he chose not to attack possible creases. The good news is that his ball security was perfect, and when given the chance to cover kicks late in the year, he made a tackle.

That the coaches rarely asked him to contribute anything more than returns speaks towards the need for him on offense (24 catches, 300 yards, 2 touchdowns) and his tendency to get banged up.

Last year he only managed to be healthy for 6 games. This year the coaches managed his playing time to the tune of 15 games.

Latimer is only 27-years-old and has the size and speed to inspire confidence, but not the toughness (either mental or physical).

As a receiver, he is only too happy to catch the ball and fall to the ground, once again leaving yardage on the field. Latimer is a pending UFA. We expect the Giants to move on from his uninspiring game.

Jabrill Peppers: When Peppers got his lone 2019 kick return opportunity in Week 12, running up under the kick, catching the ball on the dead run and taking it full speed into the teeth of the coverage, we literally screamed “That’s how you return a kick!”

Because we hadn’t seen that type of kickoff return aggression all year. That one return proved to these eyes that Peppers is a team leader and their best returner, and probably needs to be used a bit more often.

Give us a team full of players who are gritty, play a physical game, and play the game at full speed and without fear and that team will win.

Peppers can play on that team any day of the week and twice on Sundays. In that same game the coaches put Peppers back for a punt return and he proceeded to produce the team’s second-longest punt return of the year (40 yards).

Admittedly, Peppers’ value to this team is primarily on defense (he actually started the season on punt returns opening day, looked smooth, but was removed in deference to his defensive duties till late in the year).

The coaches don’t want to over-use him because Peppers can’t help himself, he’s not the type to shy away from contact. After missing the last five games due to a back injury, we are concerned how Peppers’ back will hold up under his all-out style of play.

Our final impression of Peppers on special teams was watching him flying after an on-sides kick at the end of a game.

He went screaming after the ball and never stopped clawing towards it till the play was long over. We’ll take that kind of never-say-die attitude in a player and go to battle with him. Bottom line, Peppers is a winner.

Darius Slayton: The team’s precocious and explosive 5th round steal at wideout was given a chance to show off his speed in a couple of mid-season games on kickoffs, but his inexperience showed.

At Auburn, in four years he returned one kickoff for -11 yards. It’s obviously not a strength. He was quickly taken off of returns after two weeks of uninspired play at the position and returned to his natural wide receiver position where he will remain for the foreseeable future.

Michael Thomas: The Giants’ special teams captain finished the season second on special teams with seven tackles, and generally played consistent, tough ball in coverage from start to finish. He played all 16 games and participated in nearly every special teams snap in every one of them.

What Thomas did not excel at was the fullback position which he assumed late in the year. Two killer holding penalties hurt his team when the resulting re-punts lead to a blocked punt and some serious differential yardage.

Thomas was a pro bowler on special teams last year and an alternate this year. He’s 29-years-old, is as tough as they come, and provides invaluable leadership, especially with the team’s youth-laden roster.

A pending UFA, the Giants will have to decide on whether to offer the locker room-friendly Thomas another contract. If they do, it will have to come at a reasonable price.

Cody Core: Core was claimed off of waivers after cutdown date and participated in all 16 regular season games with the Giants as the team’s best punt gunner.

Core regularly defeated single- and double-team blocking to cover and finish off plays, whether it was finishing off tackles (he led the team with eight special teams tackles) or downing punts inside the 5-yard line, a specialty of his.

Though Michael Thomas was given the Pro Bowl-alternate nod this year we thought Core had a much cleaner season with more impact plays and fewer negative ones.

Only 25-yers-old, the Bengals made a mistake in trying to sneak Core through waivers, the Giants being the happy recipient with their claim. Core is one of the best gunners in the league and he proved it every week.

A backup receiver by trade (he caught 3 balls this year), we wonder why Core hasn’t been tried at safety (a team need) where his size, speed, smarts and tackling ability seem a better match.

We are always on the lookout for a possible position switch; this one just makes too much sense. Core had decent receiving stats at Ole Miss but not a single defensive snap.

We don’t know why defense has never appeared on his resume but watching him excel at gunner sure gives one the idea that this young man belongs on defense.

Core is still young enough to learn a new position and give it a shot. A pending UFA, Core should be a priority signing as his ability at gunner is too important to allow to leave.

Antonio Hamilton: The Giants “other” gunner, Hamilton was no slouch out there but not quite at the level of Cody Core.

Hamilton played the majority of the special teams snaps except for the two games he started at corner, where his special teams snaps dropped from 85% to 50%.

This soon-to-be 27-year-old was a positive special teams contributor all year—he didn’t miss a single game—and finished the season with five tackles and a ton of consistent and reliable gunning.

Another pending UFA, Hamilton is not quite the priority signing that Core is, but Hamilton’s ability to step in and play some corner—he played his best corner of his career in Week 16—gives him added value.

We hope the Giants re-sign Hamilton who does seem to have a lot of football ahead of him. It would be shame to see him leave.

Corey Ballantine: The play of this 6th round rookie on specials was impressive enough to persuade the organization to perhaps let Antonio Hamilton depart this off-season.

Ballantine truly excelled at gunner-blocking, which is one of the very toughest of jobs in all of football. It requires physicality and great speed.

Ballantine has the speed but needs to get a bit stronger this off-season to physically hold up (he missed three full games and barely played in another due to various injuries).

Making the jump from tiny Washburn certainly had its bumps along the road, but it was hard not to notice the kid’s raw talent.

He’s got legit game-breaking speed, which was why the coaches gave him a shot returning kickoffs. On ten returns he averaged a team-best 25.6 yards and produced the team’s longest kickoff return of 52 yards.

Of the young “tryout” returners, we think Ballantine showed the most potential. Around mid-season Ballantine got a bit banged up and buried under the impossible job of defending the slot on defense, which took him out of the special teams arena.

Looking towards the future, we see a starting gunner, a starting gunner blocker, and a kickoff return specialist on Ballantine’s busy work sheet.

He’s only 23-years-old, just a pup making a big jump up in class. The arrow is pointing up,

Sean Chandler: One of the smartest players on this team, it’s a shame that Chandler’s lack of speed makes him a marginal prospect because the way he sees the field and plays this game, it’s like you’re watching a ten-year veteran out there, albeit on his last legs.

Chandler overcomes his poor foot speed somewhat by seeing the field, playing the angles, and not doing anything stupid. He finished the season with three special teams tackles and consistent awareness, but the lack of speed also hurt at times (he barely sniffed the field on defense).

Chandler still has another year left on his contract and will certainly be invited to camp to compete for a roster spot, but this team has to get more talented at the safety position. If they do, Chandler will be a longshot to make this team but his innate ability to see this game and play this game will likely find him a landing spot somewhere in the league.

He’s a good teammate and locker room presence. The coaching profession wouldn’t be an unexpected destination for his post-playing career.

Josiah Tauaefa: After failing to make the team out of training camp, Tauaefa was signed to the practice squad and elevated to the roster on October 1.

Tauaefa proceeded to suit up for the team’s remaining 12 games and played on average about 65% of each game’s special teams snaps. He contributed with three tackles, struggled early with the speed of the game but eventually adjusted and picked up his game and finished on a positive note.

Along the way he forced a fumble and found himself around the ball enough to get noticed. Tauaefa has another year left on his contract and will surely compete in training camp for a bigger role.

The New Coaching Staff 

We will devote full coverage of the Giants new coaching staff in our next issue when it is expected the complete staff will have been finalized beyond the coordinators, announced by the team as Jason Garrett (offense), Patrick Graham (defense/assistant head coach) and Thomas McGaughey (special teams).