The first season under the new regime of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll was a smashing success for the New York Giants. They quickly erased the negativity that had surrounded the team for years as Dave Gettleman drove the team into the ground as general manager.
Despite a clear lack of talent and being in a salary cap mess, Schoen and Daboll got the most out of the roster in 2022. With a chance to upgrade the roster this offseason, there are a few people who believe they are ready to take that next step.
Quarterback Daniel Jones had a breakout 2022 campaign and now has the weapons around him to develop further. While the Giants may not have a prototypical No. 1 receiver, their skill positions are much more talented and deeper in 2023.
Tight end Darren Waller was the biggest acquisition via trade from the Las Vegas Raiders. He along with Parris Campbell and third-round pick Jalin Hyatt bring a much-need speed infusion into the offense. With Saquon Barkley locked in at running back, this is a group that could surprise some people.
Alas, not everyone is sold on the Giants taking that next step. One of the people that was expecting a regression to the mean is Sam Monson of PFF. One of his bold predictions for the Giants in 2023 is that they will miss the playoffs despite improvement from Jones at quarterback.
“Even the best version of Jones might not be enough to counter the regression from last season. The Giants ranked 15th in scoring drive percentage last year on offense and 28th in expected points added per play against on defense. They finished the season with a negative points differential yet won nine games and made the postseason as a wild-card team before knocking off the Minnesota Vikings.
The roster looks very patchy on paper and heavily reliant on very young players. Last season was an overachievement, and unless the coaching staff can repeat the trick, the team might take a step back in 2023 even with better quarterback play.”
While so much focus has been put on the offense, the defense should also be improved in 2023. They are in the second season under Wink Martindale and patched some of the holes from last season.
Bobby Okereke was their biggest signing in free agency to shore up the linebacker spot. A’Shawn Robinson will help improve the run defense, joining what was already the best defensive tackle group headlined by Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams. Deonte Banks, the team’s first-round pick, has looked great this offseason and is heading toward a starting job opposite Adoree’ Jackson.
The toughest thing that New York has to overcome this season is the schedule. It is a brutal one that includes a ton of road games in the first half of the season and multi-game road trips the entire year. It will take another excellent coaching job from Daboll and his staff to avoid the regression Monson has predicted.
