Giants fans haven’t had much to celebrate in recent seasons and 2021 was amongst their worst. Joe Judge’s regime fell apart as the season progressed, with the team finishing with a 4-13 record. This sparked an offseason of change. General manager Dave Gettleman retired after four seasons in the job, whilst Joe Judge was relieved of his head coaching duties after just two years in the job. They were replaced by Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll respectively, both of whom have played a key role in the recent resurgence of the Bills.
Offseason additions and losses
This offseason the Giants found themselves in the perilous position of beginning a rebuild whilst also being almost $25 million over the cap. It left them unable to make any real moves of note in free agency. They signed Tyrod Taylor to be their backup quarterback on a two-year, $11 million deal. They also added some experience on the offensive line, with Mark Glowinski from Indianapolis and new GM Joe Schoen bringing Jon Feliciano over from Buffalo.
The departures column was much larger. The team were forced to cut players as a cap saving measure, resulting in the release of both James Bradberry and Logan Ryan. They also saw several players leave in free agency, including their two starting tight ends in Evan Engram and Kyle Rudolph, offensive lineman Will Hernandez, and safety Jabrill Peppers.
2022 NFL Draft
| Pick | Player |
| 1.5 | Kayvon Thibodeaux – EDGE, Oregon |
| 1.7 | Evan Neal – OT, Alabama |
| 2.43 | Wan’Dale Robinson – WR, Kentucky |
| 2.67 | Josh Ezeudu – IOL, North Carolina |
| 3.81 | Cordale Flott – CB, LSU |
| 4.112 | Daniel Bellinger – TE, San Diego State |
| 4.114 | Dane Belton – S, Iowa |
| 5.146 | Micah McFadden – LB, Indiana |
| 5.147 | D.J. Davidson – IDL, Arizona State |
| 5.173 | Marcus McKethan – IOL, North Carolina |
| 6.182 | Darrian Beavers – LB, Cincinnati |
The Giants had one of the biggest draft classes this year, selecting 11 players. The top two names are obviously the most notable. In Thibodeaux they land an edge rusher with All-Pro potential and in Neal they have an excellent offensive tackle to pair with Andrew Thomas. Some of the other picks certainly raised eyebrows, with Wan’Dale Robinson in the second being a particularly strange move given the receiving talent available at that spot. The one later pick to watch is Daniel Bellinger, who looks set to take on the starting tight end role as a rookie.
Offense
Finding reasons for optimism with this offense is pretty hard, but if there’s some to be found they are in the offensive line. Left tackle Andrew Thomas was one of the few players on this offense who impressed in 2021, showing major improvements in his second season. They have now paired him with Evan Neal, who has all of the tools to be one of the best tackles in football. The interior is less exciting, but the additions of Jon Feliciano and Mark Glowinski add some experience and stability to a line that has been unreliable for years.
There are far more question marks when it comes to skill positions. Saquon Barkley is talented, but his career has been hampered by injuries. When he was on the field in 2021 he seemed to lack the dynamism that made him such a special prospect coming out of college. He was even outperformed by Devontae Booker on a per carry basis. The wide receivers collectively disappointed last season, though how much of that was down to a lack of talent and how much was the fault of Jason Garrett and Freddie Kitchens’ dire offensive scheme is up for debate.
When it comes to quarterback this will be a make or break year for Daniel Jones. The team decided not to pick up his fifth year option this summer. He has failed spectacularly to live up to his draft status since landing in New York. His reputation for turnovers is well deserved, with 66 in just 37 career games. The appointment of Brian Daboll is evidently an attempt to remedy this in 2022, but it feels like it could be too little too late.
Defense
There aren’t many good areas of this Giants team, but the defensive line is genuinely talented. Leonard Floyd is a proven NFL pass rusher with plenty of production behind him. They also have two young stars in the making. Azeez Ojulari impressed as a rookie and should take the next step in 2022. They then landed Kayvon Thibodeaux in the draft, a player with sky high potential. With Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams locking up the interior they will cause problems for any opponent.
The defense will see a shift in playing style in 2022 after they added former Ravens defensive coordinator Don Martindale. He will bring an aggressive style of defense with lots of man coverage and exotic blitz packages. The Ravens led the NFL in blitz rate for three straight seasons until 2021 and the varied approach saw pass rushing production from every defensive position. Martindale had plenty of success in Baltimore, leading them to three top 10 finishes in defensive DVOA in his four years with the team. Giants fans will be hoping he has a similar impact in New York.
The concern will be whether this secondary is able to hold up. Cap issues forced them to cut two of their best players in Logan Ryan and James Bradberry. Adoree’ Jackson will now have to step on and take over as the team’s CB1. Whilst he and safety Xavier McKinney are both talented, there are big question marks elsewhere. Aaron Robinson will start at cornerback after playing less than 300 snaps as a rookie. Darnay Holmes will complete the secondary and start in the slot. There will be worries about whether Martindale’s defense can work with this talent. His scheme had issues when Baltimore’s injury crisis left him without some star names in the secondary. The Giants will need their players to step up to avoid this becoming a problem in 2022.
Prediction
There is plenty of excitement following the hiring of Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen, but it would be unwise to expect a big change in 2022. This is a team in the midst of a rebuild and this season will be very much a transitional one. It is tough to see them winning much more than five games in 2022, particularly with weaknesses at quarterback and in the secondary.
