The New York Giants have reached the quarter pole of the season, catching their breath with an extended break after their 20-15 loss to the Cowboys last Thursday night. Here’s a position-by-position overview of the roster as the 1-3 Giants prepare for Sunday’s game at 3-1 Seattle:
Quarterback
Coach Brian Daboll raved about Daniel Jones’ performance after last Thursday’s 20-15 loss to the Cowboys. Jones has certainly played better since looking rattled in the 28-6 loss to the Vikings in the opener. The talk about a potential benching has quieted. But it speaks to how low the bar is that Jones is getting praise for leading an offense that is averaging 15 points per game.
Jones isn’t the sole reason for the offense’s struggles. That being said, a sixth-year veteran with the second-highest cap hit in the league is going to draw scrutiny for an offense that is somehow scoring less than last season (15.6 points per game).
Jones needs to play exceptionally to convince the Giants to keep him for the third year of his four-year, $160 million contract. He hasn’t been close to meeting that standard.
Running back
Even the Giants understood they were downgrading their running back talent when they let Saquon Barkley walk in free agency and replaced him with Devin Singletary. Singletary isn’t as explosive and doesn’t command as much attention from defenses.
The problem Singletary has encountered is one Barkley can relate to from his six seasons in New York: poor blocking. Despite demonstrating better ability to break tackles and gain yards after contact than Barkley, Singletary is averaging a career low 3.9 yards per carry.
Perhaps more offseason focus should have been directed at Singletary’s ball security woes. He has two costly fumbles in four games. His 16 fumbles since entering the league in 2019 are the fourth-most among running backs over that stretch. Barkley has six fumbles since getting drafted in 2018.
Rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s role (12 carries for 29 yards, four catches for 41 yards) should grow if the Giants are truly committed to a youth movement. Eric Gray (four carries for seven yards, one catch for nine yards) has been a non-factor. Fullback Jakob Johnson has added nothing in limited snaps.
Wide receiver
Malik Nabers has been setting rookie records weekly due to his production and usage. Nabers’ 35 receptions are five more than any other player in the league, and his 38.2 percent target share is 7.1 percent higher than second place.
The only concern with Nabers, who suffered a concussion late in the loss to the Cowboys, is that he’ll be overtaxed. The Giants at least need to limit the repeated big hits he took in the Dallas game.
Colleague @SandoNFL was ahead of me on this earlier in the week. Nails the dynamic: https://t.co/rSYdFFOSEz pic.twitter.com/UYlRQqI87y
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) October 1, 2024
Wan’Dale Robinson is filling his expected role as a high-volume, low-yardage safety valve. Robinson is fifth in the league with 26 catches, but his 7.5 yards per catch ranks 124th. His 68.4 percent catch rate ranks 100th, which is disappointing for a player with an average depth of target of 4.7 yards. Robinson needs to make tough catches on third downs to elevate to the upper tier of slot receivers.
Darius Slayton hasn’t made an impact with Nabers and Robinson dominating the targets. Slayton had deep opportunities against the Cowboys, but Jones under-threw both passes. Slayton also had a costly drop on a third down in the fourth quarter of the Dallas game and failed to snag a crucial two-point conversion attempt in the 21-18 loss to the Commanders in Week 2. A trade to the receiver-needy Chiefs would make sense for all parties involved.
It’s stunning that Jalin Hyatt doesn’t have a catch through four games. Even with Slayton beating Hyatt out of the No. 2 receiver job, there figured to a role for the player the Giants traded up to take in the third round last year. It’s alarming the Hyatt is a non-factor in Year 2 on an offense that desperately needs explosive plays.
Bryce Ford-Wheaton has exclusively been a core special teamer, while Ihmir Smith-Marsette made a strong first impression with a 22-yard punt return against the Cowboys. He needs to take over at kick returner because Tracy and Gray have been ineffective. There have been no signs that Gunner Olszewski, who re-injured his groin in warmups for the opener, is close to a return.
Tight end
Rookie Theo Johnson is playing 79 percent of the snaps, which seems like too heavy of a workload for the fourth-round pick. Johnson has’t been a factor in the passing game (three catches for 37 yards), has been inconsistent as a blocker, and mental errors have been an issue. Johnson looks the part and could develop into a quality player, but the Giants need to take a bit off his plate because things look like they’re moving too fast right now.
Chris Manhertz has been used exclusively as a blocker. Expectations were higher than what Manhertz has shown since his blocking ability is how he’s remained in the NFL for nine years.
Daniel Bellinger has been buried, playing just 22 percent of the snaps. The Giants clearly don’t view the 2022 fourth-round pick as a building block, but he’s a better all-around tight end than Johnson right now and should see his playing time increase.
Offensive line
The Giants are getting what they wanted when they assembled an experienced offensive line: Functional play. The jailbreak pass rushes have been eliminated, and the pass protection has been upgraded significantly. The run blocking leaves a lot to be desired, however, as the Giants’ 3.4 yards per carry is the worst in the league.
Left tackle Andrew Thomas struggled against Browns defensive end Myles Garrett in Week 3. There’s no shame in losing a duel with the best pass rusher in the league, but a strong performance could have helped elevate Thomas’ status as a premier left tackle. Thomas has otherwise been typically stellar, and he bounced back with a strong showing against Dallas’ Micah Parsons.
Jon Runyan has been exactly what was expected as a solid left guard. Second-year center John Michael Schmitz Jr. has made strides, but he took a step back against a poor Cowboys interior defensive line. Right guard Greg Van Roten hasn’t been the disaster that past weak links have been on the Giants’ line.
Jermaine Eluemunor has been a major upgrade at right tackle simply by providing serviceable play. He has been flagged for five penalties, which needs to be cleaned up. The Giants are fortunate Evan Neal’s surgically-repaired ankle wasn’t ready for the start of training camp or they may still be trying to make it work with him at right tackle.
Neal and the rest of the backup linemen haven’t played a single offensive snap because the starters have stayed healthy.
Defensive line
Dexter Lawrence seems to be on the verge of snapping. He vents every week about how he’s tired of losing … and the losses to continue to pile up. Lawrence tweeted that he whooped Cowboys center Cooper Beebe in response to a tweet hyping the rookie’s success in Thursday’s game. That’s out of character for Lawrence, who rarely tweets about his individual performance.
Don’t hype this he know how the game went.. https://t.co/tI5vbhu5qq pic.twitter.com/nHg1DHFwQP
— Dexter Lawrence II “Sexy Dexy” (@agentdexy97) September 28, 2024
Lawrence is surely frustrated by the amount of double teams he’s been facing, even though he’s still managed three sacks. He misses having another formidable interior presence like Leonard Williams, who had been Lawrence’s partner on the line for most of his career.
The rest of the defensive line has been as underwhelming as expected. Rakeem Nunez-Roches is a serviceable run defender who adds nothing to the pass rush. Undrafted rookie Elijah Chatman is a nice story, and he showed juice as a pass rusher against the Browns, but he’s too small to be a consistent impact player at this point. DJ Davidson gets pushed around too easily for a 320-pounder run stuffer, while Jordon Riley hasn’t shown enough to get any snaps.
Outside linebacker
The Giants are getting what Brian Burns has provided throughout his career. That’s why the trade and monster extension was questionable. Burns is a good young player at a premium position, but he’s not a game-changer. The trade and contract were a steep price to pay for a rebuilding team.
Kavyon Thibodeaux’s impact has been similar to last season. He had his best game against over-matched Cowboys rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton, but he otherwise hasn’t been very disruptive.
Burns and Thibodeaux each have 11 pressures apiece, according to TruMedia. Their combined efforts barely eclipse Lawrence’s 18 pressures on the interior.
Azeez Ojulari has shown flashes, but his role is limited as the third pass rusher. It’s strictly been a three-man rotation on the edge. Boogie Basham has been a healthy scratch each week, while Benton Whitley and Patrick Johnson have exclusively played special teams.
Inside linebacker
Bobby Okereke isn’t playing at the same level as last season. He’s still a solid presence in the middle of the defense, but there haven’t been many splash plays, and his tackling has been inconsistent.
Micah McFadden is always around the ball. That leads to him making plays and missing tackles, but he’s a legit No. 2 linebacker. McFadden leads the Giants with 27 tackles despite missing the opener with a groin injury.
Isaiah Simmons belongs with this group even though he’s technically a cornerback. He has mostly played the same role as last season as a linebacker on passing downs. Simmons’ athleticism should have been an asset against Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, but he wasn’t effective as a spy. Simmons remains a better athlete than football player.
Darius Muasau and Ty Summers have been core special teamers, with Muasau performing well when starting in place of McFadden in the opener. Dyontae Johnson and Matthew Adams are eligible to be activated from injured reserve this week after missing the first four games of the season.
Cornerback
The Giants thrust Deonte Banks into the No. 1 cornerback role this offseason and hoped he could handle it. He didn’t look ready during training camp and he hasn’t looked ready in the first four games. Banks has generally had good coverage, but his lack of ball skills gets exploited by No. 1 receivers. The Giants have a 23.0% DVOA against opponents’ No. 1 wide receivers, fifth-worst in the league according to FTN.
Banks’ early struggles don’t mean he’s a bust. At worst, he’ll be a quality No. 2 corner, which is an acceptable outcome for a late first-round pick. But Banks’ play calls into question the need to give up fifth- and seventh-round picks to move up one spot for him last year when other quality players, including cornerback Joey Porter Jr., were available.
The Giants shifted Cor’Dale Flott into the slot in the opener, but he’s been a better fit outside. He’s had some rough moments, notably the 34-yard completion he surrendered on the Commanders’ game-winning drive, but he had a strong showing against the Cowboys.
Rookie slot corner Dru Phillips had a forced fumble in Week 1 and was all over the field against the Commanders. But he suffered a calf injury early in Week 3 that will likely cause him to miss multiple weeks. An Achilles injury in training camp limited Phillips in the opener. Health aside, the early returns from Phillips suggest the Giants may have finally hit on a third-round pick.
Nick McCloud has constantly yo-yoed between the perimeter and the slot. He’s best suited for the slot and figures to be the starter there until Phillips returns. It’s valuable to have a versatile backup in the secondary who also stands out on special teams.
Tre Hawkins has taken a dramatic fall from when he was a starter as a rookie early last season. Hawkins hasn’t played a snap on defense and has been a healthy scratch twice. Practice squad cornerback Art Green, who had never played an NFL snap, playing over a healthy Hawkins in Week 3 shows that the 2023 sixth-round pick is deep in the doghouse.
Safety
Jason Pinnock is like McFadden in that his athleticism puts him in position to make plays, but the finishing is inconsistent. Pinnock’s three sacks demonstrate his talent as a blitzer, and he needs to continue to be used in that manner. His five pressures are tied with Chicago’s Kyler Gordon for most among defensive backs, and Pinnock only has six total snaps as a pass rusher compared to Gordon’s 18 (per TruMedia).
Rookie Tyler Nubin has played every snap, so the coaches’ trust in him is evident. Nubin shows obvious physicality when he’s coming forward. It’s tricky to evaluate deep safety play, but there haven’t been many busted coverages or completions behind the defense. The glaring exception was the bad angle Nubin took on Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb’s 55-yard touchdown after he beat Banks deep.
Dane Belton had a role as a linebacker in the dime package in the first three games, but he didn’t play a snap against the Cowboys.
The Giants claimed Anthony Johnson after cut day. The top three safeties have been healthy, so there haven’t been any opportunities for Johnson on defense. But it’s surprising that he hasn’t carved out a special teams role.
Special teams
Kicker Graham Gano was adamant that the hamstring injury he suffered chasing a kickoff return in Week 2 against the Commanders wasn’t related to his groin injury. It’s commendable to take the heat off of the coaches and trainers for their handling of the situation, but it’s actually a worse look for Gano to have two lower-body injuries in a three-day span as a 37-year-old kicker.
The hamstring injury landed Gano on IR, so he’ll miss at least four games on the heels of another lower-body injury that limited him to eight games last season. The three-year, $16.5 million extension Gano signed before last season hasn’t aged well. He has a $7.2 million cap this season and a $5.9 million cap hit next year. The Giants could create $3.2 million in cap savings if they cut Gano after the season.
Replacement Greg Joseph was on shaky ground after missing a 48-yard field goal in his debut against Cleveland, but he bounced back by going 5-for-5 against the Cowboys. Punter Jamie Gillan and long snapper Casey Kreiter have been steady.
(Photo: Luke Hales/Getty Images)
