New York Giants: Offseason Wants, Needs & Preview

[Finished 6-10 Overall]

The New York Giants are coming off a year in which they overachieved on defense and underachieved on offense. Injuries and COVID opt-outs played a big role in this team's lack of success. On offense, the team dealt with injuries to starters QB Daniel Jones, RB Saquon Barkley, WR Golden Tate, and WR Sterling Shepard. LT Nate Solder cited family health concerns as reasoning for his opt-out. In turn, first-round pick OT Andrew Thomas was forced into a new role. The rookie had to switch from right tackle to left tackle, a position in which he started out slow but made notable improvements, especially in the second half of the season. With a clean bill of health for QB Daniel Jones and an off-season to learn HC Joe Judge and OC Jason Garrett’s scheme, we can see an upgrade to his play. It's important to remember that even with all of the injuries and opt-outs working against them, the Giants were just one win away from a playoff spot.

This defensive unit was commendable, finishing 18th in passing defense and 14th in rushing defense. Free-agent acquisition CB James Bradberry was outstanding, a real difference-maker for the G-Men. The Giants can count on DC Patrick Graham to maximize the talent on this roster.

WR Golden Tate and G Kevin Zeitler were released as cap casualties. Tate has yet to find a landing spot, but Zeitler was snatched up by the Ravens. In New York, Solder was forced to restructure his contract to keep his spot on the roster. The franchise tag was placed on DE Leonard Williams as a holdover until both parties were able to agree to a massive $63M dollar extension. So far in free agency, the Giants have signed lower-priced players to fill in holes with depth pieces like TE Kyle Rudolph, RB Devontae Booker, and backup QB Mike Glennon. New York also took a gamble on first-round bust WR John Ross. Ross is a cheap 1-year option who has a blazing 4.2 speed, he ran one of the fastest 40 times in NFL combine history. Wide receiver is still a position the Giants can choose to look at in the draft.

Offensive Needs

Despite the shortcomings of OC Jason Garrett, the Giants played hard and competed in every game. Garrett had not called plays full-time since 2012. He was a big factor in why the Giants finished the season 28th in total points scored. The Giants need to improve upon 31st in red-zone trips, 30th in passing, 30th in total plays, and 27th in sacks allowed. With the news that the Giants are retaining GM Dave Gettleman, it becomes clearer that Jones is going to be the focus of the quarterback position into the 2021 season.

Quarterback

QB Daniel Jones's accuracy, decision-making, and awareness in the pocket remain of concern heading into 2021. With better weapons at his disposal and another year under Garrett’s scheme, expect better production. It would be beneficial to Jones to see more designed rushing plays along with a deeper vertical attack to maximize his strengths. With WR Darius Slayton, WR Sterling Shephard, TE Evan Engram, and RB Saquon Barkley all returning, the Giants could have a scary offense next season.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Jones is one of the most sensitive quarterbacks in the NFL when it comes to pressure. In 2019, when Jones wasn't under pressure, he posted an adjusted completion percentage (ACP) of 76.5% and an NFL passer rating of 96.8. In 2020 when Jones had a clean pocket, he posted an ACP of 79.4% and an NFL passer rating of 97.8.

In back-to-back seasons, Jones has posted pretty similar numbers in these categories. However, most starting quarterbacks not named Patrick Mahomes tend to see their statistics take a dip when facing heat in the pocket. In 2019, Jones posted an ACP of 63.8% when pressured and an NFL passer rating of 72.2. In 2020, he clocked in with an ACP of 64.6% and an NFL passer rating of just 55.7. The undeniable fact is Jones needs a clean pocket to have success in the passing department. When throwing under pressure, Jones ranked 22nd overall out of all starters in the league. Yet, there are signs of growth in Jones. He has improved against both man and zone coverages between 2019 and 2020. In a make it or break it year for Jones, the question that looms is did he improve enough? In some categories, he is still the same quarterback he was in his rookie year. However, based on what he was able to do against zone coverage and his downfield execution, there is enough maturity in Jones's skills as a passer to remain optimistic. Danny Dimes's fifth-year option is on the line. He must prove that with the healthy return of his starters, he can put up more impressive statistics in 2021.

Running Back Room

RB Wayne Gallman was forced into the starter role following news of RB Saquon Barkley's torn ACL. Gallman was one of the most pleasant surprises in 2020. He rushed hard and offered nice fantasy production, but he is now a free agent, and he isn’t expected to be brought back. In addition to Gallman, RBs Alfred Morris, Devonta Freeman, and Dion Lewis are all set for free agency. Barkley is a special player with a boatload of talent, he just has to remain healthy. In the case that superstar Barks isn’t ready for week one, passing down specialist RB Devonte Booker has been brought in for backup and relief duties. It will be interesting to see where Barkley ends up going in 2021 fantasy drafts. There are few running backs in the league that have his talent and guaranteed workload built-in.

Offensive Line

Starting Left Tackle Nate Solder avoided being cut and simultaneously saved the Giants $6M. Meanwhile, RT Cameron Fleming is a free agent. G Kevin Zeitler has already been cut. With all of these changes, this offensive line will look much different next season. New York drafted OT Matt Peart in the third round and will bring back both G Nick Gates and G Will Hernandez, but these players are average at best. If the Giants don't want to see this offensive unit as one of the bottom ten in the league next season, they need to address several key positions. The most important thing for New York’s offense in 2021 is putting their quarterback in an environment where he can succeed. If the Giants are able to do this, they can confidently evaluate where they stand with Jones as a potential franchise quarterback moving forward.

Uncertainty isn't good for anyone in this scenario. If they don't set him up for success, they will never know what potential he has. The talent on the offensive line is one of the biggest question marks that needs to be addressed this offseason.

Wide Reciever Needs

All three starting wide receiver roles are up for grabs on this offense. A true, dominating number one wide receiver could do wonders for QB Daniel Jones. The Giants already made one move at wide receiver in free agency, but more moves can be expected. If the Giants do not fill this need with a player like WR Kenny Golladay, we'll have to wait and see who steps up between WRs Darius Slayton and Sterling Shephard.

WR John Ross has been signed, but it's unknown how he will be used in this offense. Since he only signed a one-year deal, the Giants will have limited risk invested into Ross. It could be easy to forget about Ross since he appeared in just three games and caught all of two passes in 2020. Could he become a sneaky late-round pick in 2021 fantasy football drafts or is this a move to ignore? What makes Ross exciting is his deep speed. At the combine in 2017, Ross displayed elite-level speed by running a 4.22 40-yard dash. If he can develop chemistry with Jones, then he could be the field stretcher this offense needs. The deeper targets would allow him to produce easily on splash plays. His competition, WR Darius Slayton, is also a deep ball specialist who will command a large portion of the air yards. In 2020, Slayton led the team with a 33% share of the air yards while also accumulating a 19% target share. If the Giants are in the market to draft a wide receiver with the 11th overall pick, it will likely be one of two Alabama prospects: Jaylen Waddle or Devonta Smith. WR Odell Beckham Jr. was the last Giants wideout to record a 1,000-yard season back in 2018. While his talent didn’t get the Giants far in the playoffs, having a true No. 1 receiver did have a ripple effect on the rest of the offense. WR Sterling Shepard, the only receiver who remains on the roster from that 2018 team, recorded a career-high 872 yards in 2018, catching 66 out of 107 pass targets (both career highs). In 2020, the Giants failed to score more than 20 points in nine of their games, and they finished with an average of 17.5 points per game. The Giants have shown that they operate better with consistency. They need Shepard in their starting lineup. New York’s passing game averaged 198.6 yards with him in the lineup and 160.8 yards without him.

Back in 2019, rookie Darius Slayton saw an unexpected uptick in opportunities mainly because of injuries to Saquon Barkley, Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, and Evan Engram. Altogether, these players missed 22 games. Now, fast forward to 2020. Jones had his full group for only five quarters of play before a season-ending injury ended Barkley's campaign and turf toe put Shepard on IR for four games. The list of injuries went on and on. Slayton began showing signs of injury to his foot and shoulder, though he never missed a game. Despite seeing more targets in 2020 as compared to his rookie year, Slayton's catch percentage dropped (53.2%) from his prior season (60%). Other alarming stats that fell off from his rookie year include touchdowns, yards per reception, and yards after the catch per reception. Meanwhile, the number of drops he accounted for increased. Slayton is one of the best deep threat options for this team (7th best in the NFL at 20+ yards), but he needs to make big improvements come 2021 to be a consistent option on the field.

Tight End

Surprisingly, TE Evan Engram made the Pro Bowl last season. In 2020, he struggled with drops (6) which accounted for almost half of Daniel Jones's interceptions. Engram's deficiencies in the red zone and in his blocking abilities led to the signing of veteran TE Kyle Rudolph. With the new addition, TE Levine Toilolo is a cut candidate who would save this franchise $3M in cap space. Engram, who is in the final year of his contract, has also been floated in trade talks. Despite playing in 86.8% of the Giants' offensive snaps, Engram's production was disappointing, though not all of that is on him. In the deep passing game, where he was thought to have a significant advantage in matchups against linebackers and defensive backs, Engram received only nine pass targets. Of those nine targets, six were catchable. Engram made the most of those six targets, securing five balls for 167 yards and one touchdown. In 16 games, Engram was targeted 109 times, grabbing 63 balls, at a dismal 57.7% catch rate, for 654 yards. All of that equated to a career-low 10.4 yards per reception. Over the last two years, Engram had gotten his dropped passes under control (three per season). However, last season, that number skyrocketed back to eight, which was the most by tight ends in the NFL, and just a few drops shy of the 11 he had as a rookie.

2019 sixth-rounder Kaden Smith has proven to be a solid No. 2 tight end option. If Engram does return in 2021, he must work on stopping the key drops in untimely situations which have grown very frustrating to Giant fans. It's worth mentioning that all of the tight ends in this unit would have no dead money cap hit if they were to released.

Defensive Needs

DC Patrick Graham’s defensive unit ranked ninth in points allowed and 12th in yards surrendered. He schemed 40 sacks from a unit that lacked a standout pass-rusher. That defensive play-calling was on full display when the New York Giants defeated the Seattle Seahawks in one of the most surprising upsets of the 2020 season. Last season, the Giants played cover-3 zone defense at the second-highest rate of any team in the NFL. They had a ton of success in doing so, allowing the ninth amount of points overall. The Giants got the most out of DE Leonard Williams, who was rewarded with a long-term extension. LB Kyler Fackrell and DT Dalvin Tomlinson are free agents, which could lead to some shuffling of pieces along the defensive line. Tomlinson has signed with the Vikings; the lanes he opened up for Williams to finish off with sacks will be missed. If the Giants choose not to bring back Fackrell, Williams may be hard-pressed to repeat the 15.5 sacks he accounted for last season.

Secondary

In pass coverage, CB James Bradberry is the perfect fit for cover-3. CBs Isaac Yiadom and Darnay Holmes struggled to cover anyone. However, all is not lost in the secondary as S Julian Love stepped up, alongside S Logan Ryan and S Jabrill Peppers. All three were solid last season and remain under contract.

When it came to running against the Giants, opposing offenses knew the best plan of attack was through the air. The Giants faced the third-highest neutral passing plays in the NFL. The Big Blue have chosen whom they want to build around in the future, and that is Leonard Williams. Now that Tomlinson is no longer on the roster, DE B.J. Hill will slide into Tomlinson’s role.

Linebacker

2020 free-agent signing LB Blake Martinez was a home run for GM David Gettleman. Martinez was a beast against the run, but the Giants should look to upgrade from LB Tae Crowder at the second linebacker position. LB David Mayo was cut and picked up by Washington, and LB Devante Downs remains a cut candidate. Look for the Giants to make an effort to find better edge rusher production. The current list of edge rushers on the roster includes 2018 third-rounder Lorenzo Carter, 2019 third-rounder Oshane Ximines (IR, shoulder), and 2020 seventh-rounder Carter Coughlin, all of whom are question marks with an injury history.

Too Long Didn't Read Version

The Giants head into 2021 with some big decisions to make. New faces are to be expected, but the current players on the roster should be suited up and ready to go. This may be Daniel Jones's last season as the starter if he does not show he is made of franchise-worthy quarterback material. With the projected improvement to his offensive weapons, he should be set up for success in 2021. The most important thing for Jones will be to remain healthy, something he has struggled with in recent seasons.

So far this offseason, the Giants have re-signed DT Austin Johnson and made fresh free agent acquisitions in LBs Reggie Ragland and Ifeadi Odenigbo. It remains to be seen if the Giants finalize a deal with WR Kenny Golladay, but the offensive line needs must be addressed along with the linebacker and cornerback units.