Ah, the NFL offseason. For the New York Giants and every other team, it’s a wild and beautiful landscape of smoke-filled rooms, backyard work,…
…and hope. This damn fine thing for the Giants the last eight years.
The NFL offseason is a time of wild speculation, strong stories and unrealistic expectations, not just for the Giants, but for every franchise in the league. It really is the Christmas of the NFL calendar. The fans are friendlier, the teams are shopping and exchanging gifts (read: trading), and the houses/stadiums are getting ready for the big day.
And before the big day arrives and disappoints everyone by showing how boring the offseason actually is, let’s hope for a little together this offseason with a few bold predictions. Let’s start with four for the New York football giants.
Recording 1: The Giants have a top 5 receiving corps on paper.
Let’s get to work: Saquon Barkley counts. He’s not just a running back when he’s healthy: His speed, strength and agility make him a top threat when in the slot or on the move.
Add in the rumors that the Giants are looking for a big offseason prize in Kenny Golladay after the franchise tag expires, and you already have a big improvement over last season.
Add Saquon, let Darius Slayton and Daniel Jones continue to develop, and replace the crumpled body of Golden Tate with Kenny Galladay, and you have a balanced and potentially overwhelming Giants offense filled with youth.
It gets better:
Recording 2: Penae Sewell or Kyle Pitts will go to the Giants in thedraft at 11.
It’s more of a finger-burning situation, but let’s face it: No team wants their tight end to be placed above the Giants over the other available options in their situation.
Detroit, Miami, and Philadelphia will certainly choose to have a flashy name at the WR position. The Panthers, Jets and Jaguars should take the quarterbacks. Atlanta is in the quarterback discussion with the supposed fall of Matt Ryan (also add Miami if they don’t trust Tua, which they should). Dallas and Denver would have done better to strengthen their defense. Then the giants come.
New York could pick up ambrosia and nectar from the Giants at pick eleven. Kyle Pitts is a wild upgrade for Evan Engram, who put up solid scoring stats, but gets rocky hands at crucial times in the game. Pena Sewell is the purest OL1 since Quenton Nelson and will put pressure on Andrew Thomas, last year’s first pick, to grow faster.
This is a draft rich in wide receiver talent, and hopefully with the right moves. The Giants don’t just need it. They need generational potential at the TE position and on the offensive line. Boom!
Recording 3: Delvin Tomlinson and James Bradberry buy in
If there was a glimmer of hope for the Giants last year, it was their top-10 defense, which featured a tough guy mentality and overwhelming blitz control. Delvin Tomlinson and James Bradberry were the two key pieces of that defense, and while Bradberry is still under contract for next season, Tomlinson’s status with New York has been called into question after the team issued its franchise tag to Leonard Williams.
Where Bradberry plays a role in this offseason is his contract. The Giants and Bradberry are reportedly in talks to restructure his contract and extend him a few years, freeing up valuable space needed for a re-signing of Delvin Tomlinson. And as icing on the cake, perhaps this move can motivate Tomlinson to be more flexible in negotiations with the team when he hears that Williams’ franchise tag was meant to mark Tomlinson as a key figure in the future.
That will only happen if Tomlinson and Bradberry believe in that future. And for the first time in years, the Giants might have one.
Their once weak defense showed signs of life last season and might have improved had the Giants’ offensive struggles not kept them on the field. And that’s without Saquon Barkley or the threat of a senior receiver, both of which are sure to come next season.
This defense needs to be beaten to show the world what it can do next season. And everything points to them seeing it.
Take 4: Danny Dimes returns
This review is more about the upcoming season, but it still depends on the Giants’ offseason.
Let’s get one thing straight: Daniel Jones hit the wall as a sophomore. Even before his injury, he had Giants fans shaking their heads every time he threw the ball. Not necessarily due to lack of accuracy or talent, but due to poor decisions, weapons and defense.
The Giants were good last in most offensive performances last season. And the fault lies not with Daniel Jones, who was injured for much of the season, but with the entire attack. In recent years, fourth-ranked Andrew Thomas has not made it. Evan Engram then proved his reappraisal. Sakoon wasn’t there the first week. The entire receiving body had been obliterated by the injuries. And it all happened during a complete offensive rebuild with Jason Garrett’s playbook instructions.
What quarterback other than an all-time legend could overcome that?
This year marks a critical period in Daniel Jones’ career. And he showed enough genius that Joe Judge and Jason Garrett were willing to give credence to Gettleman’s initial vision of what he might become. The third-year signal-caller throws a nice fastball, sneaks past the best quarterback in the league, and when he doesn’t, New York is tough. Give him a year to learn the new offense. After the first year, give him a year not marred by injuries. First, give the poor kid some protection.
Give him this stuff and watch Daniel Jones drop money all over the house again.
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