There’s no question that 2024 will be a crucial season for the New York Giants. Almost two years ago, New York was not only in the playoffs for the first time since 2016, they even won a road playoff game over the Minnesota Vikings. This past season however was not a year the Giants and Giants fans had in mind.
The New York Giants took a major step back and went 6-11 in a season where they also saw their newly paid Quarterback Daniel Jones miss 11 games due to a neck and season-ending torn ACL. Now as “Big Blue” enters this season led by Head Coach Brian Daboll, they’re hoping for a rebound season. Despite losing their two best players on both offense and defense, the playoffs in 2024 for the New York Giants should not be ruled out. How will they fare?
A New and Improved Defense
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Despite the Giants seeing the departure of elite safety Xavier McKinney who left for the Green Bay Packers on a four-year contract, the New York Giants defense still has a chance to be elite in 2024. While losing McKinney will unquestionably hurt the Giants, especially in their secondary, New York made a huge splash this offseason to improve their defense.
The Giants made a blockbuster trade this past March as they traded then signed Pro Bowl pass rusher Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers. Burns has become one of the best linebackers in the NFL since entering the league in 2019. He already has 46 sacks on his ledger. So, the New York Giants should be very happy to have a player like him.
Now with the addition of Burns of the Giants defensive front along with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawerence, that’s a pretty scary defense for an opposing team to face. If those three defensive stars and the rest of the Giants defense play at a high level, they could be one of the reasons why the New York Giants can be postseason-bound in 2024.
Offensive Weapons
When the Giants lost Pro Bowl Running Back Saquon Barkley to their rivals the Philadelphia Eagles, it made many Giants fans sick. Barkley was the Giants first-round selection back in 2018 and became the face of the Giants offense since then. While his loss will be a tough pill to swallow once he steps on the field as an Eagle come Week 1, these offensive players for New York should not go unnoticed.
The Giants have been trying to find their new No. 1 receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. who was the last player on the Giants to have a 1,000-yard season back in 2018. But their first-round draft selection may change all of that when they selected LSU standout Wide Receiver Malik Nabers. Nabers wasn’t just one the best wide receivers in the SEC, but in the country as 2023 was perhaps his best season. He had 89 receptions for over 1,5oo receiving yards and 14 touchdowns which were all career bests.
In addition to Nabers, New York is also expecting big things out of second-year wideout Jalin Hyatt who despite not having any touchdowns during his rookie season, still showed flashes of potentially being a really good wide receiver. With other skill players like wideouts Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, and Isaiah Hodgins, this can be a very underrated and sneaky-good receiving core.
While Barkley leaving will hurt the New York Giants on offense, they also went out to sign Running Back Devin Singletary who despite never having a 1,000-yard rushing season, can still contribute to this offense. Watch out for this offense in 2024. If Daniel Jones can stay healthy, they may be on the rebound for this season.
An Improved Offensive Line
After leading the NFL in sacks allowed last year by a very wide margin with 85, General Manager Joe Schoen knew how important it was to improve the offensive line. Especially after seeing Jones getting sacked at a very high rate which may have resulted in his injuries. With the moves that Schoen has made at the offensive line position, the New York Giants offensive line may see much more improvement.
The New York Giants went out to sign a couple of veteran standout linemen who have shown throughout their careers, that they can be reliable. New York signed Guard Jon Runyan Jr. on a three-year contract who has not missed a game in his career. They also went out and signed Tackle Jermaine Eluemunor from the Las Vegas Raiders on a two-year deal. He is just two years removed from his best NFL season where he started in all 17 games for the Raiders.
If those moves weren’t enough, the New York Giants also recently signed veteran tackle Greg Van Roten. Roten, who also played for the Raiders last season, will be reunited with Giants offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo who was also the Raiders offensive line coach. With the additions of those veteran pieces as well as Pro Bowl Tackle Andrew Thomas, Center John Michael Schmitz Jr. and a hopefully healthy Evan Neal, the New York Giants offensive line should be greatly improved.
