The New York Giants were one of the big winners from the 2022 NFL season. Expectations were about as low as possible, even after the team hired Brian Daboll as the new head coach. The roster didn’t have a lot of talent, and there were significant questions surrounding Daniel Jones in the final year of his rookie contract after the Giants declined his fifth-year option for the 2023 campaign. That decision and a new coaching staff felt like the Giants were laying the foundations for a new future quarterback.
As we now know, it didn’t shake out that way. The Giants won nine games and reached the postseason for the first time since 2016. They even managed to win a playoff game, beating the 13-4 Minnesota Vikings before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles – the eventual NFC Champions. That success starts with Brian Daboll and his coaching staff. They built a game plan that accentuated the players’ strengths and emphasized the need to execute their jobs consistently.
On top of that, the Giants were well-drilled and had just 16 giveaways in 2022 – the second-fewest in the NFL behind the Detroit Lions. Jones has never been an interception magnet but has shown an inability to protect the football. However, his 2022 interception rate of 1.1 percent led the league, and he cut his fumbles down significantly. It was a career-best season for Jones that led to him signing a four-year $160 million contract with $92 million guaranteed. That contract might hamper the Giants’ need to build around Jones, but Daboll and the front office obviously feel they have something sustainable on their hands. Building from last season, and proving that it wasn’t a flash in the pan will be tough.
Offense
The story that took hold of the Giants’ offseason was the future of Saquon Barkley. The Giants and Barkley couldn’t agree on a long-term deal before the team franchise-tagged the player. However, Barkley wanted a multi-year contract plus a raise and threatened to hold out. Eventually, the two sides agreed on a one-year deal to bring Barkley back. That’s key for the Giants.
Barkley was electric in 2022 and the fulcrum of the offense, rushing for a career-high 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, while adding 338 receiving yards. The Giants had one of the higher pass rates in the NFL, but Barkley was the big play machine with 18 rushes of over 15 yards, the second-most in the NFL behind Nick Chubb, per PFF. That consistent rushing threat allowed the Giants to attack teams with play-action dropbacks, somewhere where Jones thrives. His completion percentage in play-action was 11.7 percentage points higher than in regular drop back scenarios, and his yards per attempt increased from 6.7 to 7.1.
What limited the Giants’ ceiling on offense might have been a lack of playmakers outside of Barkley. The leading pass catcher on the team in receiving yards was Darius Slayton, while Barkley led the team in catches with 57. The offense needed an elite wide receiver to help elevate the unit. They didn’t quite get it, but the additions of Darren Waller, Parris Campbell, and Jalin Hyatt should help. Much of the offense will still hinge on Jones’ ability to consistently execute his role while continuing to limit turnovers.
One to watch: Parris Campbell
Defense
The advanced numbers will tell you that the Giants defense wasn’t very good in 2022. They were 29th in DVOA and 28th in EPA per play, but allowed just 21.8 points per game. On paper, the Giants have some studs on defense. Dexter Lawrence is one of the best nose tackles in the NFL, and the pass-rushing duo of Azeez Ojulari and Kayvon Thibodeaux has some nice juice, though they’ll likely need to up their production in 2023.
The Giants hired Wink Martindale as their defensive coordinator in 2022, and if you know Martindale’s philosophy, you’ll know what’s next. The Giants blitzed on 50.8 percent of the passing plays they faced in 2022, which, as you’d expect, is the most in the league by a comfortable margin. Along with the blitzing, the Giants ran Cover-1 at the highest rate in the league. It’s all about man coverage and getting the blitzers home. It didn’t work quite as well as planned, but again, the Giants had a talent deficiency on both sides of the ball. Man blitz concepts require cornerbacks to hold their own in 1v1 situations.
In terms of what the Giants will run, there shouldn’t be too much change from last season. They added Bobby Okereke in free agency, and he’ll suitably patrol the middle of the field, but another pass rusher on the edge could really help this team. They missed out on the chance to sign Justin Houston and Yannick Ngakoue as both players went to edge-needy teams, but that remains a need. Will the defense be better despite a tougher schedule in 2023? Time will tell.
One to watch: Cor’Dale Flott
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tavalentinesport
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