Five Bold Pre-Season Predictions for New York Giants' 2022 Season

Here are five bold, yet not-so-crazy predictions for the Giants' 2022 season.

For years now, the New York Giants have been considered bottom-feeders in the NFL despite being one of the more successful overall franchises in league history. National media expectations are low for the Giants, but that’s more a result of an echo chamber than an accurate projection.

Ahead of head coach Brian Daboll's first run in charge of a team, we came up with some bold predictions for the 2022 Giants that aren't as crazy as they might sound. 

Career-high Passing and Rushing Totals for QB Daniel Jones

Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Quarterback Daniel Jones hasn’t had the easiest start to his career, primarily based on a lack of surrounding talent with play-calling that was not creative or innovative enough to maximize the talent. Jones is not without fault or blame, but the supporting cast has been lacking, both roster-wise and on the coaching staff.

Jones, whose current season-high passing and rushing totals are 3,027 yards in the air (2019) and 423 yards on the ground (2020), cannot do everything Bills quarterback Josh Allen can do. But that won't stop Daboll, the Bills offensive coordinator who helped Allen come of age as a quarterback, from bringing over a very similar offense.

Daboll has said that the Giants offense will look different than what was run in Buffalo, but that is a good thing for Jones’ success. The offense will be more catered towards the needs and strengths of the players currently on the Giants and will change as the roster changes.

Already we've seen a lot of pre-snap motion, quick throws, and concepts that Jones himself contributed through brainstorming sessions with Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.

"There is a constant line of communication between Coach Daboll, Kafka, (quarterbacks coach) Shea (Tierney), me--I think all the quarterbacks," Jones said at the team's mandatory minicamp last week.

"We're always communicating what we like, what we don't like, if we would rather do it out of a certain look or if there is a tweak we want to make."

The priority in this offense should be creating opportunities underneath for Jones to pick up easy completions, given the run-after-catch ability of players like Saquon Barkley, Kadarius Toney, and Wan’Dale Robinson, as well as taking vertical shots downfield to Kenny Golladay.

Jones also doesn’t have the same arm strength or athleticism as Allen, but he doesn’t have to, not in this version of the offense, which looks to have more creativity for Jones as a runner and passer.

The freedom to operate as a runner and the implementation of more designed quarterback runs should also help Jones open up passing windows and better use what is arguably his greatest tool: his legs.

An improved offensive line will also help open up this offense. It's time for Jones to take the next step in his development as a quarterback, and if everyone stays relatively healthy and this offense unfolds as planned, this could be the year Jones finally quiets his critics by posting some career-high numbers.

Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux Wins Defensive Rookie of the Year

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The AP Defensive Rookie of the Year has been a front-seven player in eight of the last ten years, and an edge defender has won the award in four of the previous six.

Enter Giants edge Kayvon Thibodeaux, an early candidate to win this year's award.

After years of hype surrounding the Oregon edge defender, the Giants entered the 2022 NFL Draft and was selected fifth overall. It immediately seemed like a match made in heaven as Thibodeaux will likely get the chance opposite Azeez Ojulari to make life miserable for opposing passers every weekend this fall.

Thibodeaux is an explosive athlete with tremendous bend around the edge and who finishes with the kind of violence you usually only see when watching John Wick. His pass-rush plan needs work, but Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has succeeded in developing productive pass-rushers by improving their technique and scheming them free-rush opportunities with his aggressive defense.

Thibodeaux, who had 47 pressures on just 289 pass-rush snaps in 2021, is expected to become an instant starter in this Giants defense. The ability to line up on either end of the defensive line in a stand-up or hand-in-the-dirt position will give Thibodeaux more opportunities as a defender.

Thibodeaux is fairly reliable in run defense, with enough power to hold his own against blockers and the motor to keep working through traffic.

With his positional versatility, skillset, and pass-rush-friendly defensive scheme, Thibodeaux should be at the top of the list for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, becoming the first Giant defender to win the award since Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1981.

Saquon Barkley Finishes with 2,000 Scrimmage Yards

Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Getting going has been a bit of a struggle for Saquon Barkley since his rookie year when he posted 2,028 scrimmage yards (rushing + receiving) and 15 touchdowns with 5.8 yards per touch. In the three years since he’s totaled just 2,391 yards and 12 touchdowns on 4.8 yards per touch.

Health has been an issue for Barkley, who played all 16 games in his rookie year but has been bit by the injury bug every year since. But the more significant issues that have slowed Barkley down since his stellar rookie season can be attributed to two key areas: offensive play-calling and offensive line play.

In 2018, Barkley was deployed as an inside-out runner that found ways to pick up big yardage. During the 2021 season, Barkley was consistently asked to run directly into the teeth of the defense with little variety in rush direction, making it challenging to keep the defense honest and create opportunities for Barkley to beat defenses to the edge.

During his time in Buffalo, Daboll had no issues mixing up run variety as Bills running backs had a similar number of carries to the outside as they did up the middle. The Bills had a fairly reliable run game (when they ran the ball), and the expectation shouldn’t change for this Daboll-coached team.

As a pass-catcher, Barkley found his stride almost immediately in 2018, as a check-down option and in the screen game. Since then, he hasn’t had the offense drawn up to get the ball in his hands any way possible the same way, and his production has fallen.

Buffalo running backs in 2021 combined for 77 catches, 535 yards, and four touchdowns. Daboll has shown a willingness to get running backs involved in the passing game, despite not having a top-flight explosive running back like Barkley.

Bills running backs also lined up all over the formation, which should be the expectation for Barkley (and has been the case based on the spring showings), who played 59 snaps lined up as a receiver in 2021.

It can’t be overstated how impressive Barkley’s production has been throughout his career so far, given how consistently poor his offensive line has been. Barkley has 2,937 career rushing yards, with 69.8% o them coming after contact.

With an improved offensive line, a coach willing to put Barkley in the best position to succeed, and an expiring contract serving as added motivation, the stage is set for Barkley to have an elite season and a potential long-term commitment from the Giants. 

Azeez Ojulari Finishes with 12+ Sacks

Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Giants haven’t had a player with at least 12 sacks since the 2014 season, when Jason Pierre-Paul had 12.5 sacks. The 2022 season could see that drought come to an end.

As with Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari is a great athlete who should be able to capitalize on the pressure situations that Martindale’s defense can create.

For Ojulari, it might be best to compare his profile in Martindale’s defense to that of Odafe Oweh, the Ravens' first-round pass rusher from last season. Athletically, Ojulari and Oweh are very similar, with a 10-yard split just .01 second apart and a broad jump just over half a foot apart.

As a pass-rusher, Ojulari showed flashes of dominance last season against teams like the Panthers, Dolphins, and Chargers, when he gained 16 of his 42 pressures in those games.

As previously noted, Martindale has proven his ability to develop pass-rushers throughout his career, and few players should benefit from that more than Ojulari, who found success as a pass-rusher in 2021 despite having just a 9.9% win rate.

With a lightning-quick first step, acceleration, technical development, and a defensive scheme that should create free runs into the backfield, Ojulari’s production could take a leap in 2022, making him a double-digit sack artist.

Ojulari will likely benefit from offensive lines having to account for not only Martindale's blitz-heavy schemes but also the talent surrounding Ojulari like Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, and Thibodeaux.

New York Giants Go Playoff Bound

Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Giants haven’t made the playoffs since the 2016 NFL season when they were bounced rather quickly by the Green Bay Packers 38-13 at Lambeau Field in the Wild Card round. Since then, the Giants have gone 22-59, finishing last in the division three times.

Luckily for the Giants, their past doesn’t hurt their chances of making the playoffs in the 2022 season. In fact, it helps the Giants a bit by giving them the fourth easiest schedule in the NFL.

On the flip side of that case, the other three easiest schedules in the NFL belong to the rest of the NFC East. But the most significant difference in that strength of schedule is that the Giants have to face the other NFC East teams, who had better records than the Giants in 2021.

The Giants' schedule works out in their favor in just about every way possible, right down to the timing of the bye week.

With the Giants projected improvements on their roster and a new coaching staff coming in that should be able to find early success, the Giants have an outside chance at making the playoffs in 2022.

   

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