Giants Offense Earns Low Post-draft Ranking from B/R

Despite the off-season additions made by Giants general manager Joe Schoen, B/R is not bullish on the Giants' offense.

From left: Giants COO John Mara, GM Joe Schoen, and head coach Brian Daboll / Kevin R. Wexler / USA TODAY NETWORK

When it comes to the New York Giants, the more things change, the more things seem to stay the same as far as some are concerned.

The Giants, who finished with the league’s 29th-ranked offense last season (280 yards per game), apparently haven’t done enough to warrant a higher post-draft ranking from Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine, who, in his look at all 32 NFL offenses, has the Giants ranked 30th, behind the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers.

Ballentine, who correctly notes that the Giants' offense was among the least productive last season, mentions the loss of running back Saquon Barkley via free agency for not holding out hope for a better attack in 2024.

He then notes that while quarterback Daniel Jones will be back from a torn ACL, his return “is not necessarily a huge upgrade.” He concludes that the Giants did make some moves that put them in a position to get better, but the moves “might take a year.”

Yes, injuries were a big part of the Giants’ problems last season—the team not only lost Jones for a chunk of games but also other key offensive players, including Barkley, left tackle Andrew Thomas, center John Michael Schmitz, tight end Darren Waller, and right tackle Evan Neal.

Those losses may have forced offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and head coach Brian Daboll to adjust on the fly, even to the point of having to scrap some of what they might have wanted to do had they had a healthier group with which to work.

The loss of Barkley, who missed three games with a high ankle sprain, hurt the running game. The Giants, who finished 16th in the rushing game (110.2 yards per game), averaged 108.6 rushing yards with Barkley in the lineup and 75.3 without him.

But it’s also worth noting that within that three-game stretch in which Barkley was sidelined, the Giants faced two top-10 run defenses, San Francisco (89.7 yards/game, third) and Miami (97.1 yards/game, seventh).

But since Giants general manager Joe Schoen didn’t believe it a worthwhile investment to re-sign Barkley for the $12+ million APY he ultimately got from the Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants finally converted filly to a committee approach expected to be headed by Devin Singletary.

Singletary, who is not a high-volume back, has led every team he’s been on in rushing and is also a decent enough receiver out of the backfield.

Combining Singletary, who will be the lead back in the committee, with Eric Gray, Tracy, and one other running back from Jashaun Corbin, Gary Brightwell, and Dante Miller should give the Giants some additional options in their running game that maybe weren’t always there when there was a higher reliance on Barkley.

The biggest difference the team is hoping for is the offensive line's play, which, according to Pro Football Focus metrics, ranked 30th last season.

The offensive line was credited with allowing 40 of the team's 85 total sacks. It was also fourth overall in total pressures allowed (244), second in hurries (184), and third in sacks (the offensive line was credited with allowing 40 of the team’s 85 total sacks).

With better protection up front, the hope is for Jones, who looked like he had finally turned the corner in 2022, to resemble more of that version of himself than the “Deer in the headlights” version he was last year before his season was cut short.

If there is one point that Ballentine makes that everyone can agree with, it is that young players like offensive tackle Evan Neal and receivers Jalin Hyatt and Wan’Dale Robinson need to continue growing into their roles as NFL players.

Neal had a rocky sophomore campaign cut short due to an ankle injury. He’s allowed 81 pressures  (843 pass-blocking snaps) in two seasons, an overall 94.2 pass-blocking efficiency (PBE) rating.

Of his total pressures allowed, 59 have come in true pass sets, lowering his PBE rating to an unimpressive 90.4.

Robinson got out of the gate slowly as he was in the final stages of rehab from a torn ACL from the previous year, but he showed quite a bit of promise working out of the slot, where he spent 78.2 percent of his snaps.

He improved in contested catches (80 percent) and forced 11 missed tackles, but he can still improve his dropped passes, of which he had three in 2023, one more than last season.  

Hyatt flashed in the preseason and was targeted 40 times, catching 23 (57.3 percent) for 373 yards and zero touchdowns.

He managed just 53 yards after the catch and posted four dropped balls and only one missed forced tackle, his NFL target rating a disappointing 68.0.

But it’s hoped that after being brought along slowly by the coaches last season, he’ll be ready to take that next step forward in his development in the coming year.

The Giants, who aspired to be more of a vertical threat on offense last season, appear to have the pieces to fulfill that goal with the additions of first-round receiver Malik Nabers, fourth-round tight end  Theo Johnson, and fifth-found running back Tyrone Tracy, Jr.

An improved offensive line (at least on paper) should help, as could the very likely possibility of head coach Brian Daboll taking over the play-calling, which appears to be the direction the Giants’ offense is headed.

How quickly the new faces can merge with the returning ones will determine whether the Giants head upward in the rankings or sink even further.

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