The New York Giants are in a lost season and the dream of making the playoffs is pretty much out of the picture. As they play out their final seven games of the season, a close eye will be kept on the Giants’ younger players as they evaluate who could be a long-term contributor or foundational building block entering the offseason.
Cor’Dale Flott could be the man in the slot
The Giants’ secondary is thin and headlined by young talents who are aiming to establish themselves as quality starters. Among that group is second-year cornerback Cor’Dale Flott.
Flott has impressed this season, making the most of his opportunities on the field. He had an interception on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys and has fared well in the slot this season, recording four pass breakups and surrendering a 61.3% completion rate.
The main hurdle for Flott to jump is his health. He is frequently on the injury report and struggles to stay healthy. Flott is currently dealing with a shoulder injury but will need to return to the field as soon as possible to continue his impressive second-season campaign.
If Flott can get healthy and finish the season on a high note, he could establish himself as the projected starter in the nickel for next season.
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Is this Azeez Ojulari’s last chance?
This season has been one to forget for most Giants players, but especially so for third-year edge rusher Azeez Ojulari. After missing 10 games with injuries last season, Ojulari has once again failed to stay healthy, appearing in just four games through the first 10 weeks of this season.
Ojulari has yet to record a sack this season and has only totaled three combined tackles. Entering the season, Ojulari was the starting edge rusher opposite Kayvon Thibodeaux, expected to take a big step forward if he could stay healthy.
With seven games left to play this season, Ojulari will need to show up in the stat sheet, stay healthy, and make an impact if he wants to be viewed as a starting-caliber player heading into next season.
Is Tommy DeVito developing into the Giants’ long-term QB2?
With Daniel Jones out for the year and Tyrod Taylor sidelined for an extended period of time, third-string QB Tommy DeVito has taken over as the starter. DeVito, an undrafted rookie, has earned his playing time after an impressive preseason campaign and a few solid performances as a fill-in this season.
The future of the Giants’ quarterback position is shrouded in mystery as they could possibly be in the market for a new long-term starter this offseason. The backup position could also come into question as Taylor, a 34-year-old, 13th-year player, is set to become a free agent in the offseason.
DeVito could look at these next few games as the team’s starter as an audition to become the Giants’ long-term backup quarterback. If he can prove to be a quality player, Big Blue may want to keep DeVito around next season and continue developing him as their backup signal-caller.
