The New York Giants are heading toward the 2020 season with question marks all over the roster. Improvement is always a priority, but guaranteeing it is impossible. General manager Dave Gettleman allocated ample resources toward bolstering the offense of line, the defense, and bringing in an entirely new coaching staff.
On paper, it seems as if the team has taken a step forward, but development comes with its problems. The secondary ranked as one of the worst in the NFL last season, but with a year of experience under their belt, adding James Bradberry and Xavier McKinney, we can expect the group to improve their production and efficiency.
Ultimately, the Giants and Dave Gettleman need to see an improvement next season. Gettleman is on his last leg, and if the team fails to compete and show a desire to win, he will likely be out of a job.
1.) Daniel Jones needs to improve
Jones had a solid rookie season, posting 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He showed above-average accuracy in the intermediate/short passing game but did have his fair share of struggles along the way.
Fumbles remain a major issue, as he fumbled 18 times, losing 11 of them in 2019. Jason Garrett will bring a much more detailed offense to the Giants, featuring plenty of 12 personnel and pre-snap motions. Jones will have to learn a ton in a short amount of time, but the offense has the talent to succeed moving forward. If Jones can improve and utilize his playmakers appropriately, he could be a significant reason Gettleman retains his job in the future.
2.) Saquon Barkley must have a stellar 2020 season
The decision to draft Barkley with the second overall pick in 2018 will forever be stamped across Gettleman’s career. Last season, Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain, which limited to him to 13 games and just barely breached 1,000 rushing yards. His touchdown totals were cut in half, and his overall production was down exponentially. Nonetheless, Barkley is a fantastic player and human being, who has the potential to be an All-Pro with ease. The improvement of the offensive line is a factor he heavily relies on, but he showed that he could do it with an adequate one during his rookie season. If he can remain healthy and Garrett game plans around him, Barkley could have a monster season in 2020.
3.) The defensive must take a step forward
The defense ranked 30th and overall efficiency last season, and if you watched the majority of Giants games, you know that they gave up plenty of first possession touchdowns and blew multiple games in the fourth quarter. Overall, their lack of experience hurt them significantly. The secondary was raw and undeveloped, and the pass rush was nonexistent at times. The Giants signed Bradberry, Blake Martinez, Kyler Fackrell, and placed a free agent tender on Markus Golden to help shore up the pass rusher unit. The secondary should be improved with the addition of Xavier McKinney and a year of experience for players like Julian Love, Corey Ballentine, DeAndre Baker, and Sam Beal.
The Giants are relying heavily on the interior defensive line, consisting of Leonard Williams, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Dexter Lawrence. This trio is expected to put interior pressure on opposing quarterbacks and stop the run at a high-level. If they can do those things well, the rest of the defense should see an uptick in production.
4.) The offensive line must see growth
Gettleman made it his priority to solve the offensive line once and for all this off-season. He drafted Andrew Thomas to take over at left tackle and Matt Peart out of UConn to develop into the Giants’ starting right tackle hopefully.
If Dave, in fact, landed two starting tackles in one draft, it will be a game-changing success and a job-saving move. The line has struggled immensely in recent years, but moving Nate Solder away from Jones’ blindside will be significant and help him develop without any setbacks. Having a poor left tackle can be destructive for the progression of young quarterbacks — Solder allowed 11 sacks in 2019, which ranked as the worst number in the league. If Thomas can bring a bit more efficiency to the position, Jones should feel the benefits immediately.
This post was published on 2020-06-23 07:30
