2024 NFL Season Preview: New York Giants

Malik Nabers

New York Giants (Last Year: 6-11)



Season Summary:
The Giants disappointed after their playoff appearance in 2022, beginning at the start of the season when they were blown out by the Cowboys. Daniel Jones regressed, so it remains to be seen if he’ll be the starter in 2024.

2024 NFL Season Preview:

Veteran Additions:
QB Drew Lock, RB Devin Singletary, WR Isaiah McKenzie, OT Jermaine Eluemunor, G Jon Runyan, G Aaron Stinnie, DE Brian Burns, S Jalen Mills.
Early Draft Picks:
WR Malik Nabers, S Tyler Nubin, CB Andru Phillips, TE Theo Johnson. Giants Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
QB Tyrod Taylor, RB Saquon Barkley, WR Parris Campbell, TE Darren Waller, DT A’Shawn Robinson, OLB Isaiah Simmons, S Xavier McKinney.

2024 New York Giants Offense:
Football players and coaches typically don’t like to make excuses, but Daniel Jones never had a fair chance with the Giants, except for perhaps 2022. Jones was always paired with a poor coaching staff, a miserable offensive line and poor receiving talent ever since he was drafted. Making matters worse, he lost Saquon Barkley to a torn ACL during the second week of his sophomore campaign. Barkley wasn’t 100 percent upon his return in 2021, so with that being paired with the awful coaching and talent around him, Jones was set up for failure.

For the first time in Jones’ career, he’ll have a viable No. 1 receiver at his disposal. He’s thrown to the likes of Kenny Golladay, Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, Richie James, Kadarius Toney and Sterling Shepard in the past. Now, he’ll have the dynamic Malik Nabers at his disposal. Some teams ranked Nabers ahead of Marvin Harrison Jr., so it’ll be interesting to see how Jones fares with Nabers as a downfield threat. Wan’Dale Robinson will reprise his role as the team’s slot receiver, while Jalin Hyatt and Slayton will battle for the starting position across from Nabers. Hyatt has terrific speed, but didn’t do anything as a rookie. One of these players will have to pick up the slack with Darren Waller announcing his retirement.

Unfortunately for Jones, there’s lots of reason for pessimism, despite Nabers’ availability. One factor is that Jones is coming off a torn ACL, so he may not be as mobile as he was in the past. A second factor is that Barkley is gone. Barkley signed with the Eagles, so Jones will be missing his dynamic safety valve out of the backfield. The Giants replaced him with Devin Singletary. While Singletary thrived in Houston last year, it’s fair to be skeptical of his chances in 2024 because of New York’s miserable blocking.

And speaking of the miserable blocking, that’s the third reason why Jones may once again fail to live up to expectations. The Giants couldn’t keep pass rushers from flooding the backfield last year, and that is likely to once again be the case in 2024. The front office signed a pair of guards, Jermaine Eluemunor and Jon Runyan. Eluemunor will help, as he’s been solid for the Raiders the past two seasons. However, Runyan was one of the worst starting guards in the NFL last year. They’ll sandwich second-year John Michael Schmitz, a second-round prospect who had a horrible rookie campaign.

Aside from Eluemunor, the lone bright spot on the Giants’ offensive line will continue to be Andrew Thomas, one of the premier left tackles in the NFL. Much was expected from former top-10 pick Evan Neal, but he’s been one of the worst right tackle in the NFL over the past two years. The Giants needed to obtain some competition for him, but failed to do so.



2024 New York Giants Defense:
Though the Giants made the playoffs in 2022, they surrendered 1.6 more points per game than they scored. Their defense had some holes, ranking 18th against the pass and 30th versus the run.

New York’s defense still has some major problems, but the front office was at least proactive in one area. The Giants acquired Brian Burns in a blockbuster deal this spring. Burns is one of the most dynamic edge rushers in the league, so he’ll provide a big upgrade to the Giants’ ability to rush the passer. The Giants already had one excellent pass rusher in Kayvon Thibodeaux (11.5 sacks in 2023), so he and Burns will place an incredible amount of pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

The Giants also possess another talented player in their front seven who can help in that regard. Dexter Lawrence is an elite defensive tackle, capable of stuffing the run and generating a pass rush. The Giants don’t have much else at the position, however, thanks to the Leonard Williams trade last season. Jordan Phillips is the favorite to start next to Lawrence, but he was a huge liability for the Bills in 2023.

An improved pass rush will help the secondary, which needed all the assistance it could get. The Giants lost a key piece in their defensive backfield with Xavier McKinney joining the Packers. McKinney was an excellent safety last year, so he’ll be missed. The Giants used a second-round pick on a replacement, selecting Tyler Nubin. The Minnesota product is an instinctive defensive back, but doesn’t possess McKinney’s athleticism and upside. He’ll start next to Jason Pinnock, who is coming off a mediocre season.

It’s even more bleak at cornerback, as Deonte Banks and Cor’Dale Flott are the projected starters on the outside, while third-round rookie Dru Phillips is expected to handle the slot duties. Banks and Flott struggled mightily last year. It must be noted, however, that they’re both young and will benefit from the enhanced pass rush, but they’re both still likely to be torched often in 2024.

The linebacking corps is in better shape, thanks to Bobby Okereke’s presence. Okereke proved to be a nice signing last offseason, as he thrived in coverage and handled the run well as a three-down player. He’ll start alongside Micah McFadden, a former fifth-round pick who missed far too many tackles in 2023.



2024 New York Giants Schedule and Intangibles:
Graham Gano had an excellent 2022 season for the Giants. He was 29-of-32, which includes 8-of-9 from 50-plus. However, he was just 11-of-17 in 2023, though he hit 3-of-4 tries from beyond 50.

Jamie Gillan didn’t have a good net punting average last year, but did extremely well to pin the opposition inside the 20.

The Giants have plenty of winnable games because they play against the NFC South, the Seahawks, and the Vikings.




2024 New York Giants Rookies:
Go here for the Giants Rookie Forecast, a page with predictions like which rookie will bust and which rookie will become a solid starter.



2024 New York Giants Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):
Quarterbacks
Offensive Line
Secondary
Running Backs
Defensive Line
Special Teams
Receivers
Linebackers
Coaching


2024 New York Giants Analysis: The Giants have some things going for them, namely Malik Nabers, Andrew Thomas, and their fantastic defensive line. However, there are so many holes on the roster. Daniel Jones is coming off a torn ACL and won’t have quality blocking, while the secondary will be torched routinely. New York could finish with the worst record in the conference.

Projection: 4-13 (4th in NFC East)

2023 Projection: 9-8. 2023 Actual Result: 6-11.
2022 Projection: 5-12. 2022 Actual Result: 9-7-1.
2021 Projection: 7-10. 2021 Actual Result: 4-13.
2020 Projection: 11-5. 2020 Actual Result: 6-10.
2019 Projection: 5-11. 2019 Actual Result: 4-12.
2018 Projection: 6-10. 2018 Actual Result: 5-11.
2017 Projection: 7-9. 2017 Actual Result: 3-13. =
2016 Projection: 7-9. 2016 Actual Result: 11-5.

NFL Draft Team Grade:

B- Grade

Goals Entering the 2024 NFL Draft: It would be irresponsible of the Giants to reach for a quarterback at No. 6, given how many needs they have on their roster. It would be Daniel Jones all over again. So, the Giants would be better off bolstering the offensive line and finding upgrades at receiver and running back to give Jones a legitimate chance to succeed.

2024 NFL Draft Accomplishments: There were so many rumors circulating about the Giants trading up for a quarterback, but that never materialized. Instead, they stayed put at No. 6 and landed a No. 1 receiver, which is something they haven’t possessed since the Odell Beckham Jr. days.

While the Giants got off to a great start, their draft fizzled a bit after that. They had just one pick that scored lower than a “C,” but they didn’t have any other “A” picks either. The worst selection was that of Andru Phillips when the pick could have been used on more help for Jones. Despite the Malik Nabers choice, it seems like the Giants didn’t do enough to help Jones.

The Giants eschewed offensive players until their fourth and fifth picks, landing Theo Johnson and Tyrone Tracy. Both project to be solid players, but an earlier pick should have been used on a play-maker or a blocker. I’d say the Giants’ draft was a bit disappointing as a result, but it wasn’t a bad one either.

NFL Draft Individual Grades:


6. Malik Nabers, WR, LSU – A Grade

Malik Nabers could have gone fourth or fifth without any complaints, so the Giants getting him with the sixth pick is an excellent move. The Giants have sorely needed a No. 1 receiver ever since Odell Beckham Jr. was traded, and they finally have one. Nabers will give Daniel Jones a chance for once, though improved blocking is still needed.


47. Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota – B Grade

This is a decent pick by the Giants, selecting the top safety in the class at No. 47. Tyler Nubin is limited athletically, but he’s a sound player who will fill a huge need. The Giants lost Xavier McKinney, so they had to find a replacement.


70. Andru Phillips, CB, Kentucky – D Grade

The Giants needed to continue to bolster their dreadful offense, whether it was via offensive linemen or receivers. I get adding a cornerback, another problematic area, but they could have drafted Andru Phillips later. Phillips was a falling prospect, according to Charlie Campbell’s recent stock report.


107. Theo Johnson, TE, Penn State – B Grade

It sounds like Darren Waller will retire this offseason, so the Giants really needed to find a tight end. Theo Johnson is a solid prospect who makes sense as a fourth-round prospect. This is a solid pick to help Daniel Jones even more.


166. Tyrone Tracy, RB, Purdue – B Grade

Here’s another solid running back pick in the fifth round. Tyrone Tracy was highly productive at Purdue, including as a pass-catcher. The Giants lost a big part of their passing game with Saquon Barkley leaving, so perhaps Tyrone Tracy can take on that role. Running back was an obvious need.


183. Darius Muasau, LB, UCLA – C Grade

We had Darius Muasau as a seventh-rounder or UDFA player. The Giants finding a linebacker makes sense, but I wish they’d find more help for their horrible offense.



Season Summary:
The Giants disappointed after their playoff appearance in 2022, beginning at the start of the season when they were blown out by the Cowboys. Daniel Jones regressed, so it remains to be seen if he’ll be the starter in 2024.






Offseason Moves:
  • Giants acquire DE/OLB Brian Burns from Panthers for 2024 2nd- and 5th-round picks






    Team Needs:
    1. Two Wide Receivers: The Giants had one of the weakest receiving corps in the NFL. Multiple upgrades are needed.

    2. Three Offensive Linemen: If the New York receiving corps wasn’t so terrible, the offensive line would be the No. 1 need. The blocking has been so poor that three new blockers are needed. Right tackle and center were especially poor, but the Giants have young players at those positions. Signed Aaron Stinnie and Jon Runyan

    3. Two Cornerbacks: New York had very weak cornerback play last year. The coaching staff will be hoping that first-round pick Deonte Banks develops.

    4. Quarterback: Daniel Jones has had so many opportunities, and he has disappointed in most instances. The Giants need to find a young quarterback to compete with him. Signed Drew Lock

    5. Defensive Tackle: New York traded away Leonard Williams, so he must be replaced.

    6. Edge Rusher: Kayvon Thibodeaux was an excellent pass rusher last year, but the Giants need another player who can get after the quarterback. Traded for Brian Burns

    7. Running Back: The Giants need to decide what to do with Saquon Barkley, who is a free agent. Signed Devin Singletary

    8. Safety: Xavier McKinney is an impending free agent who will have to be retained or replaced. Signed Jalen Mills




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    2024 NFL Free Agent Signings:





    New York Giants Free Agents:

    Salary Cap: TBA.




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