Last Year: 

Record: 6-10

Offense: 372,3YPG (8th), 26.3 PPG (6th)

Defense: 420.3 YPG (32nd), 27.6 (30th)

The Giants were an elite offensive team in 2015, putting up over 26 points per game with 1 of the most explosive passing attacks in the league. Yet they only won 6 games. Why? They had 1 of the worst defenses in the history of the NFL and the worst defense in the history of the Giants franchise. It was an absolute joke. They struggled at all 3 levels on the defense and no matter how well the offense played the majority of the year they just couldn’t overcome the handicap that was their defense.

Offseason: 

Key Acquisitions: DE. Olivier Vernon, DT. Damon Harrison, CB. Janoris Jenkins, LB. Kennan Robinson,

Key Losses: OG. Geoff Schwartz, WR. Ruben Randle, CB. Prince Amukamara, S. Brandon Meriweather, DT. Cullen Jenkins

2016 Draft Picks

2016 Outlook

Coaching Staff

HC: Ben McAdoo

OC: Mike Sullivan’

DC: Steve Spagnulo

ST: Tom Quinn

Projected Depth Chart

Offense

QB. Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib

RB. Rashad Jennings, Paul Perkins, Shane Vereen

FB. Nikita Whitlock

WR. Odell Beckham Jr, Dwayne Harris

WR. Sterling Shepard, Geremy Davis

WR. Victor Cruz

TE. Will Tye, Larry Donnell

LT. Ereck Flowers, Brett Jones

LG. Justin Push, Dillon Farrell

C. Weston Richburg, Adam Gettis

RG. John Jerry, Shane McDermott

RT. Marshall Newhouse, Bobby Hart

Defense

DE. Oliver Vernon, Owamagbe Odighizuwa

DT. Jonathan Hankins, Jay Bromley

DT. Damon Harrison, Louis Nix III

DE. Jason Pierre-Paul, Kerry Wynn

OLB. Devon Kennard, Kelvin Sheppard

MLB. Kennan Robinson, Jasper Brinkley

OLB. Jonthan Casillas, JT Thomas

CB. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Leon McFadden

SS. Darian Thompson, Cooper Taylor

FS. Landon Collins, Mykkele Thompson

CB. Janonris Jenkins, Bennett Jackson

NB. Eli Apple

Special Teams

K. Josh Brown

P. Brad Wing

Breakdown

Offense: 

Offensively, I expect the Giants to do what they did last year and that’s put up points and lots of them. Eli Manning might never be Peyton, but he’s pretty good in his own right and with all of the talent around him, I expect him to throw for over 4,500 yards and nearly 30 TDs. However, I also expect interceptions. In the backfield, the Giants are loaded with options at RB. Incumbent starter Rashad Jennings will most likely be the day 1 starter. But rookie Paul Perkins is very shifty and explosive with the ball in his hands and the all-around talents of Shane Vereen are sure to get him snaps. At receiver, Odell Beckham Jr. is 1 of the top 5 receivers in football, but this season he might have more help. The hope is that finally Victor Cruz will be ready to play. Even if he isn’t, 2nd-round pick Sterling Shepard was 1 of the best receiving prospects in the draft and I expect him to have a good season. The Giants have 2 starting-caliber tight ends in Tye and Donnell. Donnell wasn’t playing badly last season as the starter, but he suffered a season-ending neck injury in week 8. After Tye took over and the rookie looked more effective, making him the favorite to keep the starting spot in 2016. We know the Giants have a lot of good skill players and a 2-time Super Bowl-winning QB. But what about the offensive line? The 1 lone weakness of the New York Giants on offense is their offensive line. Flowers has a lot of potential and most likely will get better but he really struggled in pass pro as a rookie last season. Newhouse wasn’t any better at RT either and that was 1 of the positions most experts felt the team needed to address in the offseason but they did not. The interior of the Giants line is a lot stronger led by center Weston Richburg who is going to be a future pro bowler in the NFL. LG Justin Pugh is really good at LG as well. RG could be an issue. John Jerry, who was a backup last year, is gonna be stepping into that role. If Flowers improves in his 2nd year, the Giants should be a lot better but if not, despite the efforts of Richburg and Pugh the Giants will struggle on the offensive line.

Defense: 

Defensively, the Giants are going to be A LOT better. Now is that because they are going to be very good? No, it’s simply because it’s hard to be much worse than they were in 2015. The Giants spent a ton of money in the offseason on free agents and all of it was on the defensive side of the ball. It all starts up front for the Giants where they could possibly have the best front 4 in the NFL. Oliver Vernon was a breakout star in 2015 and if he can maintain that level of play and Pierre-Paul returns to form after his hand injury, the Giants pass rush could resemble that of their past defenses. In the interior they have 2 of the best run stopping DTs in the game in Harrison and Hankins. Sure they have 1 of the weakest linebacking corps in the league but the best way to cover that up is with big boys in the middle that require double teams to help free those guys up. Speaking of the Giants LBs, it’s going to be another year of piecing together veterans and castaways to start without 1 single impact player on the roster. Kennard has the most potential of the group, Robinson is probably the most reliable and Casillas is their best coverage LB but there simply is no guy in this group that is a true difference maker. In the secondary, the Giants have to be better and the addition of Janoris Jenkins certainly helps with that. They also drafted Eli Apple in the 1st round and now with him, Jenkins, and Rodgers-Cromartie they look very formidable at corner. The safety position, however, is another story. Landon Collins doesn’t look like he’s ever going to be the star safety some thought he could be coming out of Alabama and at SS, they have to choose between former 5th-round pick and career backup Cooper Taylor or 3rd-round rookie Darian Thompson. I believe the latter wins the job, but how good could can he really be as a rookie? As I said, the Giants will certainly better than they were last year on defense, but even with a potential lethal defensive line and strong CB play the lack of playmakers at LB and safety worry me and I think the Giants finish just outside the top 20 as a defense in 2016.