The Giants’ secondary is officially a mess. General manager Joe Schoen has now dumped James Bradberry and Logan Ryan for nothing but cap space this offseason, turning a strength into a weakness.
But is the secondary now the worst position group on the roster? Let’s break it down and rank them all:
9. Secondary: The Giants lost their best cornerback and two of their top three safeties this offseason, with Jabrill Peppers walking in free agency. The Giants are now left with the injury-prone Adoree’ Jackson as their top corner and no obvious replacement for Bradberry. Aaron Robinson likely gets the first crack at the job, but the Giants could also look for a cheap veteran addition at some point. Safety is also a thin spot. Even if Xavier McKinney takes a big step, there is a sizable drop-off behind him with Julian Love and rookie Dane Belton.
8. Quarterback: This is likely Daniel Jones’ last season. It’s hard to see how he has the type of season that convinces the Giants to invest in him long-term given the talent around him and his own history of injuries and turnovers. Tyrod Taylor is a serviceable backup. They’re just treading water here until Schoen makes a swing for a franchise quarterback next offseason.
7. Tight end: Evan Engram had to go. But the Giants have done little to replace him, which is a scary thought. Ricky Seals-Jones is a decent pickup, but it’s a stretch to believe he will be an impact player. The same goes for Jordan Akins; rookie Daniel Bellinger has obviously yet to prove himself.
6. Running back: Saquon Barkley is never healthy. Matt Breida brings speed but is not an every-down back. After that, there are multiple unproven players who are special teamers at best, including Gary Brightwell and Antonio Williams.
5. Wide receiver. A once-promising room is now marred with uncertainty. Kenny Golladay looks like a colossal free agency bust. Who knows what you’re going to get with Kadarius Toney. Sterling Shepard has struggled with injuries and Darius Slayton will likely be a preseason cut. The four receivers combined for 24 missed games last year. And now second-round draft pick Wan’Dale Robinson — who many thought went a round early — is being thrown into the mix with obvious overlaps between his game and Toney’s.
4. Defensive line. This defensive line didn’t recover from Dalvin Tomlinson’s departure last year and allowed 129 rush yards per game (25th in the NFL). Dexter Lawrence is an average run-stopper and Leonard Williams is overpaid. Losing Austin Johnson in free agency was quietly a tough blow.
3. Offensive line. The offensive line is (hopefully) in a better spot than it’s been for much of the last decade. The Giants figure to have their left tackle of the future in Andrew Thomas, another bookend tackle in first-round pick Evan Neal, and veteran options for the interior. Schoen did a great job addressing the unit early in the offseason instead of right before the regular season (when Dave Gettleman typically decided to trade draft capital for depth scraps).
2. Specialists. Through all the issues, the Giants somehow have one of the most consistent kickers on the planet. Graham Gano converted 60-of-65 field goals combined in his first two seasons. Long snapper Casey Kreiter has also been consistent since joining the team in 2020. The reason the specialists aren’t atop the Giants’ position groups is because of the punting situation. Jamie Gillan is on the roster, but who knows if he will be the guy in 2022.
1. Linebacker. There’s a great deal of potential within this linebacking corps. Blake Martinez can be a solid run-stopper when healthy. Tae Crowder, the 2020 Mr. Irrelevant, has outplayed his contract. Azeez Ojulari underwent a very promising rookie season last year (team-leading 8.0 sacks) and Kayvon Thibodeaux has star-like expectations.
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