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Five strengths for the New York Giants in 2023

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The New York Giants had one of their most successful seasons in recent years in 2022, making it back to the playoffs for the first time in six years. The Giants also captured their first playoff victory since the 2011 Super Bowl and recorded their first winning season since 2016.

It is easy to say a good amount of success happened for New York last year, but the 2022 season is in the rearview mirror. It’s now time to focus on and analyze the upcoming 2023 season.

The team here at Jersey Sporting News has already broken down five weaknesses for the New York Football Giants heading into year two of the Schoen-Daboll regime, so it’s only fair that we highlight the positives as well.

With a ton of newcomers to New York as well as key pieces making their return the Giants are looking to use guys that are smart, tough and dependable to make another playoff run. 

The energy is at all time highs in the building and the anticipation from those inside and outside of the organization is through the roof. 

Without further ado, lets breakdown five strengths for the Giants heading into the 2023 season. 

Coaching Staff

The Giants haven’t had a consistent coaching staff in years with both the head coach and offensive/defensive coordinators being rotated like a revolving door. This upcoming season is different from the past few for the Giants, as they have the same head coach and offensive and defensive coordinators for the second year in a row.

This familiarity for the Giants is going to help the team develop and prosper more in the offense and defensive motions and sets, something Big Blue hasn’t been able to grow into with all the change.

Giants First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence had positive comments at OTA’s regarding the return of Wink Martindale as Big Blue’s Defensive Coordinator. 

“I'm excited to have the second year with Wink, that's my guy. It's good to continue to not change it up again but to just grow everyone and is more comfortable out here in OTAs. Last year, it was like -- but now everybody knows what to call, when to call it, and it looks fluent.” - Dexter Lawrence

As for head coach Brian Daboll, he is different from other coaches. He shows his emotions on both good and bad days and provides plenty of energy to the team. The general feeling from the players is that they are all for Daboll and love what he has done for the team. 

Star offensive tackle Andrew Thomas is one of the players who really values the vibe and attitude Daboll brings to the field.

“I would say he has energy whether we’re doing good or doing bad,” said Thomas. “If there’s something that he needs to fix, he’s going to be by that and let you know. If we make a good play, he’s going to have the same energy and uplift us. I think he’s an emotional coach and that’s just how he is, but we appreciate it.” - Andrew Thomas

Another player that treasures Daboll’s personality is Giants' ex-safety Julian Love. Love referred to Daboll as “a breath of fresh air” when compared to the previous coaching staffs he has been coached by in New York. 

In addition to the personality difference from Daboll and past head coaches for the Giants, Daboll loves to hear input and feedback from players. Something that's not common in Giants coaching history or the league.

To complete the coaching trio with Daboll, Wink Martindale and Mike Kafka not only brings familiarity to the table for Big Blue, but also success. They were able to put the G-Men on the playoff stage for the first time since 2016 and generate their first playoff win since the 2011 Super Bowl Victory.

Daboll even received accolades for what he has done in New York in such a short time earning the 2022 AP Coach of the Year. 

On top of all the success and normality, all three coaches know how to get guys committed to the process and give 100% and then some all the time. The coaches have built an environment that players want to be a part of and created a team that wants to support one another. 

Giants legend Eli Manning has taken notice of the positive shift in the building since Daboll has taken over, “He seems to have a great attitude. He’s come in and changed the chemistry and atmosphere and the morale of this organization.”

This newly created environment can partly be attributed to the coaches willingness to have good relationships and moments with the players. For instance when Daboll has been seen dancing with the players in the locker room after several victories this past season. 

Between the positive and competitive environment along with the familiarity that Daboll and his staff have created and encouraged, one has to be excited about what year two has in store for individual players and the team as a whole. 

Defensive Line

The Giants had one of the most aggressive and versatile defenses in the league last year. Whether the ball was in the air or on the ground defensive coordinator Wink Martindale always tried to keep opposing teams guessing.

Big Blue ranked 12th in the league against the pass, right in the middle in total yards surrendered but were 26th against the run. While that ranking against the run may seem like an eyesore, it must be noted that Wink's MO was to force opposing teams to run the ball by limiting their pass attacks. 

Aside from the stats, when you watch the Giants play you can see a difference from 2021 to 2022 in how hungry and aggressive the whole defense line was. They were operating on an “attack” mindset that Wink instilled, that made offensives adapt to them and not the other way around. 

Being the front line of this gritty defense in 2022 was Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams, and both will be doing the same in 2023, as Lawrence signed a four-year, $90 million contract extension with the Giants. 

A huge get back for Big Blue as Dexter recorded 7.5 sacks, 68 combined tackles (35 solo, 33 assisted), seven tackles for loss, 28 QB hits, two forced fumbles and three passes defended in 2022 (regular season, 16 games).

Dexter also received accolades for his stellar year, including AP First Team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl selection. Dexter was truly a force to be reckoned with all season long.

Williams, who has one year left on his contract for New York, recorded 2.5 sacks, 45 combined tackles (26 solo, 19 assisted), five tackles for loss, 12 QB hits, one forced fumble and two fumbles recovered in 2022 (regular season, 12 games).

Williams, also known as “Big Cat”, struggled to stay healthy during the 2022 season with neck injuries. Hopefully he can get it figured out in the offseason and won’t have to miss games next season.

The one-two punch for New York is a nightmare for opposing offensive lineman. Williams and Lawrence both create great opportunities for the Giants as well as get the job done. Their presence when healthy is what fuels the success of the Giants defense.

Without Williams and Lawrence’s skill and vision on the field Big Blue wouldn’t be able to be as aggressive as they are. The Giants wouldn’t be able to blitz, rush or force the run nearly as much as they do if they didn’t have these two up front. 

The return of both Williams and Lawrence is one that opposing offensive lineman, quarterbacks and running backs aren’t excited about. 

Linebacker Depth

The linebacker room for New York has been missing their Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks type of star for quite some time. With no one player truly shining for Big Blue, the linebacker spot has been a weakness over the past few years.

When the Giants signed Blake Martinez back in 2020 to a three-year, $30 million deal, the G-Men thought they finally found someone to take over and be a head figure for that position. The Giants were hoping that Martinez would continue the production and success that he had in Green Bay.

The Giants hoped right, as Martinez in 2020 played and started 16 games and recorded 151 tackles (86 solo, 65 assisted), nine tackles for loss, six QB hits, three sacks, two forced fumbles, five passes deflected and one interception. He produced and excelled all season long.

However, Martinez suffered a season ending ACL injury in 2021 after only three games, which led to Martinez’s release in 2022. Following this move, the Giants didn’t find anyone to replace him or his production. The Giants were left to fill the spot with rookies and solid players, but no veteran stars.

One of the rookies was the Giants fifth overall draft pick in 2022, Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Giants drafted Kayvon with the hope that he would become their next star, and during the 2022 season Kayvon showed flashes of that, but also had his ups and downs. Ultimately, Kayvon got better as the season went on and finished strong. 

Thibodeaux played and started 14 games and recorded 49 tackles (33 solo, 16 assisted), six tackles for loss, three QB hits, four sacks, two forced fumbles, five passes deflected and one touchdown. A solid rookie year from the University of Oregon standout. 

Another rookie Big Blue brought in from the 2022 draft was Micah McFadden. McFadden didn’t have as big of a role on the team as Kayvon, but he still got meaningful reps. McFadden played in 17 games and started seven and recorded 59 tackles (36 solo, 23 assisted), six tackles for loss, two QB hits, one forced fumble and two sacks.

As for the Giants solid players, they had Oshane Ximines (OLB), Jihad Ward (OLB), Azeez Ojulari (OLB), Jaylon Smith (LB) and Tae Crowder (LB) headlining the names. This group as a whole put up decent numbers, but no one player was producing standout numbers.

Player Games Games Started INT TD PD FF FR Sacks Total Tackles Solo tackles Assisted tackles Tackles for loss QB hits
Ximines 15 4 0 0 2 1 1 2.0 24 15 9 3 8
Ward 17 11 0 0 4 2 0 3.0 43 28 15 7 13
Ojulari 7 5 0 0 1 3 1 5.5 14 9 5 3 7
Smith 13 11 0 0 0 0 1 1.0 88 46 42 3 2
Crowder 13 8 0 0 1 1 0 1.0 45 26 19 3 2

In the offseason the Giants knew they had to find a veteran to lead the linebacker room and went to work. Soon enough they found their guy in Bobby Okereke, the Indianapolis Colts standout linebacker. 

Okereke was drafted in the third round with the 26th pick in the 2019 Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Over his four years in the league he has only gotten better, with almost all of his stats seeing an increase year to year. 

In 2022 Okereke played 17 games and started 16 and recorded 151 total tackles (99 solo and 52 assisted), six tackles for loss, five pass deflected, two forced fumbles and two fumbles recovered.

If you don’t recognize Okereke from casually watching the game, then you might remember (especially Giants fans) Okereke for his near beheading hit of Daniel Jones in the Giants vs Colts matchup on New Year’s Day. 

A gruesome hit that Jones and Okereke will both want to forget and move on as they both share the same jersey now…thankfully. Okereke will be in New York for the near future as he signed a four-year, $40 million contract.

Along with Okereke, the Giants have another addition joining the linebacker room, Darrian Beavers. While Beavers was drafted back in 2022 by the Giants in the sixth round, Beavers never saw the field this past year, as he went down with a season ending injury (ACL). 

This upcoming season is going to be a big year for Beavers as he has a chance to get meaningful reps and potentially fight for a starting spot. The hype built around Beavers is still there, the only doubt is if he can get back to the player he was pre injury.

The Giants have a lot of options compared to years past when thinking about their linebacker room. On top of that they have league experience and newbies, a combination that should serve them well this season.

New York Giants Linebackers

Below are the guys listed on the 2023 roster as linebackers/outside linebackers as of July. 

  • Jihad Ward (WLB)
  • Oshane Ximines (SLB)
  • Kayvon Thibodeaux (WLB)
  • Elerson Smith (SLB)
  • Azeez Ojulari (SLB)
  • Tomon Fox (WLB)
  • Bobby Okereke (LILB)
  • Dyontae Johnson (LILB)
  • Jarrad Davis (RILB)
  • Carter Coughlin (LILB)
  • Cam Brown (RILB)
  • Darrian Beavers (RILB)
  • Troy Brown (LILB)
  • Micah McFadden (RILB)

When taking a look at all the options for the linebacker position ESPN has come up with a projected starter to fourth string lineup for Weakside Linebacker (WLB), Left Inside Linebacker (LILB), Right Inside Linebacker (RILB), and Strongside Linebacker (SLB).

Position Starter Second Third Fourth
WLB Thibodeaux Ward Fox N/A
LILB Okereke Coughlin T. Brown Johnson
RILB Beavers Davis McFadden C. Brown
SLB Ojulari Ximines Smith N/A

Wide Receiver Depth

The Giants were known to have very limited receiving options this past season thanks to the team wide injury pandemic. The injuries were like a carousel for New York, one player would get healthy and get back on the field and then another would go down and take his spot. 

The Giants just couldn’t seem to escape it, and the one position group hit the hardest on the team seemed to be the wide receivers. Big players for New York, like Sterling Shepard (ACL), and Wan’Dale Robinson (ACL), were some of the victims of season ending injuries early on in the year.

Another injury that wasn’t year ending but was still detrimental was the “injury” to Kadarius Toney. Toney had been dealing with a hamstring injury for quite some time during the 2022 season, resulting in him only appearing in two games before he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.

As soon as Toney appeared in Kansas City it was like he never had an injury at all, leaving many with speculation on what was really going on. At the end of the day it didn’t matter, as the trade benefited New York in the long run with the draft picks and offseason pickup they got from the trade.

If the injuries to Shepard and Robinson and the Toney trade never happened, then a very important pickup for the Giants wouldn’t have found its way to New York. That pickup was Isaiah Hodgins, who was taken off of claims from Daboll’s former team, the Buffalo Bills. 

Hodgins was a lifesaver for the G-Men when he arrived in New York midseason. Hodgins in eight games played and five games started, recorded 33 receptions (42 targets) for 351 yards and four touchdowns. 

His production really saved a receiving group that was slowly drowning as the season went on and his presence gave QB Daniel Jones a go to man when a play needed to be made.

The Giants currently don’t have a number one receiver labeled, but they do have great depth for spots 2-6. Players like Darius Slayton, David Sills and Richie James proved to be very critical pieces this past season with all the injuries. All three players put up decent stats and showed the Giants that they can make plays.

Player Games Played Games Started Targets Receiving Yards TD First Downs
Slayton 16 11 71 46 724 2 30
Sills 13 5 17 11 106 0 7
James 17 4 70 57 569 4 29

The G-Men also had another receiver named Kenny Golladay on the roster, which was a waste of money and time. Golladay did not perform nearly as well as he should have considering how much he was getting paid. 

Golladay in 2022 played in 12 games with four starts and recorded six receptions (17 targets), 81 yards, one touchdown and four first downs. Thankfully, what comes around goes around as Golladay was released from the Giants back in March. 

The team can now move on from previous General Manager Dave Gettleman’s mistake and replace Golladay’s spot with a producing receiver.

The Giants did not take long in filling the spot, as they signed Parris Campbell to a one year (up to) $6.7 million deal. Campbell was a member of the Indianapolis Colts last year, where he played in 17 games and started 16 and recorded 63 receptions (91 targets), 623 yards, three touchdowns and 32 first downs. A great stat line considering the team and offense he played on.

The G-Men also added more talent in the draft, with their big pick of Jalin Hyatt in the second round. Hyatt was a star at Tennessee in his junior season, recording 67 catches for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns. Hyatt averaged 18.9 yards per reception as well as 105.6 yards per game. 

Hyatt’s performance earned him the national honor of the 2022 Biletnikoff Award Winner (college football's most explosive playmaker) and First Team All America. 

Big Blue also picked up a rookie free agent named Bryce Ford-Wheaton from West Virginia. Ford-Wheaton in his senior year played in 12 games with 62 receptions for 675 yards and seven touchdowns. A solid pickup for the G-Men post draft, that has the potential to be impactful.

With all the additions and the departures from the wide receiver room, it is hard to build a cohesive and connected group. However, for the Giants more is better when talking about receivers on the roster. Veteran receiver Sterling Shepard is one of the players that “loves” the added depth to the receiver room.

“Yeah, it's probably the biggest receiver group I've been a part of since I've been here but that's what we wanted to bring in. We wanted to bring in competition. Some guys run from competition and some people don't. We're definitely going to see what we have because we have a lot of guys that can play some good ball. I love the fact that we added more playmakers. It's not just on one person to make all the plays. We've got a lot of guys that can do it”  - Sterling Shepard

Quarterback Daniel Jones is another player that is excited for the depth and the mixture between rookies and veterans in the wide receiver group. 

“I do, yeah. I think those guys have done a great job. The guys who have been around, who've made a lot of plays in the past and the new guys we've brought in. I think we have a wide variety of skill sets and ability and guys who can do different things. It's been a lot of fun to work with. A lot of true pros in the room that come to work every day, and you know, ready to take care of business and do what we've got to do to win.” - Daniel Jones

New York Giants 2023 Wide Receivers 

It is hard to keep track of all the movement in the wide receiver room, so to make it easy, here are two charts with all the additions and departures from New York as of July 2023.

Departures name Reason
Richie James Signed with Chiefs
Marcus Johnson Not resigned
Kenny Golladay Released

 

Additions name Previous Team/College
Jeff Smith New York Jets
Makai Polk Giants practice squad
Kalil Pimpleton Giants practice squad
Jaydon Mickens Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jalin Hyatt 2023 Draft - Tennessee
Bryce Ford-Wheaton 2023 Draft - West Virginia
Parris Campbell Indianapolis Colts
Jamison Crowder Buffalo Bills
Troy Brown New England Patriots

On top of the newest additions to the receiver room, the Giants also have Collin Johnson (Achillies), Sterling Shepard (ACL) and Wan’Dale Robinson (ACL) returning from injury. 

When taking a look at all the Giants options for wide receivers they can play a lot of different people in different ways. ESPN came up with one projected lineup and depth chart for the Giants from starter to fourth string for this upcoming season.

Starter Second Third Fourth
Isaiah Hodgins Jalin Hyatt Jeff Smith Kalil Pimpleton
Darius Slayton Wan’Dale Robinson Collin Johnson Makai Polk
Parris Campbell Sterling Shepard Lawrence Cager Chris Myarick

 

The Giants currently have 15 wide receivers listed on the roster heading into training camp this year, compared to a mere nine at the end of last season (including Toney). 

The Giants, Daboll and Daniel Jones couldn’t be more thrilled to have the amount of depth at the receiver position that they do. The mixture of returners, veterans and newbies will be great for an offense that is ready to explode this coming season.

On top of that Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka will have a lot of fun this season with the different routes and plays he can run. The biggest advantage, besides depth, for Kafka is the speed this group offers. Don’t be surprised if you see the Giants throwing more deep balls this year. 

Darren Waller

General Manager Joe Schoen didn’t just build a completely different wide receiver room for the Giants, he brought in a huge missing piece for New York to complement it. 

Darren Waller had to be one of the biggest offseason gets for the Giants since Blake Martinez was brought in back in 2020. The 6’6 255 lb. monster is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the NFC East.

The Giants newest tight end recorded 28 receptions for three touchdowns and 388 yards in just nine games with the Las Vegas Raiders last season. Waller is currently ranked the fourth best tight end in the league by Sports Illustrated.

Big Blue hasn’t had a solid tight end since arguably Evan Engram, and even Engram wasn’t that great, so having a tight end that is as big as Waller and as strong as Waller is huge for the Giants.

Waller can block, run and catch, something that the Giants will love in their new revamped offense. Waller is going to be a huge piece in the Giants offense production, being just as important as WR1, WR2 and Saquon. 

Last season the Giants relied on their 2022 Draft pick, Daniel Bellinger, for most of the reps at tight end. Bellinger in 12 games recorded 30 receptions for 268 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground Bellinger recorded one touchdown. 

Bellinger missed a few games during the season for an eye injury he suffered during the Giants matchup against the Jaguars on October 23rd. To fill his place Lawerence Cager took over and recorded 13 receptions for 118 yards and one touchdown. 

For this upcoming season players on the team are excited and grateful to have a veteran player like Waller to help guide the team and rookies. One player in particular, Sterling Shepard, says that he “loves” Darren Waller’s presence and that he can even learn from him.

“He's a very humble guy. He works extremely hard. He was out there every day a little bit earlier than everybody. You can tell he's been playing ball for a while and knows how to approach the day. It's somebody that all the young guys can learn from and stuff that I can pick pieces from, too, all the older guys, as well. He's top at his position, so love to have those type of guys around.” - Sterling Shepard

Daniel Jones has seemed to adjust nicely to Waller’s presence already, as the two have been spotted putting in non mandatory work together. 

Jones has also spoken very highly of Waller to the media, saying that Waller is “great” and “smart”. A very good sign to see your QB1 speaking positively about your number one tight end.

“I think as soon as you walk on the field, you can see he’s a big guy. He can run. He can run every route. Catches the ball really well, great body control. He’s been really fun to work with. A really smart guy. He’s picked up on things really quickly, too.” - Daniel Jones

The connection between Jones and Waller on and off the field is something Giants fans should be very excited about and opposing fans not so much. Waller has the potential to take over Jones’ favorite target from Hodgins or Barkley. 

The best is yet to come from Waller as all the hype and excitement just keeps on building. If Waller did what he did last year in Vegas and more he will be a huge factor for the Giants returning to the playoffs. 

With Waller being the predicted number one tight end for Big Blue, Bellinger will be an excellent second option. It can be expected that the Giants might run more sets with two tight ends, utilizing this one-two punch between Bellinger and Waller.

The tight end room is no longer a soft spot for New York, instead it is an absolute nightmare for every other team in the league. 

Ashley Moynahan
Latest posts by Ashley Moynahan (see all)
Tags#BrianDaboll#DanielJones#DarrenWaller#NewYork#NewYorkGiants#NFCEastfootballgiantsnfl
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