offGrid NFL - Five questions for the New York Giants in 2023

I am continuing my series of my Top Five questions for every team in the NFL, having already assessed the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders, and Philadelphia Eagles. I now conclude the NFC East by finishing with the New York Giants, who surprised so many of us by making the playoffs and even got to the Divisional Round. Here are five questions to ask regarding the Giants ahead of the upcoming season:

5. When will the Saquon Barkley drama get settled?

When a player gets a franchise tag, it almost seems automatic that a holdout is coming. Which I don’t blame as I believe players should do what they can to financially secure themselves before retiring from their respective sports teams.

Saquon Barkley on the RB market: "They tagged the top 3 guys. We didn't even get a chance to hit the open market. They put the cap at $10M. And when they have the tag, they have all the leverage. That's the reality."

Honest answer here:

(🎥 @SNYGiants)pic.twitter.com/D9TbdRRKOO
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 12, 2023

It has resulted in players doing their best to avoid signing the tag right away before a deal gets done. There are two candidates this season that are doing that tactic. One is Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs, and the other is Saquon Barkley.

Saquon Barkley is currently holding out so that he can get a long term deal with the Giants. It is the usual move that a player does, but this time he has a different path he is taking. Barkley has not even signed his franchise tag with the team and this whole drama is a becoming a big distraction to New York’s offseason preperations.

Saquon Barkley expected to miss Giants mandatory minicamp this week…@Shaquemgriffin weighs in pic.twitter.com/RSF371i4RI
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) June 12, 2023

This leads me to my next question….

4. Do the Giants have a dependable option behind Saquon?

This whole Saquon drama has really got me thinking more about the running back position for the Giants. Do the Giants have a reliable option behind Barkley?

I can’t confidently say and I wish I can just say Matt Breida and move on, but Breida is 28 and could suffer regression this season, especially with how quickly running backs depreciate. Also lets be real, has Breida really been the same player, since the San Francisco 49ers traded him in 2020? While he is the most experienced running back on the team, Brieda needs to produce more than he has.

I think one of the more intriguing selections the Giants made was taking Eric Gray in the 5th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. While I was not a big fan of Gray compared to other prospects, I thought that the Giants were the more favorable fit for him to be drafted too. He has an opportunity to impress, but he needs to clean up his weaknesses and have a strong camp. Gary Brightwell is also on the roster, but he has more value on special teams than on offense.

Leonard Fournette by Year:

🟡 2017 – 17.7 PPG, RB7
🟣 2018 – 15.1 PPG, RB12
🟡 2019 – 17.3 PPG, RB9
🟣 2020 – 10.2 PPG, RB33
🟡 2021 – 18.3 PPG, RB3
🟣 2022 – 14.2 PPG, RB12

Which backfield will Leonard Fournette ruin in 2023? pic.twitter.com/FqH2uKyazP
— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) June 12, 2023

Now I am not going to completely trash the Giants as they did not have the cap space to do much in the offseason, but I think it might be time for the Giants to get an insurance policy if this Barkley saga continues. Maybe, this is the place that Leonard Fournette or maybe even Ezekiel Elliott signs.

3. Who will be the WR1 in New York?

For how the Giants played last season, it is impressive how the offense played. However, it’s clear that there is no clear answer as to who the number 1 receiver is on the Giants. I wish I could just label Darren Waller as that option, but as he is a Tight End, I don’t want to cheat the system.

Darius Slayton is a great receiver, but I just don’t think he has the ability to be a number one receiver as he fits well as a slot receiver. The Giants made the move to select Jalin Hyatt in the third round of this year’s draft. Many had him going in the 1st/2nd round of the draft and has been considered as one of the draft steals of the draft. If he can make an impact immediately, Hyatt could become the number 1 receiver. Wan’Dale Robinson showed flashes, but he has to stay healthy if he wants to take the number 1 receiver role.

And as for the numbers' game at WR for the Giants, here's the reality:

Jalin Hyatt has a HUGE advantage over just about every other wide receiver on the roster. He's on the 53. Period.

If they keep six WR, he's one of the six. That's how close he is to significant time.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) June 16, 2023

As for Sterling Shepard, I am not 100% confident that he is a lock to make the roster due to his lengthy injury history and was originally released not long ago. However, If he can prove that he is healthy. Jamison Crowder is a veteran who may be past his prime, but he could still have plenty left in the tank to win the number one role. The Giants did sign both Isaiah Hodgins and Parris Campbell during Free Agency, but they have a lot to prove to get the number 1 receiver role.

It’s crazy how Sterling Shepard’s body is simultaneously the most injury prone and quickest healer in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/NAQcy47zQQ
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) June 14, 2023

You can’t deny that the Giants have depth at wide receiver, but it is clear that the number one receiver role is available for the taking. I am very intrigued to see who will step out from the group.

2. Will Evan Neal improve next season?

If there was one player that did not have a great season on the Giants last year it was Evan Neal. He did show flashes last season, but he mostly struggled last season. A big reason why is that he transitioned as a right tackle which can be difficult as he played mostly left tackle in college.

EVAN NEAL 😤 pic.twitter.com/pL9JRdSsiJ
— New York Giants (@Giants) May 25, 2023

It can be tough to transition from one side to the other on the offensive line. Plus sometimes offensive lineman have growing pains and it can take time for them to develop. Hell look at Andrew Thomas who was awful his rookie season, but after a few years he has turned into a blindside blocker. Hopefully the same can be said with Neal this season.

1. Was last season’s performance a fluke, or can the Giants back it up in 2023?

This to me is a great question to ask as the Giants came out of nowhere last season. Nobody expected the Giants to make the playoffs in year one of the Brian Daboll era.

Was last season’s performance a fluke or are they the real deal. I like the direction they are going, but sometimes teams just overachieve and it can inflate the ego a bit. We won’t get the answer to this question until the end of the season, but I am really intrigued with how this team will perform next season.

The 2023 New York Giants schedule is a challenging one on paper. But if you want to be elite, and be respected as an elite team, this is what you want.

Go check out my full schedule breakdown.https://t.co/FFSJgGOzhY #TommysTakes #NYGiants pic.twitter.com/jc2G2lVHXr
— Tommy (@TommyG105) May 15, 2023

So those are the 5 questions I had regarding the New York Giants. Do you agree? Let me know in the comment sections and if you had a question regarding the New York Giants for the 2023 season.