New York Giants

Sizing Up The New York Giants Offense on 53-Man Roster

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Now that most of the heavy roster lifting has been completed, the New York Giants can get to work. The season opener is a week away, and the Dallas Cowboys lay in wait.

In football, we understand that this is not the final roster, but hopefully for the team it represents the majority of players who will have an impact this season. As head coach Ben McAdoo said on Sept. 3, 2016, “The roster is a living, breathing organism. It never stops changing. There’s always movement in the roster. Things are always moving.”

Let’s see where the Giants currently stack up versus last season’s unit.

Sizing Up Quarterback

UNCHANGED:

Big Blue brought back both Eli Manning and Ryan Nassib for a fourth season. Manning has been a workhorse throughout his entire career. Statistically, he threw for 65 touchdowns versus 28 interceptions over the past two seasons. In those two seasons, Manning has thrown for over 8,800 passing yards. Most franchises, not named Green Bay, would gladly accept these statistics. Nassib had his up’s and down’s in preseason, but with Manning’s durability, it cannot be a major concern.

Dec 14, 2015; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning #10 about to take snap from Giants center Weston Richburg at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Duyos-USA TODAY Sports

Sizing Up Running Backs

TRENDING UPWARD:

This may be the most difficult category to predict, so I have to rely upon a few factors. I believe that Orleans Darkwa is an upgrade from Andrea Williams. Rashad Jennings remains unchanged, but he is clearly serviceable as featured halfback. Jennings averaged 4.4 yards per carry, and the team could live with that production.

Flying beneath the radar is Shane Vereen. Vereen averaged 4.3 yards per carry last season and had 59 receptions out of the backfield. Many observers, me included, feel he was under-utilized. I believe that Vereen will see more first and second down touches this season. Otherwise, why risk Darkwa on special teams?

Sep 13, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; New York Giants running back Shane Vereen (34) runs the ball against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Dallas won 27-26. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Finally, odds are that one of the running backs get injured. Having Bobby Rainey as a safety net will prove critical, and I applaud the Giants for keeping him. Rainey will also spell Dwayne Harris as a return specialist.

“[The Giants] decided to keep the versatile Bobby Rainey instead of Williams. Rainey had a strong preseason and did well returning punts and kicks. He’s also a much better receiver out of the backfield,” wrote Jordan Raanan of ESPN on Sept. 3, 2016.

Paul Perkins did not distinguish himself in preseason, but makes the roster with the “Reese draft pick exemption”. Perkins blew assignments and dropped several passes. With Rainey around, he will not be forced into action due to injury, but improvement is needed from Perkins.

Sizing Up Tight Ends

TRENDING DOWNWARD:

For a position that had a lot of promise heading into training camp, this position group fell flat. It literally became the last man standing as Will Johnson, Ryan Malleck and Matt LaCosse all suffered injuries. That left Will Tye, Larry Donnell and Jerrel Adams on the 53-man roster.

Dec 6, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants tight end Will Tye (45) is tackled by New York Jets inside linebacker Demario Davis (56) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

This position has been a revolving door for several years and that falls on general manager Jerry Reese. Tye and Donnell have been challenged in the blocking scheme this preseason. Donnell is always an injury concern too.

Sizing up this hodgepodge means that Will Beatty will be utilized at the position in short yardage. That removes any pass potential. You can’t blame Reese for the injuries, but the injured players weren’t going to make this a strength position either.

Sizing Up Offensive Line

TRENDING DOWNWARD:

This represents another area where Reese and company over-estimated the talent level. Center Weston Richburg and left guard Justin Pugh are solid, but after the forecast is mixed. Those who insist that Ereck Flowers will be better are simply speculating. For the record, Flowers may get better, then again, maybe we won’t. Not a great position for your quarterback to be in.

Concerns were raised early and often about guard John Jerry and tackle Marshall Newhouse. The Giants did not budge. Head coach Ben McAdoo recently called the offensive line play “correctable”. Everything is correctable to some extent. Correctable, with these players, appears to be a reach, however.

“The real hope was that Flowers would show significant growth and become a reliable blindside protector for Manning after a rough rookie season. But nothing during training camp and the preseason suggests that happened,” according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN on Sept. 1, 2016.

Jun 8, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants tackle Ereck Flowers during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY

Bringing back Will Beatty is an acknowledgement of the problem. That’s usually step one. Whether or not Beatty can help, is anyone’s guess right now. Only Canadian import Brett Jones trended upward this preseason to become Richburg’s backup. Whether he can somehow supplant Jerry at guard would be asking a lot.

Hart made the team with a Reese draft pick exemption slot.

Sizing Up Wide Receivers

TRENDING UPWARD:

Having Odell Beckham on your side gives this position a solid foundation out of the gate. Before anyone gets too excited, understand there is only one football. Wide receivers in general are a mercurial bunch (see: Randle, Rueben) too.

Dec 20, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) yells to the fans before a game against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Getting Victor Cruz on the field on a regular basis will help. Hopefully that transpires over the course of sixteen games, but be aware that it may not. Rookies Sterling Shepard and Roger Lewis look great, but the NFL is littered with receivers who looked great (see: Jernigan, Jerrel). These two guys pass the eye test, however, so a level of production is expected. Don’t ask for too much, too soon.

In fact, I believe Tavarres King should be given ample opportunity for targets this season. Soome will come as the Giants manage Cruz’s snap counts, and some should come in a time-share with Shepard.

The other reason I call for an upward trend is Dwayne Harris. Harris is explosive, but wore down last season. He was utilized on special teams and as a slot receiver. With Lewis and Shepard in the passing game, and Bobby Rainey as a return specialist, McAdoo can effectively manage Harris’ snap count.

Compared to previous years with Jerrel Jernigan, Preston Parker and Rueben Randle, I love the level of talent her. But remember, there’s only one football.