It’s almost here. The chill of autumn, the shortening days, and of course, football. The season is so close we can already feel it. The excitement is palpable, with preseason games under way, fans and pundits overreacting and overanalyzing every player decision the teams make. In August, half the league Super Bowl bound, so we’re taking a look at the strengths and weaknesses of every team going into the season. In this article, we’re taking a look at the New York Giants. We already covered the Giants’ weaknesses, now let’s take a look at their roster strengths.
New York Giants Key Strengths
The Defensive Line
Boasting players like Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Dexter Lawrence, the defensive line looks to be a strength of the Giants, even if PFF won’t acknowledge them as a top 15 line. These are players that can put pressure on the quarterback and disrupt schemes.
Lawrence was considered the top defensive interior player in 2023 according to PFF, ahead of the now-retired Aaron Donald. Meanwhile, Burns was ranked as the top free agent by The Athletic going into the 2024 season. Those two will look to get after the quarterback alongside Thibodeaux, who himself had 11.5 sacks last year.
Bobby Okereke was an outstanding addition to the Giants front seven in 2023. He had a PFF grade of 78.9, was tied for first in forced fumbles, and was top ten in the league in solo tackles and interceptions.
Meanwhile, Micah McFadden improved greatly on his rookie season. He went from a 38.7 PFF grade as a rookie, to a solid 65.6 as a sophomore. In his bounce-back season, McFadden had 98 total tackles, four forced fumbles, a sack, and an interception.
This offseason, the Giants hired Shane Bowen as their new defensive coordinator. Bowen comes from Tennessee, where he had an incredibly successful tenure.
With a new coach and solid players, the Giants defensive line projects to be a strength for New York in the 2024 season.
Left Tackle
The Giants offensive line has been a problem for over a decade, even with all the resources they’ve spent trying to improve it. That being said, Andrew Thomas has proven to be an elite left tackle, and one of the best offensive line players in the league.
When he’s on the field, he protects the quarterback’s blindside well. Thomas had a PFF grade of 76.1 in 2023 even with injuries and no supporting cast alongside him.
Last offseason, Thomas signed a five-year, $117 million extension. Now he’s tied to the Giants for the foreseeable future. His career has been plagued with injuries. However, as long as he’s healthy, Thomas is a key player on the roster. Because of that, left tackle is a clear strength for the team.
Unfortunately, the rest of the offensive line has been a clear weakness for the Giants. Thomas will need help from his teammates in order for this unit to take the leap it’s been lacking for over a decade.
Malik Nabers
Once Malik Nabers was selected by the Giants sixth overall in this year’s draft, a monumental change came to the New York receiver room. Ever since Odell Beckham Jr. left, the team hasn’t had an elite WR1 that can elevate their passing game. With the arrival of Nabers, that issue has been rectified.
Expectations are high for the first round pick, and his play in the offseason has done nothing to affect that.
Nabers was one of the top receiver prospects in the draft, and for good reason. He’s an early declare with the highest NFL prospect grade of the receivers in his class. In his final season at LSU, Nabers accumulated 89 receptions, 1569 yards, and 14 TDs at, putting him in the top tier in his draft class.
Nabers’ explosiveness, elusiveness, and ability to break tackles puts him at the top of the league. It’s no wonder that head coach Brian Daboll and the Giants front office were excited to draft him.
According to Daboll on Hard Knocks, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban said Nabers was one of two players that were a nightmare to prepare for defensively. With this in mind, we’re putting Nabers as a strength for this Giants team. If he develops into the WR1 he’s projected to be, the receiver core for the Giants can take a real step forward and help New York compete with the best of the league.
Evan Solomon
Evan is originally from Queens, NY and grew up on Long Island, and grew to love The New York Giants being surrounded by Giants fans. He's a social media marketer and content creator by day, which is what led him to joining The League Winners creating content about something he loves - football. Keep an eye out for his fantasy content and NFL team breakdowns.