The New York Giants might have emerged as the biggest winners overall from the 2024 NFL offseason, which completely changed the complexion of the league.
The Monday Morning Quarterback crew from Sports Illustrated shared their opinions on the team that, in their opinion, improved its roster the best during the winter and spring. Connor Orr, one of the four panellists, praised the Giants as the team with the most improvement, quoting Stephen Lebitsch of Fan Nation’s Jets Country as part of his argument: “There are two reasons I’ll challenge the Giants to a match: The defense’s calculation is altered by Brian Burns, and while I like the pairing of Drew Lock and Brian Daboll, I’m interested to see whether the Giants end up with some Geno Smith-type success. Even though at the time I didn’t think Malik Nabers was the best wide receiver available, I believe this team can win eight to ten games this season while lacking an offseason that would be seen as revolutionary,” Orr stated.
The Giants’ projected better record may qualify them for the playoffs in 2024.
While still in the centre of the pack, an eight to ten victory season would give the Giants two to four more victories than their 2023 6-11 campaign. If New York were to finish exactly in the middle of that estimate in 2024 with nine wins, they would either surpass or fall just short of their 9-7-1 record from 2022, which was their previous postseason campaign.
They would also compete in the NFC East against the Philadelphia Eagles, who qualified for the playoffs and were second in the division with an 11-6 record the previous season. Los Angeles Rams (10-7) and Green Bay Packers (9-8) both made it into the postseason with similar records in the NFC overall.
The Giants front management improved their position by making gains in free agency and the draft. The selection of Nabers, a talented wide receiver, was a major advantage. The LSU graduate is expected to start as their WR1 and lead a bright young receiving corps in 2024. They also gain a seasoned player in Allen Robinson II, who can contribute effectively in spot snaps and offers experience to the team. The Giants had a great day on March 15, signing both Lock and running back Devin Singletary. Indeed, with the departure of standout ball carrier Saquon Barkley to the Eagles, the Giants suffered a setback in their backfield. Nevertheless, Singletary’s 898 running yards, four rushing touchdowns, and increased Barkley’s yards per carry average (3.9 ypc) is lower than New York’s (4.2 ypc) and he provides a reliable back to relieve pressure on the passing game and command attention at the line of scrimmage.
The Giants’ defence is improved by Burns from passable to almost excellent. His eight sacks with the Carolina Panthers in 2023 give their front seven a potent pass rusher who relentlessly harasses the quarterback of the opposition. Next season, he, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Dexter Lawrence have the potential to head a defence ranked in the top ten. The Giants’ passing attack is significantly stronger going into the new season than it was last year. The return of linebacker Isaiah Simmons offers the defence a dynamic player they can sit on the bench and fresh men in the trenches to help their four-man rush. The secondary still has certain unanswered questions. During offseason practices, the offensive line has shown promise, but they will need to earn their stripes following a historically poor performance in 2023 because to their 85 sacks given up.
Other clubs with a lot of star power include the Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Eagles. Russell Wilson, the previous Super Bowl champion, made a big splash for the Steelers, but Danielle Hunter (16 sacks) and Denico Autry (11.5 sacks) gave the Texans defence tremendous help. Nevertheless, the Giants made wise decisions in several areas that will set them up for a significant uptick in 2024.