The New York Giants finished a disappointing 6-11 in 2023, failing to follow up their encouraging 2022 when they went 9-8, won a Wild Card playoff game, and advanced to the NFC Divisional round.
They hope to turn things around in 2024. If they are to do so, they’ll need to get contributions from some of the younger players on their roster who have not yet established themselves.
Here are five players who should have bigger roles in 2024 for the Giants.
WR Jalin Hyatt
The Giants hardly hid Jalin Hyatt in his rookie season, playing him on 50 percent of the snaps, but the way they deployed him could have been better. Only Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson saw more playing time at the wideout position.
Hyatt led the team with a 16.2 yards per reception average but was only targeted 40 times, catching 23. He did not score a touchdown.
The revolving door at quarterback didn’t help his development much, either. The Giants could not effectively throw the football downfield, which is where Hyatt is most effective.
Expect Hyatt to be integrated more into the game plan with the return of Daniel Jones and/or a rookie addition.
CB Tre Hawkins III
Tre Hawkins, a sixth-round draft pick last year, impressed immediately in training camp and shot up the depth chart. He was even being penciled in as a starter early on.
But as the season went on, Hawkins was exposed and was used less and less in crucial spots. He ended up playing just 30 percent of the defensive snaps and was an afterthought by year’s end.
A new defensive coordinator coming in and the likely departure of Adoree’ Jackson in free agency will thrust him back into a bigger role in 2024.
RB Eric Gray
If Saquon Barkley and the Giants part ways this offseason, Eric Gray becomes the team’s top back.
They began to get him some snaps late in the season and he looked as if he could handle a bigger load.
The ultimate goal is likely to have a running back-by-committee approach with Gray playing a prominent part along with two other backs.
S Dane Belton
Dane Belton can be a playmaker out in the secondary, he’s shown that. But he still sizes up as a ‘tweener’ and that has led the Giants to use him more in packages than as a steady starter in the secondary.
Belton will only play a bigger role if the Giants can’t come to an agreement with Xavier McKinney this offseason, which is looking very much like a possibility now.
If they can’t, we’ll see more of Belton in 2024. Even if they do, Belton will see an increased role.
LB Isaiah Simmons
Isaiah Simmons is the ultimate ‘tweener’ and perhaps one of the biggest mysteries on this roster.
A stud coming out of Clemson a few years ago, he was drafted by the Cardinals, who simply could not find a role for him. As a Giant, coordinator Wink Martindale played to Simmons’ strengths and he showed some promise.
Simmons is deemed too slight to play linebacker full-time and too rangy to play exclusively in the secondary. The right coordinator will find a steadier role for him.
Note: Simmons is an impending free agent but is likely to be re-signed.
