The New York Giants had a great first season under head coach Brian Daboll, surprisingly making the playoffs and winning a road playoff game.
Daboll won Coach of the Year honors for his efforts that season. But the Giants followed that up by dropping to 6-11 in 2023.
The disappointing 2023 campaign was due, in large part, to injuries with multiple missed games by key players including Daniel Jones, Andrew Thomas, Saquon Barkley, and Darren Waller.
However, the errors extended further, including bad roster management, poor coaching, and poor play on the field.
Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports doesn’t expect any of that to change in 2024. In his list of five teams poised to take a major fall next season, the Giants were ranked among them.
There are some teams that really weren’t as good as their record indicated — and one of them was the Giants. Even though New York finished 4-3 in its last seven games, was there any reason to feel optimistic about the team at the conclusion of the season?
Saquon Barkley, the best player on an offense that finished 29th in points per possession and 30th in yards per possession, is a free agent. Daniel Jones was horrendous last season, and the Giants are on the hook for a $47.105 million cap hit in 2024 for a quarterback who may not even start the year (ACL injury). Even if Jones plays, he’ll be playing behind an offensive line that’s perpetually poor (allowed 85 sacks last season).
Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale also left, as the Giants will have to learn a new scheme under Shane Bowen. Fortunately there’s talent on that group, even if they were 20th in points allowed per possession last season. The Giants were a bad football team last season, and may be worse in 2024.
With the defense being the best unit on the field in 2023, losing Wink Martindale could have a big impact. The offense could also take a major hit if they lose Saquon Barkley in free agency.
Certainly, with free agency and the NFL draft still on the horizon, it’s a little early to determine how the Giants will fair in 2024. However, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Big Blue will be even worse in 2024, which could lead to yet another head coach and potentially general manager search this time next year.
