The New York Giants had a banner season under the first-year combo of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, going 10-8-1 overall and qualifying for the postseason for the first time since 2016.
That was satisfying for many Giant fans but the season wasn’t without its disappointments. Here are seven disappointing players from the 2022 season.
Kenny Golladay
Kenny Golladay might be the biggest free agent bust in franchise history. He did not catch a touchdown pass in his first 33 games and could not endear himself to this coaching staff, hence his diminished playing time.
Golladay played in 12 games and was targeted just 17 times. He caught six of those for 81 yards. He did get his touchdown, however, on a spectacular grab in the Week 18 meaningless game against the Eagles.
To his credit, Golladay handled his situation with class and did what he could when called upon.
Evan Neal
The seventh overall pick out of Alabama was asked to slide right in at right tackle, a position he played just 15 games at in college.
Evan Neal never seemed to get in synch, battled some injuries, including a knee issue, and was pushed around way too often for the liking of critics and fans.
He was one of the lowest-rated tackles by Pro Football Focus and his rookie year, while not in ‘bust’ territory, was actually worse than that of Andrew Thomas’ in 2020. And look how that turned out.
Aaron Robinson
When the Giants traded up into the third round in the 2021 NFL draft to snare Aaron Robinson, they believed they had a coup. Not so fast.
After a rookie season that began halfway through the schedule last year due to core muscle surgery, Robinson was penciled in as a starter at cornerback this summer.
That didn’t last long. He played in just two games this year. His season was interrupted early on after an emergency appendectomy and then he suffered a knee injury in Week 4 that ended his season.
Azeez Ojulari
Azeez Ojulari came into this season with high hopes. He set a Giants rookie franchise record for sacks last year with eight and was poised to play a huge role as a bookend pass rusher with rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux.
But a calf injury dogged him all year, limiting him to just seven games and five starts. He did have 5.5 sacks, though, which prorates to around 13 sacks over a 17-game season.
Tae Crowder
Tae Crowder had been an interesting story ever since he was selected with the final pick of the 2020 NFL draft. The former Georgia Bulldog was forging one of those “Mr. Irrelevant” success stories as he became a starting inside linebacker for Big Blue.
Crowder started the first eight games of this season but then was on the outs after several poor performances. He was replaced by rookie Micah McFadden. The Giants waived Crowder on Dec. 20 and he has since signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kadarius Toney
The Giants’ first-round selection in the 2021 NFL draft was perhaps their biggest waste of a draft pick in years. Kadarius Toney was consistently on the injury report as a rookie and that trend spilled over into this season.
Toney played in just two games this season, starting one, with two receptions for zero yards and 23 yards rushing on two attempts.
Toney was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 27 for a third and a sixth-round draft pick in the upcoming NFL draft. He isn’t missed because you can’t miss what you never had.
Wan'Dale Robinson
There was a lot of head-shaking when the Giants used a second-round pick on Wan’Dale Robinson, a 5-foot-8 wideout from Kentucky. Fans and critics couldn’t figure out how he would be used. They already had Toney, who did similar things, even though they really didn’t.
It didn’t matter much because Robinson only played in six games, starting three. In Week 11, Robinson had a breakout game with nine receptions for 100 yards but tore his ACL and was lost for the season.
