New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll announced on Tuesday afternoon that the players have voted the following five teammates to be team captains for the 2024 season:
Quarterback Daniel Jones and left tackle Andrew Thomas on offense, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and linebacker Bobby Okereke on defense, and long snapper Casey Kreiter on special teams.
“Players voted for captains today. There will be five of them,” Daboll told reporters. “Casey Kreiter on special teams. Daniel Jones and Andrew Thomas on offense. Dexter and Bobby on defense. Those were voted by their teammates.”
Last season, the team voted 10 players to be team captains, which was excessive. Jones, Thomas, Lawrence, and Okereke were among the group.
Daboll delivered the message at his media session at 1:30 p.m. EDT, two-and-a-half hours before the deadline for final roster cuts.
“This year there is less captains. So, I think that holds a little bit more weight,” Thomas told reporters. “Guys respect you a lot more. We brought a lot of other veteran guys along, even if they’re not captains, that have done a good job on both sides of the ball, just being leaders and trying to get everybody on the same page.”
Like Thomas, Okereke also seemed pleased with a reduction in the number of team captains.
“Every year is a different year. Every team’s a new team. I think the best fit for our team this year was the five captains. Great guys who have different leadership styles, different experiences and wisdom, and I think we’ll do a great job,” he said.
“Just based off everything that’s unfolded, it’s kind of the right fit.”
Having just five captains instead of 10 should benefit the Giants in theory, but that’s not to say other voices won’t be heard.
“Different leadership styles, some guys lead by example, some guys are rah-rah guys. It just adds to the collective,” Okereke said.
