5 Changes Giants Must Make ASAP to Salvage Brian Daboll, Joe Schoen Era in 2024
After falling in heartbreaking fashion to the Buffalo Bills in Week 6, the New York Giants are 1-5. The shine from last year's playoff run and Brian Daboll's Coach of the Year Award is gone.
New York's quarterback is hurt. The offensive line is abysmal on a level that defies description. The defense is bad. This team is going nowhere and is a lot closer to needing a full-blown teardown than being any sort of playoff contender.
At this point, looking to the present in New York is an exercise in futility—the 2023 season is a wash, and all wins will do is cost the team draft position. It's already time to look to the future—to fixing what went so horribly wrong this season.
These Giants don't have just one issue. There are multiple problems facing Big Blue on both sides of the ball. And when Daboll, Joe Schoen and the Giants braintrust go about trying to return the Giants to being at least a competitive franchise, the following items need to be on the "to-do" list.
Look to the Future at Quarterback
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The farther we get into the 2023 season, the more it appears that handing Daniel Jones $40 million a season might not have been the wisest idea the Giants have ever had.
Watching Tyrod Taylor guide the Giants to as good an offensive performance (save one half in Arizona) as the team has enjoyed all season only served to hammer that home.
For now, there's effectively very little the Giants can do about Jones—given the massive cap hit the team would absorb next year, he isn't going anywhere until 2025 at the earliest.
However, just because New York is stuck with Jones' salary doesn't necessarily mean the Giants are stuck with Jones as the starting quarterback. And even if he does start in 2024, the Giants need to look to the future at the position.
Because Jones ain't it, folks.
Now, that doesn't mean that New York should spend its first pick in next year's draft on a quarterback, although the higher the pick, the more interesting that notion becomes. But using a Day 2 pick on a quarterback and then "redshirting" him for a season would be a wise course of action.
Can I interest you in Quinn Ewers?
Procure a No. 1 Receiver
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Frankly, why the Giants didn't do this in 2023 is one of the great mysteries of the universe. There's Stonehenge, the heads on Easter Island and why the Giants haven't made a more concerted effort to land a true No. 1 wide receiver.
Yes, the G-Men acquired tight end Darren Waller in the offseason. Signed wideout Parris Campbell. Drafted speedster Jalin Hyatt. But none of those players are a true "go-to" guy in the mold of Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders or Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills.
The Giants could take a couple different routes. There are some potential options hitting the open market in 2024, headlined by Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals, Michael Pittman of the Indianapolis Colts and Marquise Brown of the Arizona Cardinals. All would be massive upgrades for New York's wideout corps. One or more might be available via trade.
However, all would also be rather expensive in terms of salary.
If the losses keep piling up, then the best of the best in next year's draft class could enter the equation. Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. is a lanky, fast pass-catcher who runs great routes already. He's a prototypical No. 1 wideout.
Harrison's teammate Emeka Egbuka is nearly as talented. Florida State's Keon Coleman is another possibility.
Whoever is playing quarterback for the Giants needs that "go-to" receiver. The guy he can target in situations like the last drive of Sunday night's loss.
Let Saquon Barkley Walk Next Offseason
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If the Giants are going to be able to afford a high-priced veteran receiver like Higgins, they might have to clear some cap space.
One way to do so is to say goodbye to running back Saquon Barkley.
It's understandable why that notion doesn't sit well with some Giants fans. Barkley is the best offensive player on the team when healthy. He might be the best player on the team, period. In his return to action Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, Barkley had 98 yards on 28 touches against a stout Bills defense.
But paying Barkley north of $12 million in 2024 on a second franchise tag would be a bad idea. Signing him to a long-term deal would be an even worse one.
The reality of the NFL in 2023 is that the running back position has been devalued. Allocating that much cap space to the position just isn't a good idea—especially when you factor in the durability issues that have come back to haunt Barkley again in 2023.
There's no Bijan Robinson in this year's class. But players like Michigan's Blake Corum and Notre Dame's Audric Estime have the potential to be solid NFL starters with salaries a fraction of what the Giants would pay Barkley on a second tag.
The Giants have bigger problems than running back—even without Barkley on the team.
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Dear God, Fix the Offensive Line
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Daniel Jones didn't miss Sunday's game because he slipped in the shower. He missed Week 6 because he's playing behind an offensive line that consists of five matadors.
Yes, injuries have played a part in the line's struggles. But facts are facts. Five games in, the Giants had allowed 30 sacks, tied for second-most all-time over that span per Sunday night's telecast. The Giants allowed just three sacks in Week 6, but the team is still on pace to allow 93 sacks this season.
No quarterback can succeed when he has exactly zero seconds to survey the field before getting blasted.
Right tackle Evan Neal might be the worst starter at his position in the entire league. Andrew Thomas has struggled when on the field and has played just 53 snaps this season. There isn't a position on the line occupied by an above-average player.
It's not especially easy to upgrade the offensive line in free agency, but even a so-so tackle like Isaiah Wynn of the Miami Dolphins would be a significant upgrade in New York. If the Giants don't use their first pick next year on a wide receiver or quarterback, it had better be on an elite O-line prospect like Georgia's Amarius Mims.
Dump Overpriced Defensive Talent
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As was already mentioned, overhauling the offensive line could be an expensive proposition. But as with bidding adieu to Saquon Barkley, there's another way to clear some cap space.
Get rid of defensive players whose production doesn't come close to meeting their salaries.
This year, defensive lineman Leonard Williams has a cap hit of $32.6 million. For that massive amount, one would think the Giants would be getting one of the most disruptive players in the league.
One would be wrong—Williams has been mostly invisible, and he has tallied 18 total tackles and half a sack for the season.
Cornerback Adoree' Jackson has a cap hit of just over $19 million this year. For that investment, the Giants have gotten a corner who entered Week 6 having allowed over 65 percent of the passes thrown in his direction to be completed with a passer rating against north of 108.
Paying elite money to mediocre players goes quite a way toward explaining New York's 29th-ranked defense entering Sunday night.
Luckily, both those players have voidable years in 2024. But If Daboll and Co. want to survive the debacle that is 2023, one of the priorities in 2024 has to be taking a long look at everyone on Wink Martindale's defense—and cutting bait on veterans who are just taking up cap space.
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