New York Giants News

Giants news, 7/19: Jarrad Davis to IR, Darrian Beavers, Andrew Thomas, more headlines

New York Giants news for Wednesday

By JamesPHickey Jul 19, 2023, 6:00am EDT

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New York Giants breakout candidates: Kayvon Thibodeaux is the headliner

BBV's Ed Valentine lists Kayvon Thibodeaux, Evan Neal, Aaron Robinson, Wan'Dale Robinson and Darrian Beavers as five players who could make a jump this year. The one thing all five have in common — they are all coming off years where injuries affected their play last year.

Other Giant observations

PFF50: The 50 best players in the NFL right now | PFF

32. T Andrew Thomas, New York Giants

The 2022 season marked the arrival of Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas as one of the very best in the game. Thomas has consistently improved after an ugly start to his rookie year, and last year he was a dominant force. He allowed just 23 total pressures across 18 games and earned an 81.0 run-blocking grade, making him one of just three tackles to grade above 80.0 in both facets of play.

ESPN’s Orlovsky” Saquon Barkley shows system is unfair to running backs

.@danorlovsky7 reacts to the Giants and Saquon not reaching a long-term deal:

"The running back market is broken. ... And that is a massive issue that the NFL has to fix." pic.twitter.com/8kbInXtlY7
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 18, 2023

Saquon Barkley contract situation: Giants GM Joe Schoen takes big gamble | The Record

Art Stapleton observes that the man who replaced Dave Gettleman is sticking to his plan.

From the moment he took the job, though, Schoen was open about his plan to rebuild the Giants. He believes growth and development need to come from within, and that free agency should be used to supplement the roster.

It's a gamble the Giants had to be willing to take, and Schoen had to prove he has the stomach for this. The consequences will shape this team moving forward, and part of that is whether Barkley's future following this season is elsewhere.

Tiki Barber: Giants aren't doing right by Saquon Barkley | WFAN.com

“He has a lot of choices, and none of them are good for him,” Tiki said. “Choice No. 1, like Josh Jacobs, sit out. That makes the Giants worse. That sucks for the Giants, it sucks for Saquon Barkley, it’s a bad option, but it’s the only one that he can make a solid point about with the situation. He could sit out training camp, make a statement, but what does that really do? The Giants would be fine, because he’s available, and he doesn’t get anything.

“I think he’s contemplating what he should do and what would be most impactful…he has one choice that’s meaningful, and that is to report on time, be the best teammate you can be, crush it, help the Giants go to the postseason, maybe push into the playoffs, and prove it, but not get paid by the Giants. There is nothing you can do other than show up and ball.”

Nine running backs before Saquon Barkley who skipped training camp’s start | New York Post

Here’s a brief history of happenings after a running back skipped training camp for contract reasons, after the Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs news.

23 Questions in 23 Days: Goals for offense | Giants.com

If there is one statistic on offense the Giants need to elevate in 2023, it's their volume of explosive plays. Last season, they had the fewest pass plays for 20 or more yards in the NFL with 28 and were tied for the sixth-fewest plays of 40+ yards through the air with five. They were middle of the pack in those categories on the ground, but if this offense is going to take the next step, it must rely more on game-changing plays. That will help offset the reliance on lengthy scoring drives, where it's more likely something negative happens, such as a turnover or penalty, because you're using more plays in hopes of putting points on the board.

Dexter Lawrence is the second ranked DT in this year’s Madden

The boys up front #Madden24 | @EAMaddenNFL pic.twitter.com/eyjwmu9F57
— NFL (@NFL) July 18, 2023

How to run an NFL franchise, Part 1: Picking a good head coach | The Athletic

Give us three prospective candidates whom you’d like to interview for your head coaching job.

Diante Lee: As far as offense minds go, I’m going to take another guy from Andy Reid’s coaching tree: Mike Kafka. His name has been heating up in the coaching carousel since his time with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, and how he called offense in New York was proof he’s comfortable crafting his attack around the strengths and weaknesses of his quarterback and supporting cast. He’s been a player and coach through much of this league’s offensive evolution, and I trust that he would know how to set a franchise on an upward trajectory.

NFL Strength of Schedule 2023: Ranking the Easiest and Hardest NFL Schedules | ProFootballNetwork.com

Pro Football Network estimates give the New York Giants the most difficult strength of schedule for the 2023 NFL Season, due largely in part of having two NFC favorites as divisional rivals— Eagles and Cowboys.

Despite getting to play against the Washington Commanders, they still have to play the Packers, Raiders, and Saints instead of the teams Washington gets to play — the Bears, Broncos, and Falcons. Additionally, the Giants shared divisional games put their most difficult opponents on the road, like the 49ers, Bills, and Dolphins.

Kirk Cousins explains decision not to throw to Justin Jefferson with season on the line | Pro Football Talk

Minnesota’s special 13-4 season ended in a not-so-special way, with quarterback Kirk Cousins passing the ball several yards on the wrong side of the line to gain on fourth and eight against the Giants. Cousins addressed the fateful postseason decision during the Quarterback series on Netflix.

“When you throw it short of the sticks like that and he’s tackled, you know, you get a lot of grief for it,” Cousins said. “But Justin [Jefferson] was doubled, and just instinctively it felt careless to just throw it to him with the game on the line like that.”