Giants have their biggest strength and weakness named by PFF
You don't have to go to business school to know that all teams in the NFL undergo SWOT analysis. That means analyzing your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, something the Giants have surely done this offseason. But PFF has put their own spin on it and left us with their opinion on which units from […]
You don't have to go to business school to know that all teams in the NFL undergo SWOT analysis.
That means analyzing your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, something the Giants have surely done this offseason.
But PFF has put their own spin on it and left us with their opinion on which units from the best and worst of the 2023 Giants. Let's dive in and see what those are.
Biggest strength in 2023: Rushing Attack
Head coach Brian Daboll leaned on the running game in his first year at the helm. The Giants shortened games and made clutch plays when needed. Led by a healthy Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones‘ legs, the Giants bullied their way into the playoffs. Their running game could be even better if their other young offensive linemen (Evan Neal and John Michael Schmitz) develop on the same track as stud left tackle Andrew Thomas.
This was the obvious answer, as the run unit finished fourth in the league in total rush yardage, yards per rush, and rushing yardage per game in 2022. Add in a plug-and-play center by way of John Michael Schmitz and fellow draft pick Eric Gray at running back, and there's no reason to think this unit won't stay within the top 5 of league averages.
Biggest weakness in 2023: Back seven on defense
The Giants have a talented defensive line, but their back seven leaves a lot to be desired. Their linebackers finished as the fourth-lowest-graded group in the NFL, while their safeties were second worst. The cornerbacks were a little better at 22nd, with Adoree' Jackson being a bright spot. New York's end result masked the low-grading profile of this unit, so the team will need to be better on the back end to avoid regression to the mean in close games.
Totally warranted concern in my opinion, although I would disagree with the skepticism of the secondary, as I will be detailing why a back four that includes Deonte Banks, Adoree' Jackson, Bobby McCain, and Xavier McKinney is actually underrated, but that's for another time.
My main concerns lie in the middle, as the linebackers can be viewed as part of both the front and back seven, but in my opinion, they should have been grouped separately.
I have documented the risk that the unit is taking, putting all their chips on Bobby Okereke as a free agent signing. Okereke is a good player, but it takes two to tango and even more to make up a solid linebacking corps.
Hopefully, the weakness can be masked though because if not… it may come back to bite the Giants this fall.
