Five Breakout Candidates for the New York Giants
The New York Giants look to build on an underwhelming season last year after reaching the playoffs in 2022. Brian Daboll has the team back on the right path after this offseason. Despite losing Saquon Barkley to the divisional rivals Philadelphia Eagles, they splashed on both sides of the ball, drafting Malik Nabers, receiver out of LSU, and trading for Brian Burns, outside linebacker acquired from the Carolina Panthers. Big Blue hopes to progress forward and return to the playoffs under what could be Daniel Jones’ last year as the starting quarterback if there is no progression. Here are five players who hope to have breakout seasons and help improve the Giants from either side of the ball.
1. Malik Nabers
The Giants have been lacking a true number-one wide receiver for years since Odell Beckham Jr.’s run of fame. Nabers hopes to be that guy for them after posting impressive statistics at LSU and gaining a lot of buzz out of training camp. Jones seems to be looking his way a lot, so expect him to gain a lot of targets and attention in this young and developing offense.
2. Kayvon Thibodeaux
Struggling to generate pressure is the Giants’ biggest weakness on defense. That weakness was addressed with the signing of Brian Burns, however, both he and Dexter Lawrence will generate a lot of double teams, opening up holes for guys like Thibodeaux to take advantage of. The edge rusher made a leap from his first year, capping 2023 with 11.5 sacks. However, he hopes to build on that this upcoming year with the improvements made on the defensive side.
3. Theo Johnson
The Giants had hopes of a steal of a trade when they acquired Darren Waller from the Las Vegas Raiders with the pick they had received from the Chiefs when they shipped off Kadarius Toney. However, that hope was short-lived after a disappointing season from Waller and eventually retiring after constant injury. The Giants hope to have an increase in production at the tight end position with the fourth-round pick out of Penn State. Johnson is a big man, standing at six-foot and six-inches, 250 pounds, and hopes to build off his career at Penn State where he saw a lot of red zone targets.
4. Tyler Nubin
Another guy from the 2024 NFL Draft class who hopes to address a hole that was created when the Giants let Xavier McKinney walk to the Green Bay Packers. Nubin showed he can be that spark plug on defense, recording over 50 tackles in three of his five seasons at the University of Minnesota, and recording 13 interceptions across the five years. If Nubin’s talent can translate to the professional level, Nubin can be that dominant force that the “X Man” was for the New York Giants.
5. Devin Singletary
As mentioned before, the Giants suffered a huge loss when Barkley went to the divisional foes of Philadelphia. The hole in the backfield is going to be hard to replace, however, Singletary can provide an impact behind this new and improved line. After posting over 800 yards in three seasons straight and averaging just over six touchdowns over that same span, Singletary can build on these numbers and could even be a 1000-yard rusher for Big Blue.
