New York Giants a value bet for the NFC East
Not necessarily, but their price tag of +450 might be too good to pass up. after the G-men have been busy in free agency the last couple of weeks.
They placed the franchise tag on Leonard Williams and even signed him to a new contract.
They also got Daniel Jones some new weapons, signing former Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay, as well as speedster John Ross.
One thing Daniel Jones has not had since being drafted by the Giants is consistency. Running back Saquon Barkley played just two games last season before suffering a torn ACL. After that, the running back position was nothing but a revolving door. They let former Clemson running back Wayne Gallman have the first crack at it and led the team in rushing with 682 yards. They still took fliers on veterans though, bringing in former Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, as well as former Washington and Dallas running back Alfred Morris.
Wide receiver Sterling Shepard missed four games last season as did Golden Tate. Tate was far from the run after the catch monster we know him as, and at 32 years-old it’s not really his fault.
Evan Engram, who was voted to the Pro Bowl, even missed two games last season. There’s been a lot of hype surrounding Engram’s playmaking ability and athleticism, but was held to just one touchdown last season. But now that teams won’t be able to focus on Engram as the team’s No. 1 threat in the passing game, I expect an uptick in his stats.
Hopefully, Barkley can come back and be what he was before the injury for the Giants. That would free up more one-on-one opportunities for Jones, who I think is a great passer with underappreciated athleticism.
With a surrounding cast of Barkley, Golladay, Ross, Engram, Shepard and Darius Slayton, I think the offense could be the second-best in the division behind the Dallas Cowboys.
The Giants also signed corner Adoree’ Jackson to a 3-year $39 million deal to help bolster the secondary. According to reports, divisional rival Philadelphia Eagles were high on signing the 25-year old corner.
I’m not saying the Giants’ offense is going to look like the Kansas City Chiefs offense by any means, but I do believe that the offense is currently better than Philly’s, who still needs to figure out who their quarterback is going forward, as well as the Washington Football Team, who face the same dilemma. Taylor Heinicke starting for Washington and keeping them in their playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I don’t know if that means he’s a 16-game starter.
The Giants were also still in it until the last day of the season. Finishing the season at 6-10, in my mind, they’re the only team among the other two underdogs that didn’t get worse. At +450, sign me up.