New York Giants

After a disappointing 2021 season for Saquon Barkley, new head coach Brian Daboll is looking to get the running back involved in other ways.

According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, the New York Giants star has been "getting a ton of work as a receiver" during organized team activities, adding, "his involvement in the passing game appears on the rise."

Barkley caught 91 passes on 121 targets on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018. Last year, the running back had 41 catches on 57 targets while setting a career-low 20.2 receiving yards per game.

It was part of a lost year for the 25-year-old, who only had 593 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 13 games.

The entire offense struggled last year under head coach Joe Judge, finishing 31st in both points scored and total yards on the way to a 4-13 finish. The Giants are looking for more under Brian Daboll, who spent the past four years as the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator.

Buffalo finished third in points scored last season after ranking second in the category in 2020.

Devin Singletary and Zach Moss, who split time in the Bills backfield, combined for 63 catches on 82 targets last season.

"It feels like a fresh start," Barkley said of playing for Daboll, per CBS Sports' Josina Anderson. "I feel good again. I know it's all there. I know how talented I am. Just taking it one day at a time. You feel the energy out here doing different things."

He also told Anderson that he expects a bigger receiving role.

This could make Barkley a lot more valuable in points-per-reception leagues, especially if he can regain his speed and athleticism from before he tore his ACL in 2020.

On the other hand, the Giants still have Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard and 2021 first-round pick Kadarius Toney, while they used a second-round pick on Wan'Dale Robinson. It could be a lot of mouths to feed with unproven quarterback Daniel Jones leading the passing attack.

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is hoping to bounce back in 2022 under new head coach Brian Daboll.

"It feels like a fresh start," Barkley told Josina Anderson of CBS Sports. "I feel good again. I know it's all there. I know how talented I am. Just taking it one day at a time. You feel the energy out here doing different things."

Daboll will be Barkley's third head coach in his fifth NFL season. Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge each led the Giants for two seasons, combining for a 19-46 record and no playoff appearances.

Barkley has especially been disappointing in recent years after bursting onto the scene as the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018. After injuries held him to just two games in 2020, the Penn State product finished 2021 with just 593 rushing yards, 263 receiving yards and four total touchdowns in 13 appearances.

His 3.7 yards per carry ranked 45th in the NFL among qualified players.

The struggles came within an offense that finished second-to-last in both points scored and total yards.

Daboll will look to turn things around after running a Buffalo Bills offense that finished in the top five in each category, ranking third in the league with 28.4 points per game. Buffalo wasn't known for heavy running back usage last season, although Devin Singletary still managed 1,098 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns.

The new offensive philosophy could be enough to unlock a talented Giants offense that has not lived up to expectations.

With offseason additions of Evan Neal and Mark Glowinski on the offensive line, New York and Barkley are well positioned to succeed in 2022.

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley entered the NFL as a supposed generational talent. Beyond a promising first season, he's been anything but an elite playmaker. 

His career now sits at a crossroads with a new regime in place. Head coach Brian Daboll can unlock the potential that once made Barkley look like a future star, or the Giants may look to move on from the 2018 second overall pick at some point within a year.

A short shelf life due to the physicality required to play the position coupled with the ability to find quality performers at a low price have devalued the running back position. But previous Giants general manager Dave Gettleman thought differently, bucked positional value and made Barkley the highest-drafted running back since Reggie Bush went second overall in 2006. 

"I think a lot of that is nonsense," Gettleman told reporters when asked about positional value shortly after Barkley's selection. "I think it's someone who had this idea and got into the analytics of it, and did all these running backs and went through their whatever. ... I don't believe in it [positional value]."

His stubbornness may have hastened his retirement.

In Year 1, Barkley dazzled when he led the league with 2,028 yards from scrimmage, made the pro Bowl and became the Offensive Rookie of the Year. Over the next three seasons, the running back totaled 2,391 yards. 

Barkley fought through a high-ankle sprain during his sophomore campaign, suffered a torn ACL in 2020 and dealt with a balky ankle last season. He hasn't looked like the same dynamic threat since his rookie campaign.

"You don't screw up the special ones when you are a talent evaluator. This guy is special," a general manager told NFL.com's Lance Zierlein prior to the 2018 draft. "Any concerns you file on him just feels like nitpicking to fill out the report."

Much like the term generational talent, the descriptor "total package" is often overused. Barkley was treated like a unicorn coming into the league because of his rare combination of size, strength, athleticism and ability to affect games as a runner and pass-catcher.

Barkley's relative athletic score (RAS) ranks him among the top five most athletic running backs over the last 35 years, according to Pro Football Network's Kent Lee Platte. He's a 6'0", 232-pound ball-carrier with tree trunks for legs, baby-soft hands and 4.4-second 40-yard dash speed. 

Despite being a near-perfect prospect, Barkley couldn't escape the same issues other running backs face.

The Tennessee Titans' Derrick Henry is the game's premier workhorse, yet he missed nine games last season with a Jones facture in his right foot. The Cleveland Browns' Nick Chubb shares the backfield, meaning he doesn't take on the same type of workload, and he's still missed seven games over the last two seasons. 

The pounding takes its toll over time. The solution in New York is to use Barkley less as a true running back and more as an offensive weapon.

"I'd say I've had some good running backs in my career," Daboll told reporters during organized team activities last week. "But Saquon is a unique guy. If you go back, I've watched all of his tape all the way back from his rookie year when he had [91] catches. He's a versatile player ... I'm excited to work with him."

Daboll spent four seasons as the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator before being named the Giants' head coach. During that stretch, no back on the Bills roster managed more than 870 rushing yards in a singular season, though players at the position were often a part of the passing game as both pass-catchers and blockers.

In general, quarterback Josh Allen determined the success of the offense as the Bills coaching staff put more on his shoulders with each passing season. Last year, Allen posted a career high with 646 passing attempts, which ranked fourth overall. The Bills had at least three wide receivers on the field for 80 percent of their snaps last season, according to Sharp Football. For comparison, New York used multiple-receiver sets on 63 percent of its offensive plays. In fact, Buffalo ran 255 more plays than New York from 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers). 
 
To be fair, Buffalo running back Devin Singletary isn't Barkley, and Giants quarterback Daniel Jones certainly isn't Allen. As such, Daboll will make adjustments based on available talent.
 
"You try to do as much work as you can on these guys before they get here to see what have they been successful at and figure out how to use them in the things that they've excelled at," Daboll said at the league meetings in March. "But you've got to see them do the things you're going to ask them to do in the offense, and there's plays we're going through right now that, heck, if these guys want to turn inside on this route, let's figure it out when they get here and ask them."

How everyone looks at Barkley should change to some degree. He's still an amazing talent if healthy. He can be a 1,000-yard back again. At the same time, his increased implementation in the passing game could enter him into a different category of backs who create an all-around impact.

Those players don't need to be traditional backs. Alvin Kamara and Carolina's Christian McCaffrey aren't. They're dynamic playmakers with the ball in their hands. The goal should be to feature them as much as possible in a way that takes away some of the consistent body blows a traditional back faces on a down-by-down basis. They both have still dealt with injuries, but they're not nearly as thick or as compactly built as Barkley is. 

Additions along the offensive line, including Mark Glowinski, Jon Feliciano and 2022 seventh overall pick Evan Neal, should make life a little easier on Barkley and the rest of the Giants' skill-position players. However, New York can strike a balance, using Barkley out of the backfield and even as a wide receiver.

Jones' growth will likely become a big part of this transition. The quarterback can form a symbiotic relationship with the running back so the pair can help take pressure off each other. As Daboll and his staff continue their evaluation of these previous top-10 picks, difficult decisions could be forthcoming.

The 25-year-old Barkley will play under his fifth-year rookie option in 2022. How much of an impact he can create under Daboll's supervision will determine whether he's a member of the Giants for the entirety of this campaign and into next offseason. If his performance doesn't necessitate an extension, the organization may even try to trade him before this year's deadline in an effort to gain assets for future roster improvements. 

Basically, the G-men find themselves in a transitory phase. A strong offseason created some excitement, though expectations should be tempered in an NFC East in which the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles feature better rosters and the Washington Commanders should be improved. New York is likely a year or two away from consistently competing in the division and entering in the postseason discussion.

Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen should give Barkley every opportunity to show he's still the same player who took the league by storm as a rookie by making him the focal point of the offense.
 
"I think, one, the energy that he's bringing and the conversations about the way he's going to relate the offense to the players and make the system work for the players," Barkley told reporters in February when asked about his initial impression of Daboll and the new regime. "Obviously, I think with Joe Schoen, what he's going to do in free agency and the draft to build the team. I think we have the talent on the team. I truly don't think we’re that far. We just have to keep working."

The sunk cost of Barkley's original draft status doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is whether Daboll can maximize the running back's abilities. The best thing for all parties is to put the ball in Barkley's hands as part of a new-look offense and let his play determine which direction the franchise should go. He's capable of being so much more than what's been seen so far, as long as the coach adjusts his scheme, uses Barkley as the focal point of the offense and makes him a much bigger part of the passing game. 

New York Giants wide receiver Kadarius Toney reportedly had a "minor arthroscopic knee procedure" that has sidelined him during OTA practices, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.

Per that report, however, he is expected to be healthy and available come training camp.

Wideout coach Mike Groh told reporters Thursday that Toney was "not running around full speed right now" but added that "he'll be ready to go."

Toney, 23, has had quite the year. Last offseason, a contract holdout, injuries and COVID-19 kept him away from the team for large chunks of time during preparations for the 2021 campaign.

Injuries and another coronavirus diagnosis then limited him to 10 games (four starts) during his rookie season. He caught 39 passes for 420 yards and showed flashes of explosiveness at points, namely a 10-catch, 189-yard performance against the Dallas Cowboys in October.

But in general, it was a disappointing first impression, and the Giants reportedly shopped him in April.

He remains on the team, however, and alongside Saquon Barkley, Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton and rookie wideout Wan'Dale Robinson gives quarterback Daniel Jones the best supporting cast he's had at the skill positions in his young career.

"He's a dynamic player," offensive coordinator Mike Kafka told reporters regarding Toney. "He has playmaking ability on the perimeter, inside, downfield, in short area. He's one of those guys that you look for to make plays for us."

That's what the Giants were expecting last season from Toney, and it came in spurts. In year two, the team will be hoping to see it more consistently.

The New York Giants declined the fifth-year option for Daniel Jones this offseason, and reporters asked for the young quarterback's reaction to that decision on Thursday.

"That was out of my control, out of my hands ... it is what it is," he responded. 

"I think it's more about winning games and knowing that if we win games and we have a good season then that's going to take care of a lot of things for everyone," he added. "Everything we do is about that goal."

Winning games has proven to be an issue for Jones and the Giants in his three seasons, however, as he holds a 12-25 record in his career with 8,398 passing yards, 45 touchdowns, 29 interceptions and a 62.8 completion percentage. 

In 2021, his 41.5 QBR ranked 21st in the NFL amongst qualifying quarterbacks and his 84.8 passer rating was 26th. PFF's Kevin Cole graded him as the 23rd-best quarterback in the NFL, meanwhile. 

It hasn't been good enough from the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft, though it hasn't shake his confidence. 

"I'm certainly confident in myself," he told reporters. "I'm confident in the team we have and the coaches and the system. There's a lot of reasons to be confident, I think, when you look at all those pieces. We've got to focus on what we're doing now. We can't focus on results in the season. That's a long way away."

The Giants, at least publicly, are remaining confident in Jones as well. 

"I really enjoy working with him right now," new Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka told reporters on Thursday. "He's a smart kid. He works hard. Those are all things I had heard about him. But being able to see it in person has been great."

But actions speak louder than words, and declining to pick up Jones' fifth-year option sent a pretty clear message—if Jones doesn't show clear improvement in the 2022 campaign, the Giants likely are going to go a new route at quarterback. 

Could we one day be calling the New York Jets the New Jersey Jets? Or how about the New York Giants the New Jersey Giants? That's what one lawsuit filed by two fans aims to accomplish.

Two football fans are requesting in their $6 billion lawsuit against the Jets, Giants and the NFL that the two teams drop "New York" from their names because they play in East Rutherford, New Jersey, according to Rich Calder of the New York Post.

The federal court complaint filed last month says, per Calder:

New York City is the Big Apple, home of the Statue of Liberty, ... Wall Street and the stock market, Broadway musicals ticker-tape parades ... MetLife Stadium is located in the swamps of East Rutherford, NJ ... , which has a population under 10,000, the 116th largest city in New Jersey. It's not exactly an exciting and romantic destination[,] and the Giants, Jets and MetLife Stadium have absolutely no connection whatsoever with the city, county or state of New York.

The two plaintiffs in the case claim that false advertising "and other fraudulent, deceptive practices" resulted in them believing both teams still played in New York.

They apparently spent a lot of money to see the Jets and Giants play at MetLife Stadium, which is located in New Jersey. One of the plaintiffs told Calder he spent more time traveling to the game than actually watching it at the stadium.

The plaintiffs amended their lawsuit last month after initially requesting that both teams move out of New Jersey and back to New York. According to Calder, both teams and the NFL "laughed off the request."

The Giants left New York in 1976 after agreeing to a deal with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority to play their home games at a brand-new stadium, later named Giants Stadium, in New Jersey.

At the time, Big Blue had been sharing a home with the New York Yankees and wanted their own stadium.

Meanwhile, the Jets moved to New Jersey and shared Giants Stadium with the G-Men starting in 1984. Gang Green had been sharing Shea Stadium with the New York Mets and their lease expired at the end of the 1983 season.

The Jets tried negotiating terms of a new lease, and after they couldn't reach an agreement to continue playing at Shea Stadium, they moved to New Jersey, joining the Giants.

MetLife Stadium opened in 2010, and the Jets and Giants have played there since.

The New York Giants have reportedly signed Kayvon Thibodeaux to his rookie contract. 

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the 21-year-old agreed to a four-year rookie deal with the G-Men on Saturday.

Per Spotrac, Thibodeaux's rookie deal is projected to be worth $31.339 million with a $19.97 million signing bonus. That would count $5.7 million against the cap in 2022. 

He was arguably the most-discussed player among the first-round talents in the 2022 draft. 

Coming into the 2021 college season, Thibodeaux was regarded as the best defensive player eligible for the 2022 draft. His on-field performance at Oregon didn't seem like it would have done anything to turn teams away. 

The Los Angeles native had 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 10 games as a junior. His physical traits showed up in predraft workouts. He ranked in the 87th percentile or better in his 10-yard split (1.59 seconds) and 40-yard dash (4.58 seconds). 

A lot of the focus on Thibodeaux leading up to the draft seemed to revolve around his personality. One defensive coach told The Athletic's Bruce Feldman that he has "a big personality."

"If you’re a team that isn’t comfortable with one player pushing himself into the spotlight, he’s probably not for you," the coach said. "The issues to me are gonna come up with the competing focus. Is he too worried about his brand? When we brought him in, I was like, whoa, s--t, this guy is a handful."

The Giants clearly believe in Thibodeaux as a person and player. They selected him with the No. 5 pick to upgrade their defensive line. 

During his introductory press conference, he dismissed any notion that his brand might get in the way of his football career. 

"It’s just so crazy," he told reporters. "So when they handed me the playbook, it was in iPad form. And me, I learn best writing. So for me, it was like the brand went out the window, right. The only thing I can think of now is the playbook and really get into it and dive into it and make sure that I know everything that I can going into training camp."

If the Oregon product plays well, no one will care that he might be interested in crypto or wants to market himself in ways that athletes in all sports have been doing for decades. 

Putting Thibodeaux on the same defensive line as Leonard Williams is a fantastic starting point to improve a defense that ranked 18th in Football Outsiders' DVOA and 23rd in points allowed last season. 

The New York Giants enter the 2022 season under new leadership, with general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll calling the shots.

Both men did their most recent work with the Buffalo Bills. Schoen served as assistant general manager, while Daboll was the team's offensive coordinator.

It's a talented staff in New York. Schoen added Brandon Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles to be the Giants' assistant GM. Daboll picked Kansas City Chiefs assistant Mike Kafka to be his OC, while Don "Wink" Martindale came over from Baltimore to be the defensive coordinator.

However, this team is being stripped to bare bones. Left tackle Andrew Thomas will be the only holdover on the starting offensive line.

The tight end room was overhauled, with last year's starter Evan Engram now a Jacksonville Jaguar and Kyle Rudolph released.

On defense, inside linebacker Blake Martinez after suffering a season-ending torn ACL, but edge-rusher Lorenzo Carter, safety Logan Ryan and cornerback James Bradberry are gone.

It truly is make-or-break time for fourth-year quarterback Daniel Jones, who missed the last six games of the regular season with a neck injury and had an up-and-down campaign before then.

The Giants still have running back Saquon Barkley, but he's coming off a down year and is entering the final season of his contract. Once deemed the crown jewel of the franchise, it appears the No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft could be seeing his time in New York end.

As far as additions go, the Giants were prudent in free agency because of a precarious salary-cap situation. They beefed up the offensive line, picking up Mark Glowinski, Jon Feliciano, Matt Gono and Jamil Douglas. The G-Men also picked up one of the best backup quarterbacks available in Tyrod Taylor.

The draft was a big win for the Giants, though, as they added a pair of cornerstone players in Oregon edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal with the fifth and seventh overall picks, respectively.

Still, this is a team in clear rebuilding mode, and expectations will not be high for 2022. Then again, the NFL typically has teams predicted to go nowhere make the playoffs, such as the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals last year.

We'll soon find out if the Giants have some miracles up their sleeves. For now, here's what the schedule looks like.

Schedule

Full television schedule can be found on the team's official website.

Analysis

There is some good news. The Giants are playing two of the weaker divisions in football next year in the AFC South and NFC North.

Neither of those divisions featured wild-card teams last year. Every team not named the Green Bay Packers had a losing record in the NFC North.

The Packers also just lost their second-best player in wideout Davante Adams via trade to the Las Vegas Raiders, so they could be on the downswing too.

Plus, that game will be on a neutral field in London on Oct. 9, so the Giants don't have to go to Wisconsin to play in a tough Lambeau Field road environment.

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions each had just three wins. The Houston Texans had four, and the Chicago Bears went 6-11.

Sure, all of these teams could have better seasons, but on paper, the Giants have a very manageable ledger to make big improvements.

Outside the division, the Giants schedule features games against the 5-12 Carolina Panthers, and a 7-10 Seattle Seahawks team that just lost quarterback Russell Wilson via trade to the Denver Broncos.

Their Week 6 game is against a tough team in the formidable Baltimore Ravens, but even they are coming off a down season at 8-9. Plus, that one will be at home for Big Blue, so it could be a win.

Pivotal Matchups

The Giants were embarrassed in division play last year, going 1-5. That one win was a nail-biter against the Philadelphia Eagles, 13-7. If not for a late Jalen Reagor drop on the goal line, that could have been a loss too.

New York lost to Dallas by a combined score of 65-26 in its two games. The Giants lost to Washington on a last-second field goal in Week 2 in a 30-29 game where the defense simply wilted down the stretch. New York then put up a shameful Week 18 offensive showing in a 22-7 loss to Washington that featured the team running a quarterback sneak on 3rd-and-9.

The other Eagles game, a 34-10 road loss, saw Philadelphia score 34 unanswered points. New York had just 192 total yards that day.

Needless to say, if the Giants want to get the Schoen-Daboll era off on the right foot, they can at least be competitive in these games. Four of their six divisional losses were embarrassing defeats en route to a disappointing 4-13 season. The Giants simply have to get better in division play, and it has to start in 2022.