Given recent comments from one of their leaders, the New York Giants offense could see an increase in its chances of success on big plays.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones recently spoke on the Giants Huddle podcast about his personal and team goals to be better on third downs and move the ball down the field with more power next season (h/t Dan Benton of Giants Wire):
“We’re making sure we’re better on third down. We’re making sure we stay on the field and have long drives,” Jones said. “We’re trying to improve and create explosive plays and get the ball down the field.”
“We have to take advantage of the opportunities we get. That means throwing the ball accurately, letting guys run and taking advantage of the opportunities we have. Those are things we’re constantly working on, but we have a lot of guys who can make big plays.”
Here’s how the Giants fared in big-play opportunities in 2023
The Giants finished last season with 44 conversions of 20 or more yards through the air, the seventh-fewest in the NFL. They also had seven conversions of over 40 yards, the fifth-fewest the previous season.
Which Giants players can help the offense move the ball forward in 2024?
The question Jones and the coaching staff must ask themselves is which newcomer on the roster can help them overcome that hurdle in 2024. The obvious answer is rookie WR Malik Nabers. The LSU product averaged 17.6 yards per reception in his final season with the Tigers in 2023. Alongside him, WR Jalin Hyatt will also get time to show what he can do after leading the Giants in his rookie appearance in 2023 with 16.2 yards per reception and a 57.5 percent catch rate.
With the exceptional hands of wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, Jones can control the field in all zones and help his dynamic wideouts on the outside get free further down the field. Wide receiver Darius Slayton’s ability to rack up receiving yards will show the defense another talented face at the line of scrimmage and keep the secondaries guessing.
Daniel Jones, the backfield and the offensive line will help the Giants break through next season
Jones will be healthy again in 2024 after tearing his ACL last season. As a starter, he has the franchise’s trust for now and hopes his average yards per attempt returns to his career-high of 6.9 yards in 2022 rather than his career-low of 4.2 yards in 2023. With RB Devin Singletary in town to replace the departed Saquon Barkley and a strengthened offensive line, the Giants will have plenty of opportunities next year to shake up their offense and make more big hits, which would only help them win more games during the season.
