This is the time of year when everyone is looking at players to add to the roster. But which returning player will have to make a jump in 2025 in order for the Giants to have success? The Giants.com crew discusses.
John Schmeelk: Cornerback Deonte Banks. This was a fairly easy answer for me. The Giants have a lot of youth in the defensive backfield and they need Banks to take a leap. He plays sticky coverage, but too many times when the ball is in the air at the catch point, he doesn't get his head around and either allows the receiver to make the catch or commits a defensive pass interference penalty. He needs to fine tune that part of his game and lock into the little details on every play that turns physically gifted players into great players. There's too much inconsistency that needs to get eliminated from play to play.
There are other possibilities I'll hit quickly. Evan Neal is one, but because he is not currently locked into a starting role, he can't be the top answer here. His improvement here would seriously help the team's offensive line depth.
Kayvon Thibodeaux is the other one. With two Pro Bowl-level players in Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence, if Thibodeaux can become a consistent threat who can produce double-digit sacks, the Giants could have the best pass-rushing defensive line in football.
Dan Salomone: Second-year safety Tyler Nubin. Including an 11-game drought, the Giants' defense notched only five interceptions last season, the second-fewest in the league. Furthermore, the Giants had a positive turnover differential in just one game, their Week 17 win over the Colts. That's where Nubin can come in. The University of Minnesota's all-time interceptions leader did force and recover a fumble as a rookie but is still looking for his first NFL interception.
Antoine Winfield Jr., one of his Minnesota mentors and a fellow second-round draft choice, made the Pro Bowl in his second season. Nubin doesn't necessarily have to do that, but with another year under his belt in Shane Bowen's system, he can go a long way in solidifying the defensive backfield.
He will look to take the next step under new secondary coach/defensive pass game coordinator Marquand Manuel, who has been in the NFL for two decades as a player and coach and earned trips to the Super Bowl as both. Manuel spent the past four seasons as the Jets' defensive backs/safeties coach. He also served as the defensive backs coach with Philadelphia (2020) and four seasons in Atlanta, first as the secondary coach/senior defensive assistant (2015-16) before being promoted to defensive coordinator (2017-18). In his first season as coordinator (2017), the defense ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense (eighth), total defense (ninth), rushing defense (ninth) and red zone defense (fifth). His first NFL position came in Seattle as a special teams assistant (2012), before serving as defensive assistant (2013) and assistant secondary coach (2014). In his three seasons with the Seahawks, the team advanced to two Super Bowls, earning a victory in Super Bowl XLVIII, while the defense allowed the fewest passing yards per game in 2014.
Matt Citak: Center John Michael Schmitz. I was tempted to go with Theo Johnson here, but the 6-foot-6 tight end was starting to heat up in his final five games before suffering a season-ending foot injury. I do expect Johnson to take a leap in his second NFL season, which will provide the offense with another talented weapon, and has me turning my attention towards the Giants' third-year center.
Following an up-and-down rookie campaign in 2023, Schmitz showed some signs of improvement this past season. According to Pro Football Focus, the young center allowed two fewer pressures in 2024 (28) than in his first season with the Giants (30), while on the field for 162 more pass blocking snaps (646 snaps in 2024 vs. 484 in 2023). The analytics site also had Schmitz down for an improvement in the run game from Year 1 to Year 2, which was an encouraging sign from the young center. Schmitz did not allow a sack in the first six games of the season, a stretch that saw the Giants play the same five linemen for every single snap before losing Andrew Thomas to a season-ending foot injury. The 25-year-old center struggled in the Week 13 matchup against the Cowboys when he allowed three sacks, according to PFF, but totaled just three sacks allowed in his other 14 games combined. However, the number of total pressures he surrendered this past year is still too high.
While the underlying metrics showed some growth from Schmitz this past year, there is still plenty of room for him to improve even more. We often see offensive linemen make a significant leap in their third NFL season. If Schmitz could do this, it would help bring stability to the Giants' protection up front, which is especially key given the fact that their quarterback room is set to undergo a major transformation this offseason.
View photos of the Giants' 2024 rookie class in their first NFL season.
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New York Giants cornerback Dru Phillips (22)
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New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson (84)
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New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson (84)
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New York Giants cornerback Dru Phillips (22)]
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New York Giants guard Jake Kubas (63)
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New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29)
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New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29)
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New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29)
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New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29)
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New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1)
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