One!
That is the answer to the question: How many Pro Bowl players did the Giants officially produce
last season?
Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence was the team’s sole representative. A persuasive case could be made that linebacker Bobby Okereke, who had 149 tackles — ninth in the league — and edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who posted 11.5 sacks, were worthy.
Nevertheless, the Giants’ 6-11 record was an indicator they didn’t have superlative performances across their roster, so this season is a reset. What the Giants are or will become is yet to be determined as they move closer to Sunday’s (1:00 p.m.) regular season opener versus the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium, devoid of a conclusive positive identity.
One step in the process of being a squad with an unmistakable makeup is head coach Brian Daboll taking over the offensive play-calling duties. In his two previous seasons as the Giants’ head coach, Daboll delegated those responsibilities to offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.
“I’m the head coach, so I’m responsible for everything, whether it’s the defense, the special teams, the offense,” said Daboll on Tuesday.
The Giants’ 280 total yards per game last season ranked 29th out of the league’s 32 teams. They used the No. 6 overall pick in April’s draft to select dynamic wide receiver Malik Nabers to help rectify their offensive challenges, but have an unproven quarterback in Daniel Jones. They’re charged with getting him the ball, although he’s coming back from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered last November 5 in Week 9.
If there was a singular player who provided the Giants with a remnant of star power, it was running back Saquon Barkley, who was the face of the franchise from 2018 when he was drafted by the Giants with the second overall pick through last season. But Barkley departed to the Philadelphia Eagles — the Giants’ longtime NFC East division rival — via free-agency in March.
General manager Joe Schoen, Daboll, and first-year defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, who held the same title with the Tennessee Titans the past three seasons, have constructed what they believe can be a competitive group. The addition of two-time Pro-Bowl defensive end Brian Burns, in a trade with the Carolina Panthers in March, upgrades the talent base and enhances leadership.
Until the games are played, projections of the Giants’ prospects are primarily based on the belief that the past is predictive and an assessment of collective ability. Most pundits have them finishing near the bottom of the conference.
What’s in front of the Giants is an opportunity to prove critics wrong — or affirm their skepticism.
