Giants: 3 reasons New York will return to postseason in 2023

The New York Giants stunned most of the NFL world by qualifying for a playoff berth in Year 1 of the Brian Daboll Era. Passionate New Yorkers out there will say otherwise, as the fanbase largely has always believed in Daniel Jones and his ability to be a starting-caliber quarterback.

Along with Jones witnessing a career year, running back Saquon Barkley shined as one of the best offensive players in the league. The former No. 2 overall pick eclipsed 1,300 yards on the ground while chipping in ten touchdowns and carrying a heavy workload most weeks.

Giants welcome Brian Daboll with immediate playoff success

This bounce-back performance led to the Giants slapping the franchise tag on Barkley as the two sides continue working on a long-term deal. The depth behind the Penn State alum is less than inspiring, so it will be crucial to the team’s success to have Barkley available in 2023.

The offensive line is slowly morphing into one of the top units in the NFC. Andrew Thomas is a bonafide franchise player on the blindside, and Evan Neal can only go up from here after posting one of the worst rookie stints in quite some time. Still, the traits that made him a top-seven pick are there in droves.

Where things start to get tricky is when looking at the pass-catching group. The beauty of having Daboll is that he can succeed with any assortment of weapons. The downside of committing to Danny Dimes is that he really needs help from his wideouts to be a difference-maker.

Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt are fun in theory, but neither profile as a true WR1 in the NFL. The rest of the room consists of Isaiah Hodgins, Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, and Parris Campbell… all of whom are fine players but do little to move the needle on their own.

Darren Waller and Daniel Bellinger even the scales out a bit with their pass-catching prowess at tight end, but each guy has to prove their durability. Waller has been in and out of the lineup throughout his career, while Bellinger suffered a freak injury to his eye. A healthy year from both would go a long way to alleviating concerns.

On defense, New York boasts a few players with superstar upside. Azeez Ojulari and Kayvon Thibodeaux could become a top pass-rushing duo in the league this season, plus rookie cornerback Deonte Banks finally gives the unit a franchise pillar in the secondary.

Free-agent addition Bobby Okereke is one of the best under-the-radar moves this offseason. He will man the middle of the defense and serve as the green dot player for the Giants. During Okereke’s time with the Colts, he always found the football. That level of intensity will be beneficial to the entire locker room.

Giants: 3 reasons New York will return to postseason in 2023

Now that we have a quick rundown of the roster, here are three reasons why the Giants will return to postseason play in 2023.