EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—One of the NFL’s flagship franchises is now on its fifth head coach in eight seasons, and third general manager in six seasons. And yet, this year does feel different, in that, finally, ownership (maybe for the first time … ever?) wiped the slate clean and didn’t reach back into its past to find people to run its football operation. The Mara family have also allowed new coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen to build from zero. How does it look at the ground floor? Let’s dive in …
1) Running back Saquon Barkley has impressed through camp—his burst and acceleration are back to where the Giants had hoped they would be, and in time for a fork-in-the-road sort of season for the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NFL draft. One other nice backfield development in camp has come in the form of unexpected depth behind Barkley, with hard-running backs Antonio Williams and Gary Brightwell putting together solid summers, and bidding for roles in the offense.
2) The receiver group is a little scattershot and, as a result, you could make an argument that rookie Wan’dale Robinson might already be their player at the position. Brian Daboll’s got a readymade role for him too, one that’s not far off from the one wide receivers Isaiah McKenzie and Cole Beasley played for Daboll in Buffalo, or the one that Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola filled while he was in New England.
