2021 New York Giants Depth Chart

Position	1	2	3
Quarterback	Daniel Jones	Mike Glennon	Joe Webb
Running Back	Saquon Barkley	DeDevonta Booker	Sandro Platzgummer
Wide Receiver 1	Kenny Golladay	John Ross	Dante Pettis
Wide Receiver 2	Darius Slayton	Rysen John
Wide Receiver 3	Sterling Shepard
Tight End	Evan Engram	Kyle Rudolph	Kaden Smith
Left Tackle	Andrew Thomas
Left Guard	Will Hernandez	Nick Gates
Center	Spencer Pulley	Casey Kreiter
Right Guard	Chad Slade	Shane Lemieux
Right Tackle	Nate Solder	Matt Peart	Jackson Dennis

New York Giants Outlook

There are a lot of question marks heading into the 2020 season for the New York Giants. Among those, and no surprise, is their offensive line. There have been a slew of running backs coming in and out of New York since the days of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, and before that, the glory days of Tiki Barber. What’s the one constant? A terrible blocking offensive line. There was quite a bit of hype for the signing of Rashad Jennings in 2014 after an electric year in Oakland the season prior. However, poor blocking from the offensive line for Jennings, and the running backs that have followed, has been the glaring weakness for the better part of a decade. They are hoping to turn this around by having enhanced their offensive line and drafted rookie running back, Saquon Barkley, number two overall in the 2018 draft. Aside from their offensive of line woes, the Giants have a tough schedule this season. They will face the reigning Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (as a Cowboys fan, this is incredibly difficult to write) twice this season. They will also face the Atlanta Falcons that are two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance, the Carolina Panthers that are a few years removed from a Super Bowl Appearance and led by a dynamic Cam Newton, the Jaguars that made it to the AFC Championship before losing to the Patriots by a mere four points, and the high-powered offense of the New Orleans Saints led by Drew Brees. It will be an interesting season for the New York Giants. My prediction would be a 6-10 season for the New York Football Giants.

Offensive Depth Chart

As far as the depth chart for the upcoming season there are four undisputed positions—Quarterback, running back, tight end, and wide receiver. Odell Beckham and Sterling Shepard have a firm grasp as the number one and two receivers, respectfully. Saquon Barkley is going to be the player-to-watch this year as the rookie is primed to make an immediate impact. Another interesting development will be how the aging Eli Manning plays. As a Texas Tech alum, I am excited to see David Webb take the next step in his professional career. If Manning is to miss any time then I would love to see what Webb can do since he has shown great presence in the pocket and has great accuracy. Similarly, if the Giants season ends up being a lost year towards the latter half of the season, the Giants very well may use Webb and their other quarterbacks to see what talent they have once Manning decides to hang it up. With the Giants offensive base grouping using the “12” personnel, featuring two wide receivers and two tight ends, another tight other than Evan Engram will have to step up in both pass catching and blocking schemes.

So which depth chart battles are the most intriguing this season? Veterans John Greco and John Jerry are vying for backup positions on the offensive line along with the younger Jon Halapio, Nick Becton, and Chad Wheeler. While the offensive line is not usually considered to be the “sexy” position, so backup offensive linemen is an even more insipid title. However, as previously mentioned, the offensive line could see a lot of changes and variations if they continue to block as poorly as they have in previous seasons. If Manning continues to be rushed and hit leading to interceptions, or if Barkley is unable to make it back to the line of scrimmage with being hit, then these backups could end up seeing significant playing time.

Defensive Depth Chart

With the offenses that the Giants are set to face this season with the Panthers, Eagles, and Saints, the defense is going to have their work cut out for them. So which defensive players are going to need to step up this season? A staple in the Giants defense has been safety, Landon Collins. Collins loves playing near the line of scrimmage at times so the ability for the other safety to be able to play center field and avoid getting burned by the deep ball will be crucial. In the Giants’ preseason game against Detroit it was Curtis Riley transitioning with Ross Cockrell. Based on the playing time it appears that Curtis Riley will be the safety to start the season opposite of Collins. Speaking of defensive staples—you cannot forget about Olivier Vernon at linebacker. While Barkley will most likely have the biggest impact on offense, Lorenzo Carter could make a positive impact on the line-backing corp and defense. Carter was the third round pick out of Georgia in this past draft. Carter could see an expanded role with Connor Barwin injured and still not practicing.