Sportsnaut
As we’re just days away from the start of the 2025 NFL regular season, many aren’t expecting the New York Giants to fare much better than their 3-14 record from a season ago.
You can understand the pessimism since their win total has dropped by three games each season under the Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll regime.
But after a busy offseason that saw massive upgrades at key positions, there are reasons to believe things are turning in the right direction.
Here are the top three reasons why the Giants will be one of the surprise teams in the NFL this year.
While all positions matter, the three most important spots on an NFL roster are quarterback, left tackle, and edge rusher. The Giants have improved dramatically in all three areas heading into the season.
At quarterback, the team will be led this season by 10-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson. He boasts a career 3.15 touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio, which ranks fourth-best in NFL history, and a career record of 121-77-1. His play and leadership will help Big Blue win close games that they lost in the past.
New York also traded back into the first round and selected Jaxson Dart as their quarterback of the future. Dart looked spectacular in the preseason and appears ready to take over as the starter whenever the team decides to make a change.
If injuries strike Wilson or Dart, the Giants have the best third quarterback in the league in Jameis Winston, who has appeared in 105 career games. Seldom do we see teams with three capable quarterbacks, which means they’re equipped to handle any situation that arises.
Andrew Thomas is, without question, one of the best left tackles in the league when healthy. However, over the last two seasons, he has rarely been available.
He played in just six games in 2024 due to a Lisfranc injury and missed seven games in 2023 with a pulled hamstring. Thomas appears to have recovered from his Lisfranc injury, although Daboll on Monday wouldn’t commit that his All-Pro tackle will play Sunday against the Washington Commanders.
In the 18 games Thomas has missed over the last two seasons, the Giants went 3-15. When he returns to action this season, the team will be greatly improved. Should he go down again with an injury, they’re in a better position to replace him with fifth-round pick Marcus Mbow and James Hudson III.
The third area where Big Blue improved this offseason was taking Abdul Carter with the third overall pick. Carter is expected to break the team’s franchise record for sacks in a season by a rookie, and he’s the overwhelming favorite to be named Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The former Penn State edge rusher lived up to the hype during training camp as teammates and opponents have praised him highly. If Carter plays up to expectations, not only will he have individual success, but...
