5 New York Giants burning questions ahead of the 2024 season

We’re just days away from the start of the New York Giants’ 100th NFL season as they host the Minnesota Vikings in the Week 1 opener on Sunday, September 8th. After a disappointing 6-11 record last year, the 2024 season is a pivotal one for the Joe Schoen/Brian Daboll regime. Another disappointing season could force ownership to make a major change.

There are many questions concerning the team after an offseason that saw them allow Saquon Barkley to leave via free agency and acquire Brian Burns in a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Panthers.

Here are the top five questions for the Giants heading into this season.

Will Daniel Jones have the best season of his career?

How Daniel Jones performs this year will be the biggest determining factor of how the team will fare this season. If you watched how he played in the Giants’ second preseason game against the Houston Texans, it’s hard to be optimistic about Jones.

If you watched the Hard Knocks series, it was obvious the team was looking to move on from Jones if Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye were available. It’s evident if the 27-year-old quarterback continues with his erratic play and inability to stay healthy, this will be his last season with the team.

Fortunately for Jones, on paper, he has the best offensive line and receivers he’s ever had in his career. Now the question is, can he play the best football of his career? That is what it will take for the team to have a winning season and for him to be the quarterback beyond this year.

Is the offensive line finally fixed?

After surrendering 85 sacks last season, Joe Schoen prioritized rebuilding the offensive line this offseason, and he accomplished this on the first day of free agency when he signed Jon Runyan Jr and Jermaine Eluemunor. Then, in the summer, he signed veteran offensive lineman Greg Van Roten.

At a glance, the new acquisitions should make the line vastly better than it was a season ago. But as we all know, it takes time for a line to gel together, and that could be challenging since the projected starting line did not play a single snap together in the preseason.

If the line can hold its own against opposing defenses and keep Jones upright and open lanes for Devin Singletary and the rest of the running backs, this will allow Brian Daboll to open up his playbook and make the offense more dynamic.

Can Malik Nabers live up to the hype?

Malik Nabers comes into this season with high expectations. Can he become the first Giants receiver since 2018 to have 1,000 receiving yards and make an immediate impact, just as fellow former LSU receivers Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase did in their rookie seasons?

The sixth overall pick in the draft has made some spectacular catches during training camp and has all the tools to be an elite receiver for many years to come. The offense will run through the 21-year-old rookie receiver as he will have well over 100 targets on the season. The question is, will his play live up to the enormous hype surrounding him?

If he plays up to expectations, the passing game will thrive, and Nabers will be one of the favorites to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Will Brian Burns make New York’s front seven elite?

Throughout the franchise’s history, the Giants have always been at their best when they have a dominant front seven that can impose its will on their opponents.

This is why Joe Schoen orchestrated a trade with the Carolina Panthers to acquire two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Brian Burns. With Kayvon Thibodeaux playing on the opposite side of Burns, the Giants should have one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the league.

With Burns and Thibodeaux rushing off the edge and with Dexter Lawrence and linebacker Bobby Okereke clogging up the middle, the front seven is without question the team’s strength. The addition of Burns will help the defense improve on the 27^th ranking from last season, but if he can help them become a top-10 unit, then New York will be in contention for a playoff berth.

How will New York’s young secondary fare?

Although the team brought back Adoree’ Jackson on a one-year deal last week, the secondary is young, and no one has emerged as a star yet. There’s optimism that second-year corner Deonte Banks can develop into a top-tier corner, and rookie safety Tyler Nubin can be the ball hawk he was in college when he had 13 career interceptions.

Under new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, the defense will play more zone than it did in the previous two years under Wink Martindale. Sometimes there can be growing pains learning a new scheme, especially for a young secondary, and opposing offenses will try to exploit this perceived weakness in the defense.

The Giants will face one of the best receivers in the league Week 1 in Justin Jefferson, which will be a good first test to see how they’ll hold up this season.