The New York Giants will kick off their 99th season in the NFL on Sunday, Sept. 10 when they host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.
There’s optimism that New York can improve on their 9-7-1 record from a season ago, in large part due to the offensive weapons they added this offseason. On paper, this is the best set of offensive playmakers the team has had in the post-Eli Manning era.
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Next Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Cowboys will be a good barometer of what to expect from the offense this season. With all of that in mind, let’s make some bold predictions for what some New York Giants players on offense will do in the 2023 NFL season.
Daniel Jones will be named to his first Pro Bowl
Last season under head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Jones had the finest season of his career setting career highs in completion percentage (67.2), QBR (62.9), and rushing yards (708). More importantly, he put his turnover woes behind him and led the team to its first playoff berth since 2016.
Now with the additions of Darren Waller, Parris Campbell, and Jalin Hyatt, he’s poised to progress even further in year two of the Daboll/Kafka system. Everyone who has watched him this summer has said he seems more confident, and his passes have more zip on his ball. Making the Pro Bowl may not be as prestigious of an honor as it used to be, but the 26-year-old quarterback will earn his first trip to the yearly event this season.
Darren Waller will be the first Giant since OBJ to have 1,000 receiving yards
Few players across the NFL have received as much praise for their performance in training camp as Darren Waller. He’s been uncoverable in practice and has quickly earned the respect of his teammates and coaching staff and was selected as one of the team captains.
“He’s done a good job. I know we’ve talked about him quite a bit this summer, but he’s come in and he’s learned our system. We’ve had good communication as to some of the stuff that he likes to do or had done and introduced him to some of the stuff that we think he could do well to help us.” Daboll said of the 30-year-old tight end.
Waller will be used in a variety of ways and is clearly the number one option in New York’s passing game. As a result, he’ll become the first Giant since Odell Beckham Jr. in 2018 to have over 1,000 receiving yards.
Saquon Barkley will earn all his New York Giants contract incentives
There were concerns this summer that Barkley might hold out due to the fact that he and the New York Giants could not agree to a new long-term deal and that he hadn’t signed the franchise tag that would have paid him $10.091 million.
But the superstar running back signed a one-year deal just before the start of training camp that could push the value of the deal to $11 million if reaches a few incentives.
Those incentives are, that he must score at least 11 touchdowns, must have 65 receptions or more, must have at least 1,350 rushing yards, and the team must qualify for the playoffs. Barley hasn’t had more than 65 receptions since his rookie season in 2018, and he’s never rushed for more than 1,312 yards in a season. But the 26-year-old running back will defy the odds and accomplish these feats.
Jalin Hyatt will lead all rookie receivers in yards per reception
Nine receivers were picked ahead of Jalin Hyatt in this year’s draft. A case could be made that Hyatt has as much big-play ability as any of the receivers taken ahead of him due to his speed.
We saw a glimpse of Hyatt’s speed when he caught a 33-yard touchdown from Tyrod Taylor in New York Giant’s second preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. It’s unlikely Hyatt sees the number of targets as others in his draft class, but he will lead all rookie receivers in yards per reception.
Andrew Thomas will make First-Team All-Pro
Since being taken with the fourth pick in the 2020 draft, Thomas has improved each year that he’s been in the league. Last season, the 24-year-old developed into one of the best left tackles in the league and was voted Second-Team All-Pro.
The Giants rewarded him with a new five-year $117.5 million contract extension because they believe he’ll progress even further. Thomas will prove the team right as he will be named First-Team All-Pro in 2023.