Giants barely functional without healthy Andrew Thomas: 29 thoughts on 29 offensive players

With the offseason ramping up as New York Giants personnel scouts college all-star games, here’s a final thought on every offensive player on this season’s roster:

Quarterbacks

• Daniel Jones: It’s staggering how much Jones’ performance plummeted after signing a four-year, $160 million contract during the 2023 offseason. In 16 starts in 2022, Jones went 9-6-1 while completing 67.2% of his passes for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 92.5 passer rating. He added 120 carries for 708 yards and seven touchdowns.

Jones made 16 starts during the 2023-24 seasons, going 3-13 while completing 64.7% of his passes for 3,165 yards, 11 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and a 76.6 passer rating. He added 107 carries for 471 yards and three touchdowns.

Whatever the reasons for the decline — regression, injuries, poor supporting cast, coaching — it has to keep Giants’ brass up at night that Jones’ performance dropped off a cliff immediately after signing the extension.

• Drew Lock: There was speculation Lock’s incentives contributed to the Giants’ decision to leapfrog him on the depth chart for third-stringer Tommy DeVito after Jones’ Week 12 benching. That never seemed like a realistic consideration. Lock had $3 million available in incentives tied to performance, playing time and team success. Of those incentives, $1 million were based on Lock’s playing time and the Giants reaching the playoffs, so there was no shot of him attaining that with the Giants 2-8 at the time of Jones’ benching.

For the playing time-only incentives, Lock stood to collect $250,000 for playing 40-49% of the offensive snaps for the season, another $250,000 for 50-59%, another $250,000 for 60-69% and another $250,000 for 70% or more. Lock played 28.5% of the offensive snaps this season. If he had played every available snap after Jones’ benching, Lock would have played 39.8% of the snaps, so he would have fallen just short of the lowest threshold.

Lock’s performance-based incentives were $250,000 for a 92.5 passer rating; $250,000 for a 65% completion rate; $250,000 for 15 touchdown passes and an 88 passer rating; and $250,000 for 2,000 passing yards and an 88 passer rating. All of those categories required at least 224 pass attempts. Lock tallied 181 attempts. He likely would have topped 224 pass attempts if he was the only quarterback after Jones’ benching. But Lock had a 75.5 passer rating, so he wouldn’t have come close to reaching any of the incentives with that measure included. He also completed 59.1% of his passes, which fell far short of that threshold.

In conclusion, it’s highly unlikely the Giants jumped Lock in the pecking order because they were concerned with potentially losing $250,000 in playing time incentives.

• Tommy DeVito: DeVito was unable to recapture any of the magic from his rookie season when he improbably was the starter during a three-game winning streak. DeVito suffered a forearm injury late in a 30-7 loss to the Buccaneers in his first start after Jones’ benching in Week 12. He reclaimed the starting job in Week 15 when Lock was sidelined by injury, but he left the 35-14 loss to the Ravens at halftime with a concussion. DeVito is an exclusive rights free agent, so he’ll return on a one-year, $1 million contract with no guaranteed money. But DeVito could be squeezed out of a roster spot as the Giants overhaul their quarterback room.

• Tim Boyle: Some backup quarterbacks go years without playing. Boyle has repeatedly found his way onto the field the past two seasons despite being buried on the depth chart initially. That continued with the Giants, as Boyle played the second half of the Week 15 loss to the Ravens after DeVito’s concussion. Boyle, who had signed four weeks earlier, completed 12-of-24 passes for 123 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his lone appearance for the Giants.

Running backs

• Tyrone Tracy Jr.: Tracy’s raw numbers as a rookie fifth-round pick were impressive. He finished 25th in the NFL with 839 yards rushing and 22nd with a 4.4 yards per carry average. Tampa Bay’s Bucky Irving was the only rookie ahead of Tracy in those categories.

Tracy was particularly explosive, ranking 14th in the NFL with 31.3% of his yardage coming on runs of 15-plus yards. His explosiveness took over when a play was blocked well. The next step for Tracy will be improving his consistency. His 0.07 rushing yards over expected average per attempt ranked 33rd in the league. Tracy averaged 1.7 yards per carry after contact, which ranked 51st in the league.

Tracy already is a hit as a productive fifth-round pick. But he still has room to grow considering he’s only played running back for two years after transitioning from wide receiver late in his college career.

• Devin Singletary: It was understandable the Giants prioritized signing a veteran running back after losing Saquon Barkley in free agency last offseason. But Singletary’s three-year, $16.5 million contract doesn’t represent good value, especially with Tracy’s emergence. Singletary’s $6.3 million cap hit in 2025 is the 13th-highest among running backs. The 27-year-old averaged a career-low 3.9 yards per carry and didn’t top eight carries in a game after Week 4.

• Eric Gray: Gray couldn’t carve out a role in the backfield even after a prime opportunity opened with Barkley’s departure. Gray has 31 carries for 79 yards in two seasons. Compounding matters, the 2023 fifth-round pick has six career fumbles. Gray’s roster spot figures to be in jeopardy if the Giants add a back in a draft class loaded at the position.

• Dante Miller: Miller spent most of the season on the practice squad, but he was rewarded with an elevation to the active roster for the finale. That gave Miller three games on the active roster this season, which means he gets a credited season. Credited seasons are important for benefits. As for the immediate future, the speedy Miller will be back for another crack at earning a permanent roster spot.

Wide receiver Malik Nabers delivered one of the best rookie seasons in Giants history in 2024. (Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)

Wide receivers

• Malik Nabers: Nabers had a monster rookie season, setting a franchise record with 109 catches. Here’s how his rookie season compared to Odell Beckham Jr.’s debut in 2014:

Beckham was more explosive, while Nabers took on a much heavier volume. A key difference is Beckham’s production came with Eli Manning at quarterback, while Nabers had Jones, Lock, DeVito and Boyle.

• Darius Slayton: It’s no wonder Slayton was such a big supporter of Jones. In nine games with Jones this season, Slayton averaged 3.6 catches and 52.1 yards. That rate would have produced 60 catches for 886 yards over 17 games. Those would have been career-highs and would have set up Slayton nicely for free agency. Slayton totaled just seven catches for 104 yards in the seven games after Jones’ benching.

• Wan’Dale Robinson: Robinson finished 13th in the NFL with 93 catches, but his 699 yards ranked 51st. His 7.5 yards per catch ranked 76th out of 76 qualifying receivers. Cleveland’s Elijah Moore had the next lowest yards per catch at 8.8. Robinson’s role didn’t give him a chance to produce yardage, as he had the second lowest air yards per target among wide receivers. The 5-foot-8, 185-pound Robinson’s frame presents limitations, but the Giants need to make him more than a short passing target who has to fight for yards after every catch.

• Jalin Hyatt: Hyatt is the biggest loser of the return of general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll. The 2023 third-round pick was unhappy after losing his starting job to Slayton during training camp and never made an impact in limited action. Hyatt finished the season with just eight catches for 62 yards, failing to display the big-play ability he flashed in his rookie season. It will be interesting to see if Hyatt requests a trade this offseason.

• Bryce Ford-Wheaton: Ford-Wheaton recently underwent shoulder surgery, according to a league source. Ford-Wheaton dislocated his shoulder multiple times during the season but played through the injury as a core special teamer. Ford-Wheaton will likely be sidelined during the spring as he recovers from the surgery.

• Ihmir Smith-Marsette: The Giants signed Smith-Marsette in Week 2 after returner Gunner Olszewski suffered a season-ending groin injury before the opener. Like Olszewski in 2023, the in-season signing of Smith-Marsette paid off. He averaged 34.6 yards on 11 kickoff returns, including a 100-yard touchdown in Week 17.

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Tight ends

• Theo Johnson: Johnson’s production spiked in the five games before he suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 13. After averaging 1.6 catches for 16.4 yards in the first seven games, Johnson averaged 3.6 catches for 43.2 yards in his final five games. The fourth-round rookie has some rough edges to smooth out — his blocking was inconsistent and his 11.6% drop rate was the ninth-highest in the league. But the 6-foot-6, 264-pounder has enticing physical tools that started to surface as a threat on seam passes as the season progressed.

• Daniel Bellinger: Bellinger became the forgotten man with Johnson taking over as the No. 1 tight end and Chris Manhertz used as a blocker. Bellinger made just three catches for 31 yards in the first 12 games. He tallied eight catches for 80 yards in the first two games after Johnson’s injury, before disappearing again from the passing game. The 2022 fourth-round pick has settled in as a depth tight end after showing more promise as a rookie.

• Chris Manhertz: Manhertz’s longevity is remarkable. Undrafted in 2015 after playing basketball at Canisius, Manhertz just finished his ninth NFL season. Manhertz has managed to stick around despite catching just 29 passes for 301 yards because of his blocking prowess. As the Giants seek leadership, they should re-sign the consummate professional to another minimum contract.

• Greg Dulcich: The Giants took a flier on Dulcich, claiming the 2022 third-round pick off waivers in Week 13. Dulcich, who had 33 catches for 411 yards as a rookie, wasn’t able to make an impression while playing a handful of snaps in the final five games of the season. Dulcich is signed through 2025, so he’ll have a full offseason to show if he can be a contributor.

Offensive linemen

• Andrew Thomas: There are too many variables involved to tie a team’s fate to one player, particularly an offensive lineman. But it’s impossible to ignore how damaging Thomas’ extended absences have been the past two seasons.

The Giants are 6-10 with Thomas on the field the past two seasons. So, they’ve still been bad, but at least a somewhat competitive team. In the 18 games Thomas has missed, the Giants are 3-15. So, they’ve been barely functional without the left tackle in the lineup. The obvious takeaway is that the Giants need Thomas to stay healthy next season.

• Jon Runyan: Runyan said after the finale that he played the entire season with a separated shoulder, but he was hoping to avoid surgery. He already had tight-rope surgery for a high-ankle sprain and surgery to repair a torn deltoid ligament on his inner ankle. He suffered those season-ending injuries in Week 14. The injuries cut short what was a solid but unspectacular debut season in New York after Runyan signed a three-year, $30 million contract last year.

• John Michael Schmitz: Schmitz missed the final two games of the season with an ankle injury. He has missed six games in his first two seasons after missing only one due to injury in his final three college seasons. Schmitz improved from a poor rookie season, but more was expected when the Giants took him in the second round of the 2023 draft.

• Greg Van Roten: Van Roten was a stabilizing presence after signing a one-year, $3 million contract early in training camp. Van Roten didn’t miss a snap, starting the first 15 games at right guard before shifting to center after Schmitz got hurt. The 34-year-old Van Roten also added leadership to a young team lacking veterans. The Giants should seek an upgrade at right guard this offseason, but it would be worthwhile to bring back the Long Island native as cheap depth if he’s interested.

• Jermaine Eluemunor: The obvious move after Thomas suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 6 was to shift Eluemunor from right tackle to left tackle. But the Giants resisted initially, using Josh Ezeudu and Chris Hubbard at left tackle for three games. When those experiments failed, Eluemunor switched sides and provided credible left tackle play.

Eluemunor wasn’t thrilled about the move because he wants to establish himself as a premier right tackle. The 30-year-old has one more year remaining on the modest two-year, $14 million contract he signed last offseason. He’s hoping to cash in next year if he has a strong season at right tackle.

• Evan Neal: It’s easy to forget the Giants were planning to start Neal at right tackle again until he wasn’t ready to return from ankle surgery at the start of training camp. That forced the Giants to shift Eluemunor from guard to tackle and sign Van Roten. Those moves fortified the line, while Neal didn’t seem to be part of the equation as he was behind Ezeudu and Hubbard in the pecking order at tackle.

Neal finally got his shot at right tackle in Week 10, and he made seven starts before missing the finale with rib and hip injuries. Neal was a strong run blocker, but he remained a liability in pass protection. It’s time to move Neal to guard as the seventh pick in the 2022 draft enters the final year of his rookie contract.

• Josh Ezeudu: It’s hard to understand why the Giants kept Ezeudu at tackle after he struggled so much in place of Thomas during the 2023 season. But that’s where Ezeudu remained all offseason, and he was again inserted at left tackle after Thomas’ injury this season. Ezeudu struggled early in his first action of the season against the Eagles in Week 7 before settling down. But the coaching staff pulled the plug after that game and turned to Hubbard, who had been signed off the 49ers’ practice squad.

Ezeudu struggled when injuries pressed him back into action at left tackle in Week 14. He finally got work at guard in the season finale. The 2022 third-round pick should remain at guard because it’s become abundantly clear the past two seasons that he’s not a tackle.

• Aaron Stinnie: Stinnie’s shot at starting disappeared when Van Roten was signed. Stinnie was a backup all season before taking over at left guard when Runyan got injured in Week 14. The journeyman provided the expected replacement-level play in his three starts.

• Chris Hubbard: Hubbard was signed off the 49ers’ practice squad after Thomas’ injury. Despite mostly playing right tackle during his 11-year career, Hubbard was immediately inserted as the starting left tackle. He struggled in two starts and was sent to the bench when Eluemunor switched sides. Hubbard made two more starts later in the season when Eluemunor missed time with a quad injury. It’s tough to patch offensive line holes on the fly, which the Hubbard experiment confirmed.

• Jake Kubas: An undrafted rookie, Kubas made the 53-man roster but didn’t play in the first 11 games. Interior line injuries opened the door for Kubas to make starts at both guard spots in the final three games. His most memorable moments came in a 14-11 loss to the Saints in Week 14. Kubas was flagged for unnecessary roughness to negate a field goal and then was leapt over on a blocked tying field goal attempt in the final seconds. Kubas should provide cheap depth with the potential for development next season.

• Austin Schlottmann: Schlottmann suffered a broken fibula in practice before the season opener. He remained on injured reserve until Week 17 and didn’t play an offensive snap in the final two games. Signed to a two-year, $2.8 million contract last offseason, Schlottmann will return to provide interior depth.

(Top photo of Andrew Thomas: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)