As the old saying goes, defense wins championships and the Giants are no stranger to that. They beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII and XLVI by holding them to a combined 31 points. However, the last decade has not been kind to them as the last time they won the NFC East was that Super Bowl season in 2011-12. During this offseason, it is clear that they wanted to beef up the defense in order to get back to those old winning ways. They brought in outside linebacker Brian Burns, who is one of the best young pass rushers in the league. While they might not compete with the Cowboys and Eagles for the division title this year, he could be the difference maker on defense and give this team a few more wins on the season.

Much has changed in the two years since Brian Daboll was hired as Giants head coach. In 2022, expectations were low, but the team managed to sneak into the playoffs with a 9-7-1 record and win a Wild Card game against the Minnesota Vikings. Last season, the Giants finished third in the NFC East with a 6-11 record. There were murmurs about head coach Brian Daboll being on the hot seat, despite having a lackluster roster and finishing just his second year at the helm. It seems as though the front office has responded by giving not only their coach some support, but their roster as well.

The biggest move general manager Joe Schoen made in free agency was bringing in Burns. Burns, 26, spent his first five seasons with the Carolina Panthers and was one of the few bright spots on their roster during his tenure. He racked up 46 sacks, 8 forced fumbles, and 13 pass deflections in Carolina, making his presence known by displaying a multi-faceted and physical play style. That play earned him two Pro Bowl appearances in 2021 and 2022 and there should be more to come. Adding him to a defensive line that features fellow outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeux and nose tackle Dexter Lawrence poses a problem for opposing offenses.

However, this league is a business and big additions cannot be made with subtractions. The biggest blow for the G-Men was the departure of star safety Xavier McKinney. At just 24 years old, he was a team captain who was undoubtedly the best player in that Giants secondary. In March, he signed a four-year, $68 million deal with the Green Bay Packers. Schoen decided to address the position by signing former Patriots safety Jalen Mills to a one-year, $1,377,500 million deal and selecting Minnesota Golden Gophers safety Tyler Nubin in the second round of this year’s draft. Both safeties come in as unknowns, however, as Mills has been plagued by injuries and inconsistent play in his career and Nubin is a rookie.

Outside of the Burns addition, the lack of stars around the existing defense may not entice fantasy owners to pick them up this year. Even though their unit forced the most turnovers in the league last year, they finished 26th in points allowed and 27th overall and were often tired because of the team’s inefficient offense. Fantasy owners should also be wary of this defense since there is a new coordinator in charge. Shane Bowen, who spent the last three seasons as the Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator, has taken over after Wink Martindale mutually parted ways with the team following the season. It should be noted that Martindale and Daboll’s relationship was tumultuous, and Daboll’s affinity for Bowen and his philosophy may change the fortunes of this struggling defense.

The wait-and-see approach for the defense may scare fantasy owners and fans alike, but if there is one silver lining for Big Blue it comes by way of their new star wide receiver Malik Nabers. Nabers, the LSU Tigers product, was taken by the Giants with the 6th overall pick in this year’s draft. He had a breakout year this past season down in the bayou, totaling 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns. The numbers were good enough to earn him First-Team All-SEC and Unanimous All-American honors. He joins a receiving room that sorely needs an upgrade, as their other weapons are Darius Slayton, WanDale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, Darren Waller, and Isaiah Hodgins who have dealt with injuries and production issues.

The receiving room also welcomes in 30-year-old veteran Allen Robinson, who will vie to be the WR2 they pair with the clear WR1 in Nabers. The key with Robinson is to rotate him due to his age and give him targets when he is on the field. In his last three seasons, he has only had a combined 105 receptions and it’s unlikely he will have a bounce-back season in this offense. This is a significant drop from his prime years in 2019 and 2020 with the Bears, where he had 98 and 102 receptions, respectively. If any fantasy owners are thinking of taking him in a very deep league, keep in mind that he is most likely a touchdown reliant, end zone threat at this stage of his career.

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