Biggest Strength and Weakness for each NFC East team in 2023
New York Giants
The Giants surprised everyone with their play leading up to and in the playoffs last season. They won’t be able to take teams by surprise this season and are going to need to get better if they want to unseat the defending NFC East champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. They’ve done a nice job of adding players but they’re still going to be leaning heavily on their biggest strength if they want to have any chance of returning to the playoffs and beyond.
Strength – Defensive Line
The Giants have always been a team that has prided themselves on having a tough defensive front that will make things easier for their secondary and linebacker group. That tradition continues with Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence, and now they’ve added A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Akeem Nunez-Roches in the middle of this defense. Making it clear that if you’re going to beat this defense you’re going to need to throw the football to do it. Add the fact that you have Kayvon Thibodeaux coming off the edge and this defensive line is a big and tough unit that can cause problems for any offensive line.
This group was ravaged by injuries last season and if they can stay healthy they have a chance to carry this team on another playoff run much like the defensive lines of the past have done for the Giants. But if this team really wants to make a splash this season they’re going to need a huge leap forward from their biggest weakness.
Weakness – Wide Receivers
The Giants have always been a team with a great receiver that had led the group and helped keep the offense on the field and make plays when they really needed one. Now the team has had to rely on running back Saquon Barkley’s legs and receiving to move the football more often than not. If teams were able to coral Barkley then it was left up to quarterback Daniel Jones to improvise on the fly which led to him running to football. By the end of the season, Jones had more rushing yards (708) than all of his receivers except for Darius Slayton (724). If you expect your offense to be successful then this receiving group is going to need to do a better job of creating space and winning off the line so Jones can deliver the football.
Teams will be more aware of Jones and his ability to run with the football and will be better prepared to stop that from happening. If this team can find a 1,000-yard receiver then they have a chance to do big things, if not then they’ll continue to be the third-best team in the division.