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Three reasons to be optimistic about the New York Giants
Three reasons to be optimistic about the New York Giants,Nine wins and a playoff berth later, things are finally looking up for "Big Blue." Here’s why.

Three reasons to be optimistic about the New York Giants

After  ending the Dave Gettleman/Joe Judge era, New York circled the wagons around the Buffalo Bills last offseason and hired Joe Schoen as GM and Brian Daboll as head coach. Nine wins and a playoff berth later, things are finally looking up for “Big Blue.” Here’s why:

1. Coach Daboll

Daboll hasn’t had a losing season since 2018 when he was the Bills offensive coordinator. He was named the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year after leading the Giants to a 9-7-1 record and their first playoff appearance since 2016. 

Daboll quickly established a winning culture by optimizing talent already on the roster. Players who struggled under Judge, such as Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones and Dexter Lawrence, flourished under Daboll.

Lawrence had nine sacks in three years before Daboll and 7.5 sacks in 2022 alone. Barkley regained his rookie form in 2022 by rushing for 10 touchdowns and a career-high 1,312 yards. Jones’ 92.5 quarterback rating under Daboll was the best of his career, and he’s another big reason why New York should feel optimistic.

With their defeat against the #Colts today, Daniel Jones and his New York #Giants are officially playoff bound! pic.twitter.com/uUmEx16x4w

— Rudy Gray (@rudygray32) January 1, 2023

2. Daniel Jones

The Giants have their quarterback. The sixth overall pick in 2019  answered his critics in 2023 with 3,205 passing yards and 708 rushing yards, both career highs. His final game of the season –a 38-7 loss in the divisional playoff round to the Eagles — didn’t go well, but he played good football otherwise.

In Week 7, he ran for 107 yards in a win against Jacksonville. In his last regular-season game, he had four touchdowns (two rushing, two passing), 91 yards rushing and only five incompletions against the Colts. In his first playoff game, Jones threw for 301 yards and rushed for 78 yards to beat the Vikings on the road.

Jones deserves to be the starter and has earned a bigger contract. Just how big is up for debate, but luckily for him, New York has the money to spend.

3. Cap room

Per Spotrac, the Giants have a little more than $41 million in cap room for 2023, the fourth-highest number in the league. If the team releases free-agent bust WR Kenny Golladay, as expected, it will add another $18 million.

New York is in a good position. Among last year’s playoff teams, only the Giants, Bengals, Ravens and Seahawks rank in the top 10 for available cap space. Jones and Barkley will get a lot of that money, but with so much to spend, the team can afford to sign both without gutting the roster.