NFL expert remains unimpressed with New York Giants skill players | Sporting News

The New York Giants have much to prove going into the new season, but one NFL analyst remains unimpressed with the moves they made to better the skill positions.

Allowing Saquon Barkley to walk in free agency will undoubtedly lower the ceiling the offense, regardless of what the Giants thought his value was going to be on the open market.

In ranking the talent at running back, wide receiver and tight end for every team, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has the Giants sitting at No. 29.

That spot is down two from the 2023 season and up one from the 2022 season.

When it comes to addition of rookie sensation Malik Nabers, Barnwell is skeptical that the young receiver can carry the offense by himself.

At the same time, even if Nabers pans out, there’s no guarantee he will play like a No. 1 option during his rookie season. Just six of the 27 wideouts drafted in the top 10 over the past 20 years have topped 1,000 yards in their debut campaigns. Even acknowledging that some of those guys were limited to a maximum of 16 games, those aren’t great odds.

If Nabers is anything short of spectacular as a rookie, this won’t be a pretty offense.

Losing Barkley definitely takes away some of the explosiveness of the offense. Devin Singletary is a fine early-down back, and rookie Tyrone Tracy will mix in as well. But it would be surprising if they together matched Barkley’s production.

The Giants have a pretty solid quartet at wide receiver, though. Nabers has the chance to be a true alpha. Darius Slayton, as Barnwell mentioned, has been an underrated asset in the league. Meanwhile, Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt can provide value in niche roles as a quick-winning slot option and a vertical threat, respectively.

The tight end position has question marks. Even if Darren Waller was still around, he often dealt with injuries. The fate of that room will depend heavily on the development of Daniel Bellinger and Theo Johnson.

The Giants need to give Daniel Jones as much help as possible so there’s a lot riding on these three skill positions.