Cracking in at #9 is the New York Giants…who would’ve thought.
After a very bad rookie season where he finished 59th/79 in PFF rankings, Andrew Thomas has only gotten better, finishing in the top 20 the last three seasons, including 3rd in 2022 with a 90.3 grade. Last offseason, Thomas signed a massive five-year, $117.5 million extension, that made him the second-highest paid tackle in the league.
Xavier McKinney has been an absolute stud at safety. After missing much of his rookie year with a foot fracture, he started 16 games his second season and had five interceptions and finished 14th among all safeties in PFF grade. He suffered a broken hand in 2022 and only played nine games. His 2023 season was his best as finished seven among safeties in tackles, was PFF’s #4 safety, and was the #1 safety in coverage grade while not missing a single snap. McKinney is a very very good young player (still 24 years old) and will be paid as such.
Offensive linemen Matt Peart and Shane Lemieux have had similar careers. Both have missed a lot of time with injury and have started a handful of games, but never the top starter choice.
Darnay Holmes has had an up and down career with 11 starts in 54 games, bouncing between starting and backup nickelback. A pair of backup linebackers round up the remaining players still with the team in Cam Brown and Carter Coughlin, with each playing less than 10 defensive snaps total the last two seasons and exclusively on special teams.
T.J. Brunson was a weekly inactive as a rookie and only played five games, then missed 2021 with a torn ACL before getting released. Chris Williamson spent his rookie year on the practice squad and has had stints with the Falcons, Lions, and Titans practice squad.
Tae Crowder actually started all 17 games in 2021 and led the team with 130 tackles, sandwiched between seasons where started half the games. He was released by the end of the 2022 season and has had short stints with the Steelers, Chargers, and Titans.
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