Second-round rookie Xavier McKinney looks set to make his Giants debut Sunday. The Alabama product is now on New York’s active roster after a Saturday activation from IR.
McKinney suffered a broken foot in August, and the Giants ended Logan Ryan‘s lengthy free agency stay soon after. Both should be in uniform Sunday. The Giants also activated linebacker Tae Crowder from IR.
The Giants have McKinney lined up as a presumptive long-term replacement for Landon Collins, another second-round pick out of Alabama. Ryan is on a one-year contract, and Jabrill Peppers is signed through 2021 on a guaranteed-for-injury-only fifth-year option. Saturday’s move could allow Ryan to play more at cornerback, though McKinney will likely be eased into action.
Despite the Giants cutting 2019 first-round cornerback DeAndre Baker and doing little to address their edge-rushing need this offseason — a deficiency compounded by the team trading Markus Golden in October — Patrick Graham‘s defense has played well, all things considered. The Giants, who remain in playoff contention despite having the NFC’s second-worst record, rank 12th in points allowed this season.
Obviously McCarthy has been by far the worst head coaching hire for 2020. However, the other four have been fairly promising thus far. Which do you guys believe has been most impressive thus far?
Rivera took over the WFT during a tumultuous period and has established a sense of culture and consistency. Alex Smith looks to have made a smooth comeback and while the team isn’t laden with upside, they can wind you down with tough defense and a ball-control offense.
Meanwhile, the Giants are playing excellent defense considering their lack of personnel. Judge was panned as a reach by most analysts, but the Giants somehow have a chance to win the division despite some pessimistic projections heading into the season. Furthermore, Jones has finally cut down on the turnovers.
Stefanski has used Cleveland’s powerful offensive line to his advantage and instituted a monstrous run game led by Chubb and Hunt. The defense is finally playing up to expectations despite a questionable linebacking corp. The team has struggled against divisional opponents, but perhaps this can be attributed to Mayfield’s inconsistency above all else.
Even Rhule has Carolina outperforming expectations. I would credit the offensive success to Brady, but what was supposed to be the leagues worst defense is at least giving the team a chance. Young pieces such as Burns, Brown, and Gross-Matos look promising.
What do you guys think?