New York Giants Week 10 Storylines: Picking Up the Pieces

To the football world, the 2-7 New York Giants 2023 season is over, finito, done, despite eight games remaining on the schedule.

But to general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, these next eight games, which will determine the final draft slot for the Giants, will be an evaluation period, a chance to see what some of their younger and lesser experienced players might have to offer and how they will develop as they get opportunities.

Such was the case the last time the Giants were in a similar situation in 2021, when after a somewhat promising 2020 season, the Giants ended up losing quarterback Daniel Jones to injury for the final six games of the season and had no choice but to play out the string of a season that, like the current one, is circling the drain.

But there was something good to emerge from that disastrous ending to the season. Young players who were given chances took advantage, such as left tackle Andrew Thomas, then in his second season, trying to prove to his critics that he wasn't the bust he appeared to be as a rookie.

Thomas made it work.

"I don’t remember exactly what our record was, but I know having your starting quarterback out is never ideal," Thomas said on Monday. "It was a similar situation – like we had some injuries on the offensive line, some moving parts--and that was around when I started to turn around as a player.

"I feel like, especially for our young guys, every snap you get is an opportunity to get better, so we can use this as a time to get better, hone in our crafts and put the best product on the field."

That means don't expect the Giants to give up to get a better draft position, either.

"I would say it’s easy if you are not a true competitor," Thomas said when asked how they might resist the urge to throw in the towel on the season. "I know the guys in the locker room. I know, speaking for myself, that we love the game of football, so obviously, it’s not the greatest situation as far as playoffs and things down the road, but we are just focusing on getting better and putting the best tape we can out for the next game."

That next game comes Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, who dismantled the Giants in Week 1 by a score of 40-0. The Giants enter Big D, a much different-looking team and one that, at best, can only hope to at least put up something that resembles more of a fight than they did in Week 1.

But admittedly, it's not going to be easy, no matter how steely Thomas likes to think he and his teammates' resolve is.

Here's a look at other storylines that will play out leading up to the game.

Who's at Quarterback?

Daniel Jones is headed to IR after suffering a torn ACL, where he'll join Tyrod Taylor, who was placed on IR last week with a rib cage injury.

That leaves undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito, veteran Matt Barkley, and newly signed Jacob Eason to compete for the starting job. Eason, who was just signed to the practice squad on Tuesday after his second workout for the team this year--he had worked out in the spring--was successful.

Barkley, currently on the practice squad, figures to be promoted to the 53-man roster once Jones is officially moved to IR. Barkley has familiarity with the offensive system the Giants run, at least the parts head coach Brian Daboll brought down from his time as the Buffalo offensive coordinator. But Barkley is still getting up to speed on the terminology and tweaks made to the offense.

That leaves DeVito, the undrafted rookie free agent who did all the heavy lifting in the summer, as the likely candidate to get the start. If that happens, DeVito would be the first rookie free agent to ever start a regular-season game for the Giants in the common draft era (except for Jim Crocicchia in a 1987 strike-replacement game).

He would also join a group of rookie free-agent quarterbacks who hold a combined 7-20 career record but who were also 5-4 as starters.

"I think Tommy did a good job, but again, I’m not going to give you one thing, and it’s a different thing," head coach Brian Daboll said when asked where the team goes next as far as the quarterback position is concerned.

"I have confidence in Tommy. He’s done a good job. But I’ll sit down and talk with Joe and figure out what’s next."

Evan Neal

Just when it looked like the Giants offensive line finally settled in with a consistent lineup, along comes the injury bug again, which this time bit right tackle Evan Neal for the second time this season.

Neal, who returned to the lineup after missing a pair of games with an ankle injury, hurt his other ankle in the loss against the Raiders.

The disappointing thing is that Neal looked good after returning from his first ankle injury. His pass-blocking was as good as it's been since he got to the NFL, and his balance, a problem that's been noted in his dossier, looked to be improved, as did his eliminating bending at the waist, another technique problem with him.

Now? With Micah Parsons on deck--the Cowboys like to move him around--regardless if it's a gimpy Neal or backup Tyre Phillips, that right side of the line bears watching.

Saquon the Savior?

The last thing a struggling offense wants or needs is to be one-dimensional. But with the quarterback situation being what it is, don't be surprised if the offensive game plan for the rest of the year features a heavy dose of running back Saquon Barkley.

Such has been the case when Daniel Jones was sidelined. During those three games, Barkley carried the rock at least 20 times, notching at least 77 yards in each showing. Once Jones got back last week, Barkley's workload shrunk, but when the quarterback situation is now in a state of flux, don't be surprised if the Giants look for the star running back to carry the offense on his shoulders the rest of the way.

Other Injuries

Adoree Jackson suffered a concussion in the loss to the Raiders, so his status will be worth watching, especially considering how, in the first meeting, he often drew Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb in the slot.

Outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux was on the injury report last week with a back issue, but he didn't receive a destination ahead of the game against the Raiders. To watch Thibodeaux last week, it wasn't hard to miss that he was laboring throughout the game as the coaches continued to lean heavily on him.

Thibodeaux had trouble shedding blocks and making tackles on the edge as he had done in the weeks prior, again likely due to his physical ailments.

We'll also have to see who else pops up on the injury report, but with the way this infliction has been tearing through the Giants' locker room, nothing would be surprising at this rate.