Its speculation time folks. For some, it is getting pretty late early on in the 2022 Giants season. We haven’t played a single game, but the practices we’ve seen have been uneven to say the least. While there is certainly time to turn it around and change the narrative of this potentially “lost” season, we can’t help but think our new regime has quietly begun the construction of the next championship core of the NY Giants. One of the changes could be brewing right under our noses.
We all know the NFL has been labeled by many as a “copycat” league. We have seen time and time again if a team demonstrates an uncommon tactic or method to improving their play, you’ll be sure to see the rest of the league will follow suit. Whether it’s “tanking”, the deemphasis on paying the RB position, running 2 safety deep schemes to bring Pat Mahomes down to earth, or running cover zero more on Lamar Jackson to contain his explosiveness; we have seen teams adopt moves from each other to bring positive results to their building. If you haven’t noticed, there is a new trend slowly unfolding across the league that could be coming to NY sooner than one might think…maybe.
NFL fans are privy to the rise of young QB sensation Joe Burrow. His rise to prominence last season culminated in a Super Bowl appearance for the once perennially boring Cincinnati Bengals. Many credit this immediate success due to the freakish productivity between the talented 25-year-old and his bevvy of weapons on offense; most notably his amazing chemistry between himself and LSU sidekick Ja’Marr Chase. We have even seen connections such as Tagovailoa/Waddle and Hurts/Smith blossom to a lesser extent this past season as well (the Lawrence/Etienne connection was delayed by injury in 2021 too). It’s fair to speculate that the rest of the league has taken notice based on the moves made this offseason. We saw Derek Carr reunite with Devante Adams and Kyler Murray gets to link up with Hollywood Brown again. Wait, where do the Giants come into all this?
Rest easy Giants fans, New York will NOT drag in any old Duke receivers, but what if they reverse engineer this new NFL trend in the form of a QB following their WR to the NFL instead? Giants GM Joe Schoen brought in former Kentucky standout Wan’Dale Robinson with a 2nd round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Many pundits and fans labeled this pick as a reach at the time; however, one can argue he has been one of the most impactful weapons in camp so far. In the event of another Daniel Jones implosion, it is not hard to believe that the Giants hedged their bets by adding a potentially impact receiver that can also one day pair up with his old gunslinger in Kentucky QB Will Levis. Levis demonstrated immediate potential this past College Football season and is looking to perform an encore for NFL GMs across the league in his bid for a 2023 NFL Draft selection. He demonstrates many similar traits to Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen; whose selection and success were heavily credited to NY Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen.
Could it all be a mere freak coincidence? Sure, but the trend we have seen from the NFL as of late proves the possibility cannot be dismissed. I believe Daniel Jones has every right to finally showcase his talents behind an equal playing field, but if he cannot seize his FINAL opportunity, who wouldn’t want to see the Levis-Robinson connection show up to MetLife in 2023? If this Robinson-Levis pairing scenario doesn’t grab you, there is another storyline that mirrors it in the form of the Lions and their somewhat puzzling trade-up for Alabama WR Jameson Williams. Bryce Young to Detroit anyone??