Three positives
1. They made significant upgrades to their defensive line.
The surprising retention of Jason Pierre-Paul on a one-year deal was merely the start. The Giants also gave $85 million to Olivier Vernon to move north from Miami, and $46.25 million to Damon Harrison to trade green for blue. That trio, along with returning defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins, gives the Giants arguably the best defensive line in the division -- though Philly's is still excellent, too. Vernon still has to put it all together for a full season rather than just a stretch and Harrison has to transition from a 3-4 to a 4-3, but the fact that these guys are all playing on the same line should help. When you're in a division with the best offensive line in football, beefing up on the defensive front makes a ton of sense.
2. Sterling Shepard gives Eli Manning another shifty weapon.
Eli and Odell Beckham have already become one of the NFL's premier passer-and-receiver combinations during ODB's two short years in the league. But everyone on the other side of the ball always knew where he was going with it. The potential return of Victor Cruz gives Eli another option, but he's not likely to resemble the player he was before. Sitting out a year-and-a-half will sap some of your explosiveness. Sherpard, though, is cut from the same mold. He's an exceptionally shifty slot man -- one of the best route-runners in this class. And he has Velcro for hands. Expect Manning to look his way early and often.
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Sterling Shepard could be the next pass-catching star in the Giants' offense. USATSI
3. They got more athletic in the secondary.
Janoris Jenkins has his faults -- he gambles too much and it results in too many deep passes -- but he will immediately upgrade the athleticism in New York's defensive backfield. Eli Apple, the Giants' first-round pick, is 6-0, 199 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds at his pro day. Third-rounder Darian Thompson has good size at 6-2, 208 pounds and was known in college for his jaw-dropping plays on the ball. For a team that, outside Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, did not have exceptional athletes in the secondary last year, this was a much-needed influx.
Three negatives
1. The offensive line is still a problem.
When Marshall Newhouse is your big offensive line addition, that's not a great sign. Ereck Flowers struggled in pass protection as all rookies do, but his issues (lunging at defenders and getting himself off-balance, mostly) are the kind of things that don't necessarily correct themselves with experience. He's more of a big, mauling right tackle now shoehorned into the left side because of an injury to Will Beatty last preseason. Justin Pugh and John Jerry are nobody's idea of an elite guard tandem. And Weston Richburg called out everyone's work ethic not too long ago.
2. There's still uncertainty in the backfield.
Shane Vereen was their most-talented running back, but he played only 38.2 percent of snaps last season, per Football Outsiders. That's the same percentage as Rashad Jennings, a much less versatile and explosive option. They'll both be back in 2016, and the Giants added pass-catching back Bobby Rainey from the Bucs and drafted UCLA's Paul Perkins in the late rounds as well. That's a lot of talent, but the Giants haven't exactly shown they're up to managing backfield crowds before. They might benefit from a more clear delineation of both talent and role.
3. Their coaching change was a half-measure.
On the classic television show Breaking Bad, the actor Johnathan Banks played a character named Mike Ehrmantraut. Mike, an enforcer for a drug cartel, was also a former police officer. In order to illustrate a point to the show's main character, Walter White, Mike told Walter the following story. Mike's point encapsulates the main flaw in the Giants' offseason. Tom Coughlin is gone. Installed in his place is ... Coughlin's offensive coordinator, Ben McAdoo. Along with McAdoo, 12 assistant coaches are returning from last year's team. Even old friend Kevin Gilbride (once derisively nicknamed by Giants fans as Kevin Kill-drive) is back in the fold as tight ends coach. (Note: It is apparently Gilbride's son in this position, not Gilbride himself.) Not only that, but general manager Jerry Reese still has his job, despite the fact that owner John Mara said the blame for the Giants' last few seasons mostly lied not with Tom Coughlin, but with the team's subpar roster. It sure seems like the Giants made a change for change's sake, not because they actually wanted to see real change. This is what Mike would call a half-measure.
