The NY Giants added Shane Vereen in free agency this offseason and now he adds major depth to Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams at running back for Eli Manning and this comes as rookies Landon Collins, Ereck Flowers and Mykkele Thompson will get the chance to compete to start for New York in OTA workouts.
The Giants are coming into the season with pressure to make the playoffs, as they have not been in the postseason since winning the Super Bowl. Eli Manning is coming into the final year of his contract and while he had a strong bounce back year after a terrible 2013, he is feeling the pressure as well. According to NFL.com, the Giants are "comfortable" with Manning playing out the final year of his contract and Jerry Reese said that there was a chance a deal could get done over the summer.
Manning had a solid season under the first year of Ben McAdoo's offense and the coordinator said year two should be even better, as the team will have a better understanding of his scheme. Adding Odell Beckham last year and getting Victor Cruz back from injury could mean a very potent offense for the Giants. The team also added Shane Vereen in free agency and while he may not start, he gives the team a strong receiver out of the backfield and a great third down option.
The Giants signed Rashad Jennings before last season, but he was injured on and off all 2014 and that took a nice element out of the offense for the Giants. McAdoo employs screens a lot and with Jennings out, the team could not use those effectively. Vereen comes in with screens and catching the ball as his specialty and he could end up as a favorite target for Eli Manning this season. Andre Williams showed promise as a rookie, but he is more of a runner than a receiver.
This year the Giants may have a couple rookie set up to start, as Landon Collins and Ereck Flowers could end up in the starting lineup. Flowers was the first round pick for the team out of Miami and he projects into the NFL as a tackle, while Collins was talent in the second round. The Giants traded up for Collins and with Antrel Rolle leading in free agency, he could push into the starting lineup right away. Reese said Thompson is another potential starter, although he could be farther behind in his development than Collins is.
Collins reportedly looked good in rookie minicamp and he already is likely the most talented safety on the roster. Flowers could end up starting with how Justin Pugh has struggled and if he ends up at tackle, it could push Pugh to guard. After using a top 10 pick on Flowers, the Giants are expecting him to start and that could be a nice help to Pugh, who has had some issues adjusting to the NFL over the past two years. Pugh is more comfortable at guard and Flowers cold stabilize things at tackle with Weston Richburg at center.
