The NFL's 5 Most Improved Offenses Entering 2017
New York Giants
The New York Giants won 11 games last year and reached the postseason in spite of their offense, which ranked 26th in schedule-adjusted NEP per play. Eli Manning had a rough season, finishing 24th in Passing NEP per drop back among signal callers with at least 100 drop backs.
New York's offense was basically Odell Beckham, who was superb again, checking in fourth in Reception NEP per target in 2016. The Giants recognized the problem and addressed it this offseason, investing in offensive talent in both free agency and the draft.
The Giants landed Brandon Marshall in free agency and drafted tight end Evan Engram in the first round, giving their skill positions a much-needed upgrade.
Marshall is entering his age-33 season, but there's reason to believe the tank isn't empty. He put up a monster season in 2015, going off for 109 catches, 1,502 yards and 14 scores while ranking fifth in Reception NEP. Last season wasn't great as Marshall got caught up in the complete catastrophe that was the New York Jets, but he actually averaged 72.2 receiving yards per game through the first six weeks before Gang Green turned into a full-on dumpster fire.
With B-Marsh in the fold, the Giants now have a nice little trio with Beckham, Marshall and second-year wideout Sterling Shepard.
Engram will help, as well. He is a gifted athlete who fills a massive need, with the measurables below coming from PlayerProfiler.com.
Engram's presence should make the G-Men much harder to defend, although to contribute meaningful numbers in 2017 he'll have to buck the established trend of tight ends struggling in their first season.
The Giants should be better on the ground, too. Second-year back Paul Perkins, the assumed starter, showed well as a rookie, checking in with -0.01 Rushing NEP per attempt. That seems bad, but because rushing is so inefficient (compared to passing), a negative mark in Rushing NEP per carry isn't too uncommon. Perkins' -0.01 clip was actually better than the league-average mark of -0.04.
The Giants also drafted running back Wayne Gallman in the fourth round, and pass-game wizard Shane Vereen will be healthy after playing just five games in 2016.
Manning needs to play better, and he should have a lot more help around him this season.
