The start of the 22-23 NFL season is less than a month away, and training camps are heating up across the country. Players who are already being considered are fighting to prove that they deserve their positions on their teams, while those who aren’t quite ready are trying to push themselves harder than ever to start taking that next big step towards the big time. Every football player in America fantasizes about playing for pretty much any NFL team, but especially a big team like the New York Giants.
That is precisely what Darnay Holmes hopes to accomplish this season. The Giants cornerback has already made a name for himself in the NFL after being chosen as the 110th pick inside the fourth round of the 2020 draught. While he hasn’t started every game for the Giants, owing to injuries, he has played in 23 games for the New York franchise in two seasons.
But will he be able to put his efforts to good use and help his team make the playoffs for the very first time since 2016? A playoff run that was cut short by the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round.
Anyone who knows football knows that being a cornerback is one of the most challenging positions on the field; after all, being the man who has to stop the receivers is no easy task. Because receivers are among the most athletic players in the game, cornerbacks must match their speed while remaining solid and intelligent. Darnay Holmes has always been athletic; he’s strong and can hold his own; perhaps the only thing he lacks is game IQ. But who knows for sure?
However, at 24 years old, he still has the best years of his career ahead of him, and while there are plenty of young players in the Giants squad that people have been paying attention to on, with the likes of Evan Neal and Saquon Barkley all around the training ground, the fact that Darnay Holmes has been the standout name this camp is impressive, given that nobody was looking out for him after all. To be sure, if you look at his stats from the previous two seasons (2 interceptions in 23 games), you can see why he’s standing out this season.
Those around him have noticed that Darnay Holmes has enhanced across the board in the offseason; he appears healthier than ever, faster than ever, and is motivated by the recent opening at VB created by the Philadelphia Eagles’ acquisition of James Bradberry from the Giants. Leaving an open position for which Holmes is vying. But is Holmes the answer to the Giants’ CB problems? Given that the actual trade deadline isn’t until November 1st, the Giants may be able to find answers elsewhere. However, the Giants have Aaron Robinson and Darnay Holmes to choose from at home, and both have been impressive in practice.
What do the sportsbooks appear to think about the Giants this season?
Putting in the work in training is one thing, but getting the results in the regular season is where they require this work to shine, so what are the sportsbooks saying about the Giants this season? It’s time to look at the odds the Giants are getting across the board. It’s worth noting that none of them seem to have high hopes for the Giants, who could end up being the season’s biggest surprise.
The winner of the NFC East Division comes first. Most sportsbooks appear to be pricing the Giants at around 7/1, making them the LEAST likely team to win the division. As a result, any market that predicts the two teams in the final will give you massive odds if you want a matchup with the Giants in it, ranging from 200/1 for Bills vs. Giants to 7500/1 for Texans vs. Giants. That’s a little much.
Looking at some New Jersey sports betting sites for the Giants, we can see that they are not only the sportsbooks’ favorites to finish last in their division but also way down the list.
One interesting thing to note is that, given the two young names currently competing for CB at the Giants, it appears impossible to find betting odds on either of them. None of the Giants’ current cornerbacks are considered favorites to win defensive player of the year. Granted, a CB does not win the award very often, but no odds are wild!
Now, let’s return to Darnay Holmes. If he is to be the starting CB for Brian Daboll this season, the one who can help the Giants make a playoff push. What precisely could he improve? He’s already looking sharp, as we mentioned. But, on the field, in the heat of the moment, what do we need to see from Darnay? The first step would be to increase interceptions. One interception per season is far from enough, especially considering he was targeted 33 times last season. If he wants to join the elite, this is unquestionably something he must improve!
What else could he do? His athleticism could be used to pressure the quarterback more frequently in certain situations. He only did manage to hurry the quarterback and knock him down once last season. Aside from that, it’s just a mentality thing, but that comes with experience, and as we mentioned earlier, people close to him are seeing him act much more mature.
That’s all for now; the Giants’ season could be enjoyable, especially with the battle for CB heating up in-house. As previously stated, a trade could still be on the table, but perhaps selecting from their current team would be the best option with the least risk.
Or are the “experts” overlooking the Giants? They have a couple of pre-season games to go but come September 11th, when they take on the Titans, all their questions will hopefully have been answered.