Comparing the Redskins to the Giants ahead of the 2020 season

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 29: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Washington Redskins and Daniel Jones #8 of the New York Giants meet after their game at MetLife Stadium on September 29, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants defeated the Redskins 24-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Offense

We’re going to go through position by position, but any football fan knows that the overwhelming difference maker is going to come down to this simple result. Whichever second-year quarterback – Dwayne Haskins or Daniel Jones – progresses further, will see his team progress further. At a quick glance, Jones would appear to have a clear edge. He was drafted nine spots ahead of Haskins in the first round of 2019, and came into the league with far more experience. He played more as a rookie, and his numbers (87.7 passer rating) were significantly better than Haskins’ (76.1 rating).

There are, of course, two ways to look at this. Jones was a three-year starter at Duke. Haskins started one season at Ohio State. It should have been expected that Jones would play better early on. The question is whether Jones is already performing near his ceiling, and will only improve slightly from this point on. As for Haskins, does he still have room for growth, or was that one magical season at Ohio State, surrounded by a lot of future NFL talent, a fluke? Haskins has obvious arm talent, but until he demonstrates better reads and a quicker release, I have to give Jones the slight edge.

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There’s no slight edge to be found at running back. It overwhelmingly favors the Giants. Saquon Barkley is among the best backs in the league already. Playing behind a below-average line, he has shown that he can be a game-changer as both a runner and a receiver. The Redskins have plenty of potential in the backfield, but no one approaches Barkley’s level.

The one area in which the Redskins are better is depth. The Giants really have nothing behind Barkley. Free agent pickup Dion Lewis has been a very productive third-down back in his career, but he seems to have slowed down considerably. Maryland rookie Javon Leake could be a surprise, but is far from a sure thing. And there is no one who comes close to replacing Barkley’s productivity should he twist an ankle.

The Redskins, on the other hand, have four running backs who can all be productive, with two veterans in reserve should the injury bug bite. That evens the backfield a bit, but I’d still give a clear advantage to New York.

The receiving corps is a bit of a reverse from the backfield. The Giants have more proven depth in Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton, but I would take the Redskins’ Terry McLaurin over all of them. The problem with the Redskins comes when they have to find other options. They have a lot of numbers, but nothing proven.

Still, I would put McLaurin ahead of Slayton (who I believe will emerge as the Giants’ best receiver this year) and like the potential Steven Sims Jr. shows in a slot matchup with the solid-if-unspectacular Shepard. Tate is a outstanding runner after the catch, but he no longer scares anyone. A number of young Redskins’ receivers could prove to be his equal, though none are right now. This may offend Giants fans, who consider this to be one of their stronger receiving groups in recent years. But to me, they are throwing three okay receivers out there, and none, with the possible exception of Slayton, have real game-breaking ability. I give a slight edge to the Redskins.

The Giants’ Evan Engram is the only tight end on either roster who could force defenses to lose sleep. Engram has struggled with injuries, and his health this season will be crucial for the Giants. The Redskins are not counting on much from their underwhelming tight end corps, so if Logan Thomas performs well, it could be a major help. Allowing for Engram’s injury history, I still give the Giants a decent edge at tight end.

The Giants’ offensive line was a major problem in 2019. They drafted three linemen in the first five rounds of the 2020 draft to help address the issue. Both Washington and New York are attempting to retool their lines. Both build around a very good guard – the Redskins’ perennial Pro Bowler Brandon Scherff, and the Giants’ Kevin Zeitler.

Both have huge question marks at left tackle. The Giants chose Georgia’s Andrew Thomas with the fourth pick in the 2020 draft and expect him to hold down the left side. Thomas was highly productive playing in the SEC in college, but was not the most physically gifted tackle in this year’s draft. Still, I appreciate that the Giants went with high productivity over stunning combine numbers with this pick. Thomas is farther along than Redskins’ rookie Saahdiq Charles. But the Redskins made a very good move in picking up young veteran Cornelius Lucas to play either tackle position as Charles and Morgan Moses sort out their futures.

As bad as Morgan Moses may have been in 2019, the Giants’ situation was arguably worse. Their left tackle, Nate Solder, was miserable, and there is real doubt as to whether he can regain his form as he moves to right tackle in 2020. Last year’s right tackle, Mike Remmers, is now in Kansas City. I have more confidence in the younger Moses raising his play in 2020 than I have in Solder.

The Giants’ second guard, Will Hernandez, is clearly better than anyone the Redskins will throw on the field to start 2020, but their center situation, with Jon Halapio recovering from an Achilles injury, is a potential problem. The Redskins are much better positioned with Chase Roullier and rookie Keith Ismael in the fold.

I expect Thomas will play well for the Giants and their guards are strong, but this is still a work in progress. Their two other 2020 draft picks, Matt Peart and Shane Lemieux, are far from sure things. I like the Redskins offensive line by the slightest of margins for 2020.

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