EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- General manager Joe Schoen had four years to build the New York Giants into a sustainable product. There is no argument he hasn't been given ample opportunity.
In that time, the New England Patriots went from making the playoffs with coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Mac Jones to bottoming out at 4-12 for two consecutive seasons before resurrecting themselves as potentially the top seed in the AFC this season.
Meanwhile, the Giants are destined for their third straight season with six wins or less. Ahead of Sunday's game at the Las Vegas Raiders (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS), New York is 2-13 and has dropped nine straight.
Giants ownership said when firing coach Brian Daboll that Schoen had assembled "a good young nucleus of talent." To this point, however, that nucleus hasn't led to improved results, which warrants a deep dive.
Just what is the state of this Giants roster?
Here's a breakdown with the help of several executives and assistant coaches from around the league.
OFFENSE
The Giants have the 17th-ranked offense and 29th-ranked defense through 16 weeks.
It's an improvement over the past couple of seasons on one side of the ball. "Not a terrible roster offensively," a high-level NFL personnel evaluator said.
Not exactly a resounding endorsement, but also not a terrible indictment. It's an improvement from the past and perhaps a step in the right direction.
The biggest factor is the Giants' selection of quarterback Jaxson Dart by moving back into the first round of April's draft. That move has been generally well-received. Dart has flashed and is currently 18th in total QBR, one spot ahead of Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts and behind Chicago's Caleb Williams.
"[Dart] makes the coaching job attractive," a former NFL head coach said.
The executives we talked to for this story look at Dart as a "talented young quarterback." But they concede he needs help. They don't view him as a star yet.
Specifically, he needs to improve from the pocket in order to reach his potential. Dart's 39.4% success rate out of the pocket is ahead of only Dillon Gabriel, Cam Ward, Russell Wilson and Shedeur Sanders among quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts this season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Mostly, it comes down to Dart needing to improve his processing.
"Gotten away with scrambling all his life," another coach said.
Jameis Winston is generally viewed as a solid backup quarterback, but the signing of Wilson for $10.5 million was a clear flop. Multiple executives agreed it's the kind of move that symbolizes the Giants' flawed process. They flailed in their pursuit of Matthew Stafford, tried to trade up for Ward and made an attempt to sign Aaron Rodgers before landing on this quarterbacks room.
The Giants' weapons without Malik Nabers (knee) left the executives and coaches unimpressed. Their leading pass catcher Wan'Dale Robinson is viewed as a quality slot receiver. One executive considered Darius Slayton an "overpay" after the team buried him on the depth chart on multiple occasions and then signed him to a three-year, $36 million deal as a free agent this offseason.
Nabers is viewed as a "superstar" and clearly would've helped the group, but multiple executives agreed that he's the only special playmaker on the roster. The Giants need more.
Fourth-round running back Cam Skattebo is considered a good pick but not a star. He does bring added value to the group with his attitude and approach. Last year's fifth-round pick, Tyrone Tracy Jr., is also considered a quality player. The signing of Devin Singletary immediately after allowing Saquon Barkley to walk has kind of been a "bust," an NFC executive said.
The tight ends were also viewed as "not very dynamic." Theo Johnson has had a nice season with 528 receiving yards as a 2024 fourth-round pick. Some of that is attributed to the lack of other options. Johnson also ranks second among all tight ends with seven drops (the Chiefs' Travis Kelce is No. 1 with nine drops).
The depth behind the Giants' starters at tight end and wide receiver is a "problem," according to an NFC executive.
Schoen has rebuilt the offensive line into respectability, which is a win for him. The Giants rank 10th in pass block win rate at 65.4% and 20th in run block win rate at 70.7%. The question the coaches and executives have is whether it's sustainable with right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor a free agent, guard Greg Van Roten nearing the end of his career and left guard Jon Runyan signed for only one more season.
Still, there has been clear progress on the offensive side.
DEFENSE
This defense was supposed to be the strength of the team, but it is allowing 27.5 points per game and has blown five double-digit leads. It has been the weakness.
The coaches and executives thought it was a poorly constructed unit that didn't have enough depth and failed to adequately address the run-stopping problem of the past few years. The Giants are allowing a league-worst 5.5 yards per carry.
"No big, physical run stuffers," one NFL defensive coach said.
He later added the Giants' cornerbacks "can't tackle," specifically talking about Schoen draft picks Cor'Dale Flott (third round in 2022) and Deonte Banks (first round in 2023). Banks, playing only because of an injury to Flott, was taken out of Sunday's 16-13 loss to the Vikings and replaced by 2025 seventh-round pick Korie Black because of his inability to protect the edge on several running plays.
"Every team in the league runs crack-toss against them," the coach added. "Over and over again."
There isn't another high-level player behind Dexter Lawrence II in the middle of the defensive line. Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Roy Robertson-Harris are considered rotational players by the executives and coaches. Rookie third-round pick Darius Alexander is ideally a 3-technique defensive lineman whose best skill is getting upfield, according to defensive line coach Andre Patterson. Late-round draft picks D.J. Davidson and Jordon Riley haven't provided much.
Early in Schoen's tenure, he talked about stopping the run on the way to the quarterback. His roster building has reflected that over the years. There has been an emphasis on pass rushers.
Schoen traded for and signed Brian Burns and also selected Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux with top-10 picks. The only Giant to be selected to the Pro Bowl, Burns is playing at an All-Pro level this season. Carter has been up-and-down as a rookie and been benched twice, but has hit his stride in recent weeks. He has three straight games with a sack. Thibodeaux is a good athlete and solid player but is "just not a pure one-on-one winner" on the edge, according to one defensive coach.
Lawrence is the biggest enigma on the Giants' defense this season. The coaches and executives haven't seen the same player as in the past.
"Something is different," coaches and executives agreed.
No one spoken to for this story seems quite sure whether it's injury, discontent, being out of shape to start the season or just the drag of the consistent losing. Regardless, Lawrence's tackle rate this year has dipped to 4.1% and his pressure percentage to 5.9% after being at 8.3% and 9.6%, respectively, last season.
The defensive coach thought middle linebacker Bobby Okereke has lost a step, perhaps because of the back injury he suffered last season. And not having Micah McFadden (foot) has hurt, but behind him Darius Muasau & Co. were not viewed as viable solutions by the coaches and execs surveyed.
Again, this was a common theme in their assessments. The depth accumulated by free agency, the draft and even waiver claims on defense is insufficient.
"The front-line talent isn't terrible, but it's a war of attrition," an NFC executive said.
On the back end, last year's second-round pick Tyler Nubin has struggled. He's second on the team with 10 missed tackles against the run and has just two passes defended. Offseason free agent acquisition Jevon Holland hasn't been a difference-maker (58 tackles and one interception) for $15 million per year.
It made the executives and coaches wonder how Xavier McKinney and Julian Love from Schoen's original roster in 2022 could have turned into Holland and Nubin, especially with Holland making similar money to McKinney.
"Couldn't have a bigger drop-off," another NFC executive said.
To the several executives and coaches, it highlighted a "bad process" that has contributed greatly to a 2-13 team in Year 4 of Schoen's roster build.