New York Giants

2018 Record: 5-11 (4th in NFC East)

Key Additions: S Antoine Bethea, LB Markus Golden, S Jabrill Peppers, DT Olsen Pierre, T Mike Remmers, RB Rod Smith, WR Golden Tate, G Kevin Zeitler

Key Losses: LB Connor Barwin, WR Odell Beckham, Jr., G Jamon Brown, S Landon Collins, DE Mario Edwards, DE Josh Mauro, S Curtis Riley, LB Olivier Vernon, CB B.W. Webb, DE Kerry Wynn

Top Draft Picks: QB Daniel Jones, DT Dexter Lawrence, CB Deandre Baker

The Giants went 5-11 last year and finished last in the NFC East. Most people expected the Giants to focus on rebuilding by adding young talent and looking to the future. The Giants don't seem to see things that way.

Eli Manning is back for his 16th NFL season. Outsiders don't get this. They think the Giants should be playing young guys. The Giants want to win now. They see Manning as a two-time Super Bowl Champ who still has something left in the tank.

Recent history suggests otherwise. If you focus on winning, Manning has only posted one winning season in the past six years. As for stats, he has 149 touchdown passes (ninth in NFL) in that stretch, but a league-high 95 interceptions. Manning hasn't had a passer rating above 94 in his entire career.

The Giants have averaged 20th in the league in points scored over that period. Can he turn things around at 38 years old?

The Giants think things will be different this year. They traded away Odell Beckham, Jr., who was immensely talented, but also volatile and tough to manage. The team signed Golden Tate, a veteran receiver who isn't explosive like Beckham, but more of a team guy as we saw with the Eagles at the end of last season. The hope is that there will be better offensive chemistry to make up for dropping a notch in talent.

Improved offensive line play is a must. The Giants traded for Kevin Zeitler, an above-average guard who can come in and help right away.

There is no question about running back Saquon Barkley. He is one of the best players in the league and showed incredible talent as a rookie. Better blocking would make him even more difficult to defend. Barkley did a lot of his damage on his own in 2018.

General manager Dave Gettleman thinks a star running back, veteran quarterback, and an improved offensive line will be enough to get the Giants' offense back on track.

You need weapons in the passing game. Tate and Sterling Shepard aren't dynamic receivers. Evan Engram is a good tight end. The Giants need Corey Coleman to finally live up to his potential or rookie Darius Slayton to surprise everyone. They need their pass catchers to overachieve. Anyone who watched the 2016 Eagles saw that without quality options at receiver, you have a limited passing game.

The Giants' defense finished in the bottom third of the league in points and yards allowed. They traded away their best pass rusher (Olivier Vernon) and getting to the quarterback was a weak spot last year (30 sacks, tied for 30th in the NFL).

They did draft a big defensive lineman (Dexter Lawrence), an edge rusher (Oshane Ximines), and a good cover corner (Deandre Baker). Those players can help the defense right away, but it doesn't seem likely that all three will. That's asking a lot.