The New York Giants enter the 2016 season with the most talent they’ve had on paper since 2012. Jerry Reese dropped over $200 million in contracts to free agents, overhauling a defense that was nothing short of awful in 2015.

But this list isn’t about them.

Aside from the obvious answer of being talented, to be a consistently good football team you either need good injury luck, which is rare, especially in the Giants’ case, or go two deep at important positions. The Giants finally have depth this season and should compete for the NFC East title.

To win it, they’ll be counting on these five non-starters to provide meaningful snaps.

Owa Odighizuwa

To say Owa Odighizuwa’s rookie season was a disappointment would be an understatement. The Giants only got 4 partial games and no sacks from their 2015 second-round pick, mostly due to nagging injuries. Even when, according to nj.com, Odighizuwa claimed was fully healthy at the end of the season, ex-coach Tom Coughlin didn’t activate him for the final game.

By bringing back Jason Pierre-Paul and signing Olivier Vernon, the team assured themselves of not having to count on Odighizuwa to take a huge leap in his development. Having said that, defensive line is the most important position to have depth, and Odighizuwa should expect to see the field often if he is healthy.

This is especially true given Steve Spagnuolo told reporters he expects to go to the famous NASCAR package (four defensive ends on the line of scrimmage) that was so successful for the Giants in 2011. Spagunolo was already using Justin Tuck at defensive tackle way back in 2007-08, so you could say he started the trend.

Odighizuwa is ready for the opportunity, via nj.com:

“My goal is to show everybody that I am that third man they’re looking for in that pass-rush rotation and that is my mentality every single day,” he said. “It’s an opportunity. That is how I look at it.”

He’d better be.

Eli Apple

Cornerback depth is paramount to a successful defense, and the Giants have plenty of it this season. After signing Janoris Jenkins to a massive contract, the Giants selected Eli Apple with the 10th pick in the draft.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Jenkins make a fierce combination on the outside, but the nickel corner position is still up for grabs. Apple impressed the coaches in mini camp and appears to be progressing nicely, according to Giants.com.

“I do see a competitive guy there,” said Spagnuolo. “I think that if you are going to play that position in this league, that is the first thing you have got to have. I think that some of the guys around him have gotten confident in him. He has made a lot of plays here.”

By most accounts, the Giants have a special player on their hands.

Dwayne Harris

I doubt the Giants expected to count on Dwayne Harris in more than the return game last season, but injuries have a way of forcing your hand. In 16 games (six starts), Harris caught 36 passes for 396 yards and four touchdowns. Not exactly setting the world on fire.

He did show flashes during the season, however, like when he caught six balls for 82 yards and a touchdown in a close loss to the New England Patriots.

The Giants look to have one of the premier wide receiver corps in the NFL this season . . . on paper. Sterling Shepherd has already been mistaken for Odell Beckham Jr., which I cannot think of higher praise for a rookie, and Victor Cruz is reportedly close to 100% and expects to be there by training camp.

However, Cruz is such an unknown in this equation that Harris has to be ready to step up if/when Cruz struggles with injuries. It won’t come with good news if the Giants are forced to give Harris snaps at wide receiver, but they should be comfortable in his ability as a backup.

Shane Vereen

Do I really need to get into Shane Vereen’s importance to the offense? Anyone who watched the Giants last year knows how much he meant to Eli Manning’s season, arguably the best of his career. Vereen set career highs in receptions (59), yards (494) and receiving touchdowns (4) in his first season with big blue. He also averaged 4.3 yards per carry in limited attempts (61).

His numbers may not jump off the page, but the security blanket he provides Manning is incalculable. Vereen played a crucial role in Eli setting career highs in touchdowns and quarterback rating.

With coach Ben McAdoo still calling the shots on offense, you can bet your bottom dollar Vereen will have just as active a role, if not more so this season.

Jay Bromley/Louis Nix

Damon Harrison and Johnathan Hankins are the obvious starters at defensive tackle. The addition of Harrison will definitely improve the lackluster run defense from 2015, but behind the starters is where things get murky. Jay Bromley and Louis Nix were both 2014 third-round picks, and both have disappointed in the NFL thus far. Bromley has yet to record his first sack while Nix is still searching for his first tackle.

Bromley saw a massive increase in snaps in his second season but has yet to justify his high selection. Hankins will be a free agent after this season, so now is as good a time as any to prove he has value for the Giants long term.

As of right now Bromley is likely to be the first off the bench, but Nix was a projected top 10 pick at one point. Clearly, teams were correct in letting him fall to the third round because he hasn’t even lived up to those modest expectations yet. The talent is there, the only question now is if the effort can match it.

Harrison will come off the field in passing situations, and the opening is there for someone to step up. Only time will tell who that player is.

NFL teams try to go two-deep at every position. While the Giants aren’t necessarily there, they went a long way in improving their depth for the upcoming season. If their injury history over the past few seasons has taught them anything, it is to expect the unexpected.