The New York Giants are relying on third-year safety Xavier McKinney to be their anchor out in the secondary this season. After a tumultuous 2022 season, which saw him miss eight games to a broken hand suffered in an off-the-field incident, McKinney is still not 100 percent.
McKinney did manage to make his way back into the lineup for the postseason last year but did so with a severely bandaged hand. His injury is improving but the jury is still out on what percentage of himself he will be come the start of the season.
That is one reason why McKinney isn’t ranked higher on Pro Football Focus’ list of the top 32 safeties in the NFL heading into this season.
25. XAVIER MCKINNEY, NEW YORK GIANTS
McKinney’s third year out of Alabama was a bit rough, as he carried just a 61.1 overall grade this past season. He also missed eight games and did not intercept a pass. That stands in contrast to the 2021 version of McKinney, who posted a 75.4 overall grade and picked off five passes that year. The Giants need vast improvement from their secondary if they want to see the postseason again in 2023. A return to form for McKinney would go a long way in achieving that goal.
McKinney won’t have the luxury of having the reliable and versatile Julian Love next to him this season. Love left for Seattle in free agency and was replaced by veteran Bobby McCain. No one is sure how that tandem will work out as of yet.
The Giants’ safety group is rounded out by Jason Pinnock and Dane Belton and there are others such as Trenton Thompson and rookies Gervarrius Owens and Alex Cook.
It will be interesting to see how this group gels this summer at camp.
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