Totaling 79 catches for 609 yards and three touchdowns on the season, the New York Giants’ production at tight end has been mediocre at best. This is especially true when you consider that those stats are divided amongst three individual players. All year, the team’s struggles have come from the offensive side of the ball. For this position review, let’s take a closer look into this dilemma by evaluating the tight end situation and some of the possible solutions.
New York Giants Position Review: Tight End
Atrocity in East Rutherford
Will Tye, a second year player out of Stony Brook, was an undrafted free agent pick up for the Giants back in 2015. After putting up solid stats as a back-up to Larry Donnell, he showed a lot of potential to grow into a great player. However, this was not the case for Tye in 2016. Although he was promoted to starter six weeks into the season, he was still unable to increase production and be a viable threat to opposing defenses. It’s fair to point out that because of the poor play from the offensive line, his stats aren’t going to be extraordinary. But even aside from the passing game, his blocking abilities are awful as well. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Tye ranked 61st out of 63 eligible tight ends in blocking with a grade of 33.7. In addition, he finished last in overall tight end rankings with a grade of 45.6.
Taking a look at second string tight end Jerell Adams, there’s the most potential for this position on the roster. To solidify this, PFF graded him at 51.9, giving him the highest grade at the position on the team. While this still isn’t too impressive, it’s better than his respective teammates, both of which have more experience in the league. The sixth round rookie out of South Carolina played 13 games this season and while he was only able to haul in 16 receptions, looked somewhat impressive on the few snaps he played. His talents aren’t anything to write home about, but his role as a back-up is more likely and fitting.
As we move even further down the depth chart, output doesn’t get any better. Finishing the season at third string, Larry Donnell also proved to the Giants front office, and fans alike, that he is not the answer the team is looking for. In prior years, despite his fumbles, he was a promising player and was a fundamental part in this team’s offense. It’s clear that times have now changed for the 28-year-old veteran. Fortunately for the team, he was stripped of his starting title after week six and following this incident only saw one target in the remaining eight games he played. In the same set of PFF rankings as above, the 2012 un-drafted free agent finished with an overall grade of 40, which was the lowest out of all tight ends in the NFL, starting or not.
2017 NFL Draft & Free Agency
All three of the current tight ends on the roster were either undrafted or late round picks. When it comes to the NFL Draft, the Giants historically haven’t prioritized the position for early round consideration. In fact, the team has only selected a tight end in the first round twice in franchise history. The last time this occurred was in 2002, where the Giants selected Jeremy Shockey with the 14th overall pick.
In this year’s upcoming draft, Jerry Reese and company hold the 23rd overall selection. This is a little late in the round to select an elite caliber offensive lineman like they were hoping for. If these efforts at o-line get pushed to free agency, the first round would be an ideal place to pick up talent at the tight end position. With this spot, the board should be open enough to pick any tight end of their liking. Most experts have Alabama product O.J. Howard as their top rated prospect at the position. With an addition like this, Eli Manning should be extremely satisfied.
Should the NFL Draft not give the Giants the talent they’re searching for, this year’s free agency has some players that could satisfy the need as well. Perhaps the best option available would be the New England Patriots’ (and former Giant) Martellus Bennett. Back in 2012 when he played in New York, he put up one of the best seasons of his career and already knows how Eli and the offense work. With Rob Gronkowski returning from injury, Bennett would see fewer snaps in New England, giving him yet another reason to return to the Big Apple.
Another great target would be the Green Bay Packers’ Jared Cook, who has been playing phenomenal this postseason. At 6’5″, 250 pounds and with a 4.49 second 40-yard dash, his monster size and athleticism could be the last missing factor this Giants’ offense so desperately needs.
One more free agent that stands out is Anthony Fasano. The 11-year veteran may be in the last chapter of his career at age 32, but he still offers two things the Giants desire. First, he offers elite run blocking abilities, where he was ranked first by PFF at the tight end position. Second, he brings knowledge and guidance for other tight ends on the roster. He may be non-existent in the passing game, but what he will be able to teach the newcomers like Adams (and maybe a new rookie this year) would be extremely helpful for the future of this offense.
