The New York Giants offense had their fair share of struggles in 2020. From the offensive line to putting points on the board, Big Blue’s offensive game-plan was nothing short of disappointing. One aspect from the 2020 season that fans and observers noticed has been the lack of deep passing. The problem is that the Giants simply did not have the proper weapons to allow quarterback Daniel Jones to take shots down the field consistently. Add Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney, two Giants wide receivers who excel in the deep passing game, and this offense should be able to get down the field quickly.
Two New York Giants Wide Receivers Will Improve Their Deep Passing
Kadarius Toney
After trading back for the first time ever as a general manager, Dave Gettleman decided to draft Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney with the 20th overall pick. Toney is known for being a do-it-all type of player, and one who could very well add a sense of creativity this offense has been lacking for a long time.
One part of Toney’s game that will certainly help the Giants offense soar is his explosiveness. His big-play ability is something this offense has lacked for the last few years.
According to PFF, 10.7% of Toney’s targets at Florida were on passes that traveled 20+ yards. When targeting Toney on these routes, Florida quarterbacks had a perfect 158.3 passer rating. One of the best plays from Toney’s 2020 season was against Texas A&M; he simply beate the defender off the line from the jump and made it looks easy as he hauled in a 37-yard touchdown. He also did the same against Alabama in the SEC Championship game, this time from the slot. He burned Malachi Moore for a 51-yard touchdown, again making it look easy.
In his four-year career at Florida, Toney averaged 13.3 yards per reception, with his best season in 2019 while averaging 19.4 yards per reception. The guy is a walking highlight reel, and will definitely help New York’s deep passing game get up and running quickly.
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Kenny Golladay
Big Blue’s big free agent signing should have fans excited to see what he can bring to the offense. The Giants signed him mainly for one reason; he is their number one wide receiver. With that comes Golladay’s big play ability.
With his 6’4″ frame, Golladay is able to go up and get those 50/50 balls. Over the course of his career, he’s averaged 16.8 yards per reception, and just like Toney, had his best season in this category in 2019, where he averaged 18.3 yards per catch.
One of Golladay’s most impressive touchdowns from that 2019 season came in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers, where he beat Casey Hayward for a 31-yard touchdown pass to give the Detroit Lions the lead midway through the fourth quarter. This play alone should get Giants fans excited. His pure athletic ability and big frame allows him to reach over defenders and catch any pass that he wants.
Like Toney, Golladay is an automatic first-down machine and will help the Giants offense tremendously in the deep passing game.
Reasons for Optimism
Kadarius Toney and Kenny Golladay will both help transform this lackluster offense into hopefully an exciting one that fans can be proud of. Their abilities for big-time plays down the field will play a big part in helping this offense and more importantly Daniel Jones succeed in 2021 and beyond. The Giants believe they did right by bringing these two in the building, and with the season opener a little under two months away, everyone is excited to see how far this team can go with a revamped offense.
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