Giants Training Camp Preview: Tight Ends
With the NFL offseason nearly over and training camps appearing likely to start on time in late July, The Trentonian is examining the Giants position by position.
So far the series has featured the quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers. Next up are the tight ends.
Who’s Gone/New
Rhett Ellison, a blocking specialist, retired after three seasons with the team (eight NFL seasons). Scott Simonson was released on Feb. 24 and remains an unsigned free agent.
On March 26, the Giants signed Levine Toilolo to a two-year, $6.2 million contract. The eighthyear veteran played previously for the 49ers, Lions and Falcons. At 6-foot-8, 268 pounds, he has the size to be a stout situational blocker.
After the draft, the Giants signed Kyle Markway out of South Carolina along with Rysen John, a 6-foot-7 tight end from Canada who had 10 touchdowns and 861 receiving yards as a senior at Simon Fraser.
Who’s Back
Evan Engram, the Giants’ firstround pick out of Ole Miss in 2017, enters his fourth season as New York’s primary tight end.
Kaden Smith returns as the top receiving option behind Engram after being claimed off waivers last September. The Giants also have Garrett Dickerson and Eric Tomlinson back in the mix. This is technically Tomlinson’s second stint with the team, as he spent time with the Patriots and Raiders after the Giants waived him last September.
What They Did Last Year
The injuries continued last season for Engram, who appeared in a career-low eight games while hauling in 44 receptions for 467 yards with three touchdowns.
He’s played in 34 of a possible 48 games since entering the league because of ribs, MCL, hamstring and foot injuries. Engram sat out the final seven games last year after spraining his foot against the Cowboys, despite the diagnosis originally being a twoto-four-week timetable.
Smith appeared in nine games and started the final six games, finishing with 31 catches for 268 yards and three touchdowns, including two scores in the Week 16 overtime win against the Redskins.
Dickerson briefly appeared in eight games for the Giants during the past two seasons.
Outlook
Will Evan Engram finally stay healthy this season? It certainly would be hard to bet on that given his chronic history. Based on his first three years, Sports Injury Predictor says he has a 59.9% chance of missing at least two quarters in 2020.
Still, the Giants have been reluctant to dangle Engram on the trade market, which makes sense given that the return value wouldn’t be great right now. The team exercised his fifth-year option in April, which means he’s locked in for $6 million in 2021. The Giants could cut him after the 2020 season with no salary cap impact as long as he can pass a physical. There’s little risk attached to being patient.
With 4.4 40-yard dash speed,
Engram is one of the NFL’s biggest mismatches for linebackers and safeties when he’s on the field. That’s particularly valuable in new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett’s scheme, which could help Engram produce his first 1,000-yard season.
Garrett showed in Dallas that he likes to deploy two-tight end sets. Engram is most likely to be paired with Toilolo and Smith, since the Giants might carry only three tight ends on the 53-man roster.