Rookie TE gives Giants ray of hope
There are not a whole lot of positives to take away from the Giants’ season through the first seven weeks, but rookie tight end Evan Engram is one of them.
The Giants’ first-round pick ranks fourth among tight ends this season with 342 receiving yards, trailing just Zach Ertz, Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce.
He is tied for fifth in receptions (30) and touchdowns (3) while 63.3% of his receptions have gone for first downs.
While the numbers are impressive for the 23-year-old, Engram is still out to do more.
“I’m not really complacent,” he said on Tuesday. “I never get complacent, so definitely I’m always aiming for more. I’m always aiming for improvement.”
Engram has been asked to step up the last two weeks with the Giants depleted at wide receiver due to injuries, leaving the tight end as Eli Manning’s primary target.
Manning has connected with his fellow Ole Miss product for 11 receptions and 142 yards and two touchdowns over the last two games and will likely continue to get more chances going forward.
“I definitely am ready to be whatever I have to be to help this team as much as I can,” Engram said. “So, that’s an increased role. I’m going to embrace it. I’m going to attack it. These guys are going to push me and I’m going to push them as well.”
The bar is set pretty high for rookie tight ends that have played for the Giants.
Jeremy Shockey set the all-time record for receiving yards by a rookie tight end in the NFL since the 1970 merger with 894 in 2002. His 74 receptions are second on the all-time list while Gronkowski set the rookie record for touchdowns in 2010 with 10.
Engram may be on pace to compete with some of those numbers with nine games left, but he claims he is not paying any attention to that stuff.
“I get tagged in some tweets here and there, but I don’t really (pay attention),” he said. “I just kind of keep my head down, keep putting work in and then we’ll see what the numbers say at the end of the year.”
The Giants will definitely need Engram to continue his production — not just because it gives them a chance to win games but also because it makes the offense worth watching.
The Giants, who enter their bye week at 1-6, have struggled in all phases of the game but especially on offense.
Engram even admits it has made it difficult to enjoy the personal success he is having when the team is not playing up to expectations.
“It’s tough to be pleased when we’re losing as a team,” he said. “Big games here and there. With a loss, it’s kind of hard to feel good about it. There’s always things that you can look back on — maybe if I did this better, we score here or if I did his better, we get this first down.”
It is all part of the learning experience for Engram, who recognizes success — whether it is individual or team — is not easy to find in the NFL.
“Individually, the biggest thing I’ve been learning — a lot about myself, about this team, about kind of handling adversity and how hard it is to win in this league,” he said. “So, definitely a lot of learning, a lot of fighting. This team is really relentless and I try to come in here and be the same with these guys each and every day.”
BLUE WELCOMES BLUE: The Giants hosted members of the NYPD at the team facility in East Rutherford on Tuesday to speak with the players and offensive lineman Justin Pugh expressed his gratitude for them afterward on Twitter.
“Huge shoutout to NYPD’s finest for coming and speaking to our team today about changes they’ve made to help make this city a safer place,” he said. “Great dialogue between players and officers to help bridge gaps and continue to educate everyone. Thank you for all
you do!”