Articles

By Michael Stewart/@golferbad

Introduction: The Giants failed to draft a tight end in the 2020 NFL draft as it was considered not as deep as other positions. However; they did address the position through free agency and through the UDFA signing phase. The Giants currently have a total of seven tight ends on the roster and will likely keep three on the final roster. There is an outside chance that the Giants could retain four on the final roster, based the depth of talent from the other positions.

On the Roster:

The Giants have Evan Engram, Kaden Smith, Levine Toilolo, Eric Tomlinson, Garrett Dickerson, Kyle Markway and Rysen John competing for those final roster spots. I believe we could see at least one added onto the practice squad, but it wouldn’t be a total surprise if the Giants decide to place two.

The key overall success to the Giant’s tight end positions lies on the shoulders of Evan Engram who has struggled to stay healthy over the last two seasons. Engram’s overall ability or potential outshines the rest of the tight ends on the roster, as he has big-play capabilities. Kaden Smith did a great job for the Giants in Engrams absence in 2019; and the Giants are hoping he takes a big step forward in 2020. The addition of Toilolo gives the Giants bona fide blocker at the tight end position, who will provide surprising production.

Final Thoughts: This will be an interesting group to watch once training camp starts as each tight end provides a certain skill set. I can definitely see new Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett utilize lot of double tight end formations like he did in Dallas. Also, the use of a tight end possibly lining up in the backfield (H-Back) wouldn’t be a stretch in certain formations.

If Jason Garrett is looking for production from the tight end position, it would imperative that Evan Engram can stay healthy and remain on the field. Garrett could keep Engram off the line of scrimmage more by lining him up in the slot and on the outside to avoid and limit his blocking assignments on the larger defenders; such as linebackers. Over the next few months, I will be spotlighting certain tight end with more detailed analysis leading up to the start of the season.