The New York Giants’ tight end room has been shredded to bits this offseason. Veteran playmaker Darren Waller announced his retirement earlier this offseason. Knowing Waller’s exit was a legitimate possibility, the Giants spent a fourth-round pick on rookie tight end Theo Johnson. But it was recently announced that Johnson will start training camp on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list.
Now the remaining healthy tight ends on the roster include Daniel Bellinger and a list of other inexperienced and backup talents. The Giants could recognize this potential weakness and aim to add another tight end to the roster through free agency.
Which tight ends could the Giants target in free agency?
If the Giants want to add a tight end through free agency, they are going to have to pick through a slim group of options. Among the few impactful free agents still available at the position, though, are some intriguing veteran talents.
37-year-old tight end and former first-team All-Pro Jimmy Graham wrapped up his 12th season in the NFL in 2023. While he’s not the same player that he was back when he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2013, Graham could still be a serviceable backup player. In 2023, he appeared in 13 games and caught only six receptions, but he scored four touchdowns, indicating Graham is still a weapon in the red zone with his 6-foot-7 basketball-player frame.
Geoff Swaim is another veteran tight end who is still available in free agency. The 30-year-old played out a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals in 2023, totaling 10 receptions for 94 yards in 11 games played. Swaim is a reliable veteran who adds something as a blocker but would do little to replace the production of the injured Johnson for the Giants.
Other free agents available include Tyler Kroft, Blake Bell, and Kenny Yeboah. All of these players could be signed to add depth to the Giants’ tight end room, but it’s difficult to project any of them making an impact during the regular season.
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The Giants likely need to tough it out with the talent they have
Although the Giants’ tight end room is increasingly thin, it’s probably in the team’s best interest to tough it out with the talent they have. Being without Johnson at the start of camp is an unfortunate development. And Waller’s retirement is disappointing for the team on many levels. But the Giants’ solution to this problem unfortunately does not exist on the open market.
The Giants’ more likely solution, rather, would be the development and subsequent emergence of third-year tight end Daniel Bellinger. The 2022 fourth-round pick was impressive as a rookie before suffering an eye injury that kept him sidelined for an extended period of time. But he made 11 starts as a rookie and put the ball in the end zone three times.
There’s no indication yet how long Johnson will be sidelined. But in the meantime, the Giants can probably get by just fine with Bellinger and a combination of Lawrence Cager, Chris Manhertz, and Jack Stoll behind him.
