The New York Giants seemingly picked up the pieces at tight end after Darren Waller announced his retirement this offseason, but one NFL writer believes that the franchise should trade for an under-the-radar option to add to their depth chart this summer.
Could the Giants make a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders for TE Harrison Bryant?
On Friday, July 26, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine proposed a mock trade that would send the Giants’ 2026 sixth-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for TE Harrison Bryant and the Raiders’ 2026 seventh-round pick, outlining his rationale by saying this in part (h/t John Fennelly of Giants Wire):
“The Giants drafted Theo Johnson and still have Daniel Bellinger on the roster, but it might be worth going back to the Raiders to add another option,” Ballentine wrote, referencing the Giants’ first trade with the Raiders for Waller back in March of 2023.
“This time, the trade would be much more low stakes. The Raiders signed Harrison Bryant to a one-year, $3.3 million contract in March, but couldn’t have factored in drafting Brock Bowers at the time. Drafting the rookie phenomenon out of Georgia probably puts Bryant third in the tight end pecking order right away.
Meanwhile, the Giants might have pursued a free agent tight end a little harder if Waller had announced his retirement before June. Here, both clubs get a chance for a redo. The former Mackey Award winner could help out New York until Johnson is ready to play.”
Giants: Would Bryant be a better tight end option than Daniel Bellinger?
From the Giants’ perspective, Bryant does not offer a considerable upgrade at the position over who the franchise already has stored on their roster. Bellinger is slated to start for the Giants in 2024, and though he’s not looked at as a great pass-catching talent, he still posted an incredible 89.3 percent catch rate last season, well above Bryant’s 65 percent marker, and out-gained him by 174 receiving yards on the campaign. All that transpired while Bellinger continued to assert himself as a promising blocking TE.
The Giants would actually be well-serviced by their Nevada native’s skill set, as they have four hungry mouths in their wide receiver room in rookie Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Jalin Hyatt, who will all demand their share of targets on the upcoming campaign, with only one football for quarterback Daniel Jones to fling around the field.
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Giants: Bryant could be a veteran insurance option for rookie Theo Johnson
Behind Bellinger, rookie Theo Johnson will bring his 341 receiving yards and 7 REC TDs from his 2023 season at Penn State to the Giants’ offense. He has been looked at as a talent that can come in and contribute at the NFL level right away, and garnered comparisons to former NFL great Jimmy Graham from ESM’s Alexander Wilson.
All things considered, engaging in an essential pick swap in 2026 while acquiring Bryant, who has been a solid option in first-down opportunities for the Browns between 2020 and 2022 with 40 first-down grabs in that time span, could give New York a veteran option that can be played interchangeably with Bellinger when offense is needed more, while the team gets a full grasp on what they have with Johnson.
