The New York Giants are looking for several players to step up their production to help make up for the loss of Odell Beckham Jr., and to an extent, the aging of Eli Manning, and one of the ones expected to make a big splash this season is newly acquired Golden Tate, who joined from the rival Philadelphia Eagles this offseason and brings a strong ability to gain yards after the catch.
Tate should end up one of the top receivers on the team next to Sterling Shepard, who has more experience in the offense and recently signed a four year contract to secure his place as one of the top players on the Giants. While it looks like Shepard could be a star on the outside, Tate should be the first team player in the slot – a position that Tocuhdown Wire has rated him quite highly at.
According to Touchdown Wire, Tate is the 9th best slot receiver in the entire league, which would certainly be an upgrade for the Giants from the previous amount of production they received from the position. Here’s some of what they had to say about Tate.
As you’d expect from a YAC monster throughout his career, Tate is a very physical player. Built like a running back, he challenges cornerbacks with his upper-body strength at the line of scrimmage, and he’s eager to a fault when it comes to giving press coverage back within the first five yards of a route. He’s also learned to work option routes at all areas of the field, and though he won’t make anyone forget Beckham, he brings a lot to the table in a favorable offense.
Tate will benefit this year from the Giants having a bit more depth than they did last year. Cody Latimer should hopefully be healthy this year to play alongside Shepard and tight end Evan Engram, who also struggled with injury but should be back in action for the start of the 2019 season.
The Giants already improved their running game last year, leaving receiving as a logical step forward for improvement. We’ll see if Tate can help with making that step forward in a much needed area.