The New York Giants will journey forward without star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in 2019, and to be quite frank, his departure might help veteran quarterback Eli Manning spread the ball around the field more efficiently. That’s not to say Beckham didn’t influence Manning’s stats exponentially and mask his deficiencies.
However, with a new co-top receiver in Golden Tate, Eli will need to adapt to his style of play and timing running routes. The newly acquired pass-catcher is excited to begin working with the 15-year veteran, stating (NFL.com):
“What I can I see, Eli Manning‘s got a lot of juice left,” Tate told NFL Network’s Scott Hanson on Total Access on Thursday. “He’s still got some zip on his passes.
“I’ve been impressed. I think we have a really good problem. We’ve got a Hall of Fame-type of quarterback in my mind and we also drafted a guy, a young guy, so we don’t need Daniel to come in and save the day. We just need Daniel to stay on pace, learn as much as he possibly can in a great environment and just take it day by day. We don’t need him to come in tomorrow and win a game. We just need him to stay on pace. I think that’s good news in my mind.”
What does Golden Tate bring to the New York Giants?
Tate, who’s known for his ability to pick up yards after the catch, will be a fantastic security blanket for Manning when the pocket collapses. He’s a solid route runner with extremely dependable hands. Similar to Sterling Shepard, Tate can play in the slot and outside the boundaries.
Having both diverse receivers will open up the playbook for head coach Pat Shurmur and will give Manning more options. Last season, Tate was heavily misused with the Philadelphia Eagles, something that will change with the Giants. In more games with Philly, he racked up half of the number of yards he earned while with Detroit for the first half of the season.
Getting Tate into space is where he shines, and I imagine Shurmur prioritizing that fact.