The New York Giants are going into the 2020 season with a bevy of different tight ends to utilize. After Rhett Ellison suffered a concussion in 2019 that lead him toward retirement, Big Blue went out and signed former San Francisco tight end, Levine Toilolo. Currently, they have Evan Engram, Kaden Smith, and Toilolo as their primary options at the position. With pads going on players Monday, the Giants can finally begin to evaluate what they have and how they can utilize the talent available.
A brief summary of each:
Evan Engram is a primary pass-catching tight end that is great on mesh and seam routes but is not the most refined blocker. Given the lack of size, his ability to run routes and get open for Daniel Jones is how the Giants will likely utilize him moving forward.
Kaden Smith is another solid player coming off his rookie season in 2019. Showing off an ability to get open in the passing game and potential in run-blocking, he could be a multi-faceted player that is grouped in with Egram frequently in 12 personnel sets.
Toilolo is a primary run blocker, who can replace the duties of Ellison. While he has enjoyed some success as a receiver, he will be a primary lead blocker for Saquon Barkley.
However, Engram remains the number one tight end for the Giants, and new coach Freddie kitchens is excited to see what he can do.
Here’s what the New York Giants’ tight end coach had to say:
“He’s a team-oriented guy,†Kitchens said. “He’s been working his tail off to get better each and every day, and he’s done a good job of just staying in the moment, like we all should be doing. Just try to get a little better each day and see where you’re at in a couple of weeks.â€
Engram is going into his fourth season in the NFL, and injuries have taken their toll on his development. He has seen his yardage totals decrease every season, but if he can stay healthy 2020, he could take the steps necessary to become a premier threat in the league. Kitchens believes he has progressed and taken steps forward this off-season.
“I think Evan is in the mindset that he should be in, and that’s just getting better today,†he said. “We’re trying to stay in the moment here with every position, with every player, with every coach, and keep our head down and just work to get better each and every day. Evan has done a good job up to this point in doing that. He did a hell of a job this summer in rehabbing and getting back to where he’s at right now, and just kind of taking it day to day and getting better with his releases, his hand placement, with everything.
“Every aspect of Evan’s game, we want to try to get better at each and every day. Evan’s done an unbelievable job in staying focused and concentrating on, even more specific to every day, just every rep. He’s done a good job and we’re just going to stay in the moment.â€
If the Giants can finally extract the best out of Evan, their passing attack will be completely different. In recent years, they’ve been forced to utilize more 11 personnel without a quality tight end in the receiving game. After missing eight games last year due to a midfoot sprain, Kaden Smith received a majority of the reps. The potential he showed ultimately became a good thing for the Giants, and will likely factor into the offensive scheme in some way.