Do The New York Giants Need To Sign A Tight End For 2016?

For the past three seasons, the New York Giants struggled to find a truly effective tight end. Unfortunately, Daniel Fells was out for all of 2015 and would have been a veteran blocking presence. Larry Donnell and Will Tye filled in for Fells and performed admirably, but both had their faults.

Donnell looked to be an adequate tight end before a neck injury cut his season in half. In eight games, he had 29 catches for two touchdowns. He had memorable grabs including a game-winner in the back of the endzone against the San Francisco 49ers. He showed talent in getting open, but he had trouble with drops. And according to Ed Valentine of Big Blue View, Donnell “doesn’t have the will to be a good blocker.”

Tye was a remarkable story at tight end when he took the reigns from Donnell. The first player from Stony Brook in the NFL finished the season with 42 catches and three touchdowns in his rookie season. He certainly showed potential, but his blocking is a work in progress. Tye himself sees improvement in 2016. “Next year there will be little differences… I can just play and next year I’ll be that much faster. And we should see better results, “ Tye said prior to the season finale.

But is the combination of Donnell and Tye enough for 2016? Despite a potent offense, the Giants red zone TD percentage for 2015 was an abysmal 29th in the NFL. Obviously the four-man rotation at running back didn’t provide an answer to that problem, but a pass-catching tight end can be a big target for Eli Manning could improve that terrible percentage.

There are a few legitimate tight ends on the market in free agency, but Jerry Reese will likely use the lion’s share of the Giants’ cash on fixing the ailing defense. With two veteran O-linemen released this week, there are holes to be filled protecting Manning, as well. Should Reese sign a tight end in free agency?