New York Giants Sign Tight End Rhett Ellison To Four-Year Deal
The New York Giants have addressed the void at tight end by signing free agent Rhett Ellison to a multi-year contract. Find out the details of the deal.
The New York Giants finished the 2016 NFL regular season with a record of 11-5. The strength of the team was a defense that ranked No. 2 in the league in points allowed per game and No. 10 in yards allowed per game.
Entering the 2017 offseason, however, all eyes turned to New York’s inability to execute on offense.
New York finished the 2016 regular season with one of the most inefficient offensive units in the NFL. It struggled to generate rushing yards or rushing touchdowns, and was generally inconsistent in its attempts to create through the passing attack.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Giants have addressed a void on offense by signing tight end Rhett Ellison to a four-year deal worth $18 million, including $8 million guaranteed.
Rhett Ellison 4-yr $18M deal with Giants with $8M fully guaranteed at signing
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2017
The Giants continue to invest in the improvement of what was a generally underwhelming offensive unit in 2016.
Ellison, 28, is a 6’5″ and 250-pound force of nature. He has pedestrian numbers of 51 career receptions for 515 yards and three touchdowns in five NFL seasons, but he’s always been more of a blocker than a receiver.
For a Giants team that struggled to run the ball with any form of consistency in 2016, adding a blocker like Ellison may have been a wise decision.
By lining Ellison up at tight end, the Giants should have better luck running the ball to the outside than they managed in 2016.
Perhaps the most appealing nature of Ellison’s game is that he’s capable of playing fullback, as well. If New York utilizes him in such a capacity, he could be the lane-creating blocker whom Paul Perkins needs to run behind.
Regardless of which position he lines up, Ellison projects to be in New York for quite some time.
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