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Paul Perkins released, Giants claim (another) tight end

By Charles Vitolo

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 29: Paul Perkins #28 of the New York Giants runs the ball during the preseason game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 29, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 29: Paul Perkins #28 of the New York Giants runs the ball during the preseason game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 29, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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One of the last Jerry Reese draft picks remaining on the New York Giants’ roster was released on Tuesday to make room for tight end Kaden Smith.

After four rocky years, in which the runningback peaked early, Paul Perkins time as a Giant is officially over. Perkins surprisingly made the 53-man roster after a decent pre-season, but now finds himself looking for work for the first time in his NFL career.

It was clear that Perkins was not-likely going to be a factor on this team, as the ‘back failed to dress for either of the first two games. Pat Shurmur and Dave Gettleman clearly feel confident enough (and they should) in Wayne Gallman’s ability to spell Saquon Barkley, which shouldn’t be needed all-too often.

The former fifth-round draft choice out of UCLA appeared to have a promising future with Big Blue after exploding onto the scene in 2016 with 456 rushing yards on a 4.1 average, with a bulk of those yards coming down the stretch in a playoff-run. Perk’ also displayed reliable hands in the passing-game, but injuries never allowed him to continue to improve-upon the impressive rookie campaign. Hopefully he’ll get another look somewhere, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the last we see of him in the NFL.

Get to know Kaden Smith

The player that is taking Perkins’ roster spot is 2019 sixth-round draft choice Kaden Smith, a tight end out of Stanford. Smith was waived by the 49ers on Saturday to make room for runningback Jeff Wilson Jr. due to the Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon injuries.

The Giants now feature a staggering six tight ends on their roster (five on the active), a number that includes C.J. Conrad on the practice squad. It will be interesting to see if this will dictate a newfound reliance on two – or even three- tight end sets. Gettleman recently made a similar move when he acquired Eric Tomlinson off-waivers via the Jets, although this move figures to make him expendable (likely when Garrett Dickerson is healthy).

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Smith finished up a solid, but short, career at Stanford with a 2018 second-team All-Pac 12 selection to get himself onto the NFL draft radar. The 6’5, 253 pound tight end surprised-many when he declared for the 2019 draft, but looks to follow in the footsteps of numerous other successful Stanford tight ends at the NFL level. The Draft Network’ analyst Jon Ledyard had this to say of Smith while considering his NFL potential:

"Kaden Smith has ideal size and length for the tight end position, which aids him in his one redeeming trait: his ability to go up and high point the football despite contestation. Unfortunately Smith finds himself in that situation a lot, as he struggles mightily to separate from man coverage and is physically dominated too often in his routes. If Smith had more athleticism or explosiveness I’d still be on board with taking him day two to develop, but I found him average at best in those two areas, while also being just an adequate blocker. His ball skills are tantalizing as a no. 2 tight end who can make an impact in the red zone, but I don’t know that Smith will ever be much more than that given his limitations."

Sounds like mostly what you would expect to hear about a late-round draft selection, although he certainly seems to profile as a guy with a boatload of potential. There have been numerous other tight ends that showed proficiency in college, but were thought of as not athletic enough to succeed in the NFL level, who have ended up flourishing. One good example in that respect is a former teammate of Smith’s in San Francisco, George Kittle (fifth-round selection in 2017).

Smith tallied an impressive 1049 receiving yards on 70 catches (15.0 average) and seven touchdowns in only 20 career games. Those numbers tell the story of a player that has legitimate potential at the next level, and although he may have left a year early, the Giants will look to tap into that potential this season.

I like the move, particularly as a possible long-term backup to Evan Engram.

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