The NY Giants are badly in need of a big-bodied wideout. But, moving tight end Evan Engram, who would fit that billing, would be a massive mistake.
Listen, no NY Giants fan is happy with what’s transpired with potential star tight end Evan Engram over the last two years.
Injuries have played a massive role in the former first-round pick underachieving, and although he likely would have been able to play down the stretch last year if the season were competitive, he simply needs to stay on the field moving forward.
When he’s on that field, he needs to be playing tight end almost exclusively. As his struggles have ensued over the past two seasons, fans – and even some media, have been calling for Engram to move from tight end to wide receiver in an effort to jumpstart his productivity.
Again, if his struggles were due to his play on the field it might be a worthy consideration. Since he was drafted out of Ole Miss, analysts have speculated that his ‘natural’ position is wideout, namely due to him running an explosive 4.4 40 leading up to the draft.
Making a decision based solely on that elite 40 time would be a mistake, though. Engram does not possess the route tree, precision route running or get in and out of his breaks fast enough to be an elite wideout. Could he do okay there, and is it enticing due to Big Blue lacking any true big-bodied wideouts? Sure.
Kaden Smith’s success in filling in for Engram in 2019 and the signing of the massive Levine Toilolo have only exacerbated these calls for the move.
But let’s not take his biggest positive – which is being a matchup nightmare at the tight end position – and neutralize it. Engram thrives running up the seam and bullying smaller safeties and slower linebackers, not winning one-on-one or even blanketed battles on the outside against technical cornerbacks that have much better footwork than he does
New offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has always gotten the most out of his tight ends, even last year with Blake Jarwin. Jason Witten is a much different player with an entirely different skillset than Engram, but where they thrive will stay the same — the middle of the field and the short slot areas.
Now, there are surely some intricacies about where Engram lines up and the type of routes he runs that can and should be changed from the Pat Shurmur era — that’s a different conversation.
Joe Judge has said he will put his players in the best possible positions to succeed as the head man in charge of the NY Giants.
For Evan Engram – who is such an important part of this offense moving forward – that involved keeping him at tight end.