Which 5 NY Giants are most vital to the offense?
By David Solow
NY Giants’ 4th Most Essential Offensive Player: Kenny Golladay
Position: Number 1 Receiver
Positional Value: Tier 3
What makes him a great player?:
Kenny Golladay was considered the best free-agent wide receiver for a reason.
Golladay is a legit WR1 and is an elite contested-catch target in the passing game. He led the NFL in touchdown receptions in his last full season in 2019.
The NY Giants were 31st in the NFL in the red zone last season. Golladay should help immensely in this part of the field. Like prime Plaxico Burress before him, even when he’s not open, he’s open.
New York was last in the NFL with just 17 +25 yard passing plays in 2020. Golladay ranks third in deep receptions per game and seventh in air yards per target since 2018. He had 628 yards on deep passes in 2019. We should hear “Jones deep to Golladay” a lot in 2021.
How would the NY Giants fare without him?
For the first time in a while, the NY Giants are deep at receiver. Dave Gettleman signed speedy former #9 overall pick John Ross in free agency to be another deep threat at receiver. Gettleman then spent the team’s first pick in the draft on receiver Kadarius Toney, who is another special athlete at the position.
Adding Ross and Toney to a receiver corps that already includes Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton makes Golladay less essential. The offense would miss Golladay’s red zone presence, but the NY Giants finally have decent depth in the receiver corps (which includes David Sills on the practice squad).