Fans of the New York Giants? Unreasonably excited? Surely, you jest. It’s been a long, lonely road for the G-Men through Dave Gettleman’s muck (which still hasn’t entirely been cleaned off yet). All it takes is a competent draft and some financial savings to rev the truck back up, and that’s exactly what Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll appear to have delivered.
From swiping Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal early, potentially the top two players on the big board, to adding tight end Daniel Bellinger in the middle rounds , the NY Giants are in a much better place now than they were when the offseason began and Nate Solder was still lurking around the facility collecting checks.
That enthusiasm has carried over into OTAs, where Bellinger appears to be taking full advantage of his own momentum. The San Diego State product was known on Draft Day as a prolific blocker and receiving option with surprising speed for his size.
Early on, he’s been running with the first team at camp in an attempt to prove he might just have immediate value, even as he develops his pass-catching skills. When you look at the tight end portion of the depth chart, it’s clear there’s a massive void just waiting to be filled. Why not Bellinger, and why not right away?
Daniel Bellinger running with the Giants 1st team this early seems significant.
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) June 2, 2022
Coaches usually are hesitant to give those reps to rookies (especially day 3 picks) this early. Really excited to see how reliable and good he can be as a rookie. pic.twitter.com/JU9s4le6Ec
NY Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger might be more than a blocker
Bellinger’s most recent highlight involved snagging a touchdown from Daniel Jones in the team’s ninth OTA, putting his post-draft words into action.
As Bellinger himself touted:
"*Rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger caught a red-zone touchdown from Jones late in practice. The sixth-round pick from San Diego State was asked last month how much more he can add as a receiver than in college, where he wasn’t required to do as much.“A lot,” said Bellinger, who didn’t have a drop last season. “I think I have a lot to show and of course a lot to improve on. So that’s another thing is I want to come out and show that I can be a receiver and not just a blocker but also both. Just be a hybrid and help the offense, whether it is blocking or whether it is pass catching.”"
Bellinger is moving from a San Diego State offense that didn’t rely on him to make offensive noise to a Mike Kafka/Brian Daboll offense that just made Dawson Knox a star in Buffalo. The expectations will be higher here.
Daniel Bellinger: “I want to come out and show that I’m a receiver and not just a blocking TE” pic.twitter.com/oxHGQxCsoi
— Madelyn Burke (@MadelynBurke) May 14, 2022
The best part for Bellinger? He’s contending with Ricky Seals-Jones, Jordan Akins and Chris Myarick on the tight end depth chart, and as hilarious as Myarick’s between-the-legs touchdown was in 2021, he won’t receive any boost from it in this summer’s competition.
Expect Bellinger’s run with the big boys to continue and hopefully prove fruitful by the time Week 1 rolls around.
5 NY Giants who could tumble down depth chart during training camp
These 5 NY Giants run the risk of losing their footing in their respective depth chart duels this summer in training camp ahead of the 2021 season.