The New York Giants are in the quest of a lifetime, looking for viable replacements for star Malik Nabers and rookie running back Cam Skattebo. Losing two of his best playmakers has left rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart alone on an island.
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Dart has shown plenty of flashes and tape suggesting he’s Big Blue’s next franchise quarterback, but he’s still more project than finished product, and asking him to carry this season without reliable weapons is organizational malpractice.
On Monday, 11 players worked out for the G-Men. Aside from Jaren Hall, every player they brought in was a running back, defensive back, or wideout:
- Wide receivers: Diontae Johnson and Jaylen Johnson
- Running backs: Israel Abinkanda, Darrynton Evans, Montrell Johnson
- Defensive backs: Isaiah Bolden, O’Donnell Fortune, Jalen Kimber, Jarius Monroe, Doneiko Slaughter
- Quarterback: Jaren Hall
One name caught everyone's eye — 29-year-old free agent receiver Diontae Johnson.
Giants host Diontae Johnson for workout as WR search heats up
No, he's not the star name we were hoping for, but Johnson's workout does tell us one very promising thing: the G-Men are clearly looking for receiver help.
The 2021 Pro Bowler has had an interesting — to put it mildly — year since leaving Pittsburgh in 2023.
The Carolina Panthers traded for the wideout in March 2024. He lasted seven games before being dealt to the Baltimore Ravens in a mid-season trade. Then it all unraveled. He was released from the Ravens for conduct detrimental to the team, was signed by the Houston Texans for the playoffs, cut mid-run, then re-signed with Baltimore to sit on the bench and not see the field.
Whacky stuff.
Still, the belief is he's got some juice left in the tank. After all, it was only two years — but four teams — ago from posting a 700-yard, five-touchdown campaign. With the G-Men having limited cap space and wanting to hold onto draft capital ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline, signing a vet like Johnson might make more sense than swinging for the fences for players like Jakobi Meyers, Jaylen Waddle, or Chris Olave.
It'll be interesting to see how this whole Johnson workout turns out. The Giants need to give their rookie quarterback adequate weapons, but not at the risk of bringing in a locker-room cancer into the building... even if I did think he'd be a viable option a few weeks ago.
Either way, Schoen is at least showing signs that the team is willing to explore options — a far cry from the “we’ll just go with the flow” approach that would all but inevitably doom their up-and-coming franchise cornerstone.