Even amid the many concerns about the New York Giants’ receiving corps, those discussions frequently mentioned Jaxson Dart being lucky to have tight ends Theo Johnson and Isaiah Likely.
Enough has been said about Likely, who scored twice in his Giants debut and reiterated why he’d generated so much hype as a breakout candidate. Johnson was surprisingly a non-factor, though his lone target at least went for a 9-yard catch.
What especially caught our eye was Johnson only playing 46 percent of the Giants’ offensive snaps. He averaged 84 and 86 percent in his first two seasons, and the former Penn State standout earned strong reviews throughout the summer.
So while we’re not concerned about Johnson just yet, we are curious to see if his Week 1 numbers foreshadow what’s to come.
The New York Giants must unleash Theo Johnson against the Los Angeles Rams
Last Sunday reiterated what we expected: Likely and Malik Nabers were Dart’s top two options, and rookie Malachi Fields drew four targets. Interestingly, the Giants didn’t throw Odell Beckham Jr.’s way, though that’s its own conversation.
Week 1 is an excellent time for overreactions, and some are more justified than others. Some takes, such as Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll being the worst possible fit for Titans quarterback Cam Ward, follow an offseason of analysts saying exactly that despite the national media insisting otherwise.
Monday night presents an ideal opportunity for Dart and Johnson to reconnect, and we promise that’s not a lazy pun attempt. The latter had eight games with at least five targets last year, all coming after Dart became the starter in Week 3.
Dart loves his tight ends, which Harbaugh and Nagy have understood and admired from the start. Look no further than the Likely signing and Daniel Bellinger’s departure. The 26-year-old Likely had played his first seasons for Harbaugh in Baltimore and had always flashed as a receiving threat.
As for Bellinger, the Giants weren’t going to meet his contract demands just for the sake of continuity. They let Saleh, Daboll, and the Titans guarantee the former San Diego State starter $14 million only to have him play 28 percent of the Week 1 snaps.
But even with Likely's rapid ascent into the elite tight end range, Johnson can't be forgotten. With a strong performance in Week 2, he can remind fans why he was one of Dart's favorite targets last season.
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