The New York Giants might be on the verge of watching another former player embarrass them from afar. A former Big Blue tight end has officially been named a 2026 breakout candidate by The Athletic's Jim Ayello.
After signing a one-year, $3.25 extension to remain with the Miami Dolphins, the 26-year-old journeyman is set to become one of Malik Willis’ primary targets. For Giants fans, this is a movie we've seen too many times before.
Watching him go off in South Beach would cause headache-inducing eye-rolls -- not because he was expected to be a savior in New York, but because he fits a brutal trend.
If he breaks out this season, he will join an ever-growing list of former players who left North Jersey only to find success somewhere else... yay. From Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley to Julian Love, Xavier McKinney, and Leonard Williams, the grass always seems to be greener outside of MetLife Stadium.
Greg Dulcich is poised to become next ex-Giants success story
The G-Men initially claimed the 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end off waivers in 2024 after injuries prompted the Denver Broncos to cut him. He caught zero passes for zero yards on zero targets. No one would blame you if you forgot he was on the team entirely.
He appeared in just five games for New York before being let go following an impressive 2025 preseason. He eventually latched onto the Dolphins' practice squad in 2025, quickly fighting his way onto their active roster late last year.
In his limited action, he flashed the dynamic, vertical playmaking traits that have long given NFL teams tantalizing glimpses of the enticing potential he showed at UCLA.
Without him, Theo Johnson stepped up big time, but the franchise has been desperately searching for a true, top-tier weapon at the position since the Jeremy Shockey days. They tried to fix it by trading for Darren Waller back in 2023, but that blew up in their face in spectacular fashion due to injuries and an abrupt retirement.
To finally end their tight end woes, general manager Joe Schoen aggressively signed one potential-filled Isaiah Likely to a three-year, $40 million contract this offseason.
If things go according to plan, a dual-threat unit led by Likely and Johnson has the legitimate potential to be the league's best -- meaning the G-Men might finally be okay, even if another castoff becomes the next ex-Giant to make them look bad for doing so.
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