It's a bit wild to think that this is how things have gone for NY Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger. During his rookie season, Bellinger showcased a ton of potential for this team. He was a strong blocker, caught some key passes and even posted an unforgettable rushing score in the upset win over Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in London.
Fast forward to present time and the third-year tight end is pretty much a ghost for the Big Blue offense? That appears to be the case. Rookie Theo Johnson is the TE1, while veteran Chris Manhertz has taken over as TE2 for this team. Bellinger now the TE3? With only four snaps against the Commanders, that sure looks to be the case:
Giants offensive snap counts vs. Commanders:
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) September 16, 2024
• I think the plan was to get the young RBs more involved yesterday. But they rode the hot hand because Devin Singletary was excellent aside from the fumble (15 in six seasons, fourth most among RB since entering the league in 2019).… pic.twitter.com/o2NoSkBVut
Daniel Bellinger is now barely being used by the NY Giants and Brian Daboll
This really does feel like a bit of a shock. Johnson led the way with 44 snaps, on the field for 79 percent of the offensive plays. Mahertz was out there for 26 snaps, while Belliner indeed was only out there for four. Is there some sort of injury going on we don't know about? If not, then this just seems a bit strange.
Last season, Bellinger saw a decline in game time because of the trade for Darren Waller, but Waller battled a hamstring injury and ended up missing a large chunk of the season. He then retired during the offseason, which opened the door for Bellinger to grab the starting spot, while helping Johnson come along.
Instead, things haven't gone according to plan at all for Bellinger, who is now spending most of his time on Sundays watching from the sidelines. Head man Brian Daboll has decided to mix things up quite a bit early on this year, but some of his decisions have backfired.
The Giants are 0-2, something no one expected. Having Bellinger play more won't fix Daboll's issues, but it might be time for him to see what the youngster can do. He needs more playing time and the same can be said for Jalin Hyatt (12 snaps) as well.