The New York Giants have a seemingly endless amount of concerns entering the 2020 season and they were hoping another positional issue would not crop up, but it has.
Expectations were that the Giants would head into free agency with their depth at tight end set, but instead, they may have to worry about addressing that position as well.
Veteran Rhett Ellison is reportedly considering retirement after concussion issues plagued him in 2019, while the team recently released Scott Simonson and Isaiah Searight in what were essentially paperwork moves (Simonson recently explained).
That leaves Evan Engram, Kaden Smith and Garrett Dickerson as the remaining depth, and the news surrounding Engram is not exactly promising.
Engram was placed on season-ending injured reserve in mid-December with a foot injury that had previously kept him out for over a month, and later underwent surgery.
Nearly three months later, Engram is still in a walking boot and is not expected to return to the field until at least training camp, reports the New York Post.
Engram remains in a walking boot after his late December foot surgery. He is one of the NFL’s best receiving tight ends when healthy but has missed 14 games due to injury in his three-year career.
The Giants must decide by May whether to pick up Engram’s fifth-year contract option for 2021. He is expected to be sidelined until training camp.
As talented and dynamic as Engram may be, his inability to stay healthy and on the field depletes his value. He’s inconsistent and unreliable as the result of his injury history, and that may be why the Giants are so keen on Kaden Smith. It may also be why they choose to address the tight end position this offseason, be it through the draft or free agency.
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