After the retirement of Rhett Ellison this offseason, the New York Giants are dedicated to building their tight end corps back up. Sure, they have Evan Engram as their primary receiving option at the position and are high on second-year player Kaden Smith, but more is needed.
That is why they decided to bring in the 6-foot-8 Levine Toilolo in free agency; a player known for his blocking prowess and red zone presence.
Toilolo is a veteran who played much of his career in the Kyle Shanahan system which values a consistent rousing attack, which is what the Giants are trying to establish here under Joe Judge and Jason Garrett.
The featured back in the Giants offense is naturally Saquon Barkley and Toilolo will be lined up in the two tight end sets as an extra blocker with the intent of springing Barkley free, just like he did with the 49ers last season.
“I don’t know him personally,” Toilolo said of Barkley on a conference call on Wednesday with reporters. “I’ve just been able to watch him. Just the athlete that he is is always exciting to watch. I’m definitely excited to be able to get out there and hopefully do whatever I can to kind of help him out. Like I said, I’m just excited to be there and like I said, do whatever I can to help the team. If that’s trying to open up a hole or whatever, then I’m just going to focus on how I can try to help him and help this offense.”
Toilolo, like Kaden Smith, hails from Stanford, a school that produced many a solid NFL tight end.
“I think that’s one of the programs that allow you to do a little bit of everything as far as blocking and receiving being in a pro-style offense. I think that just kind of helps you develop your game in all different aspects. A lot of great tight ends come out of there like Zach Ertz and Coby Fleener that I got to be teammates with. It’s really a credit to the coaches there and obviously guys like Kaden that work hard at their craft,” he said.
Smith was picked up last season after the being released by the 49ers and filled din admirably down the stretch for the injured Ellison. This year, roles still have to be defined. Whatever role he’s given, Toilolo says he’s ready to dive in.
“All I know is I’m just coming in to work my tail off and do whatever they ask me to do. Whatever I can do to help the team win, that’s what I’ll do,” he said.
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