Tag: Chris Manhertz

Do Giants need to add more talent at the tight end position?

Assuming Darren Waller retires, do the New York Giants have enough impactful talent at the tight end position or do they need more?

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has been busy this offseason filling his team’s most glaring needs in preparation for the 2024 season.

But not all of the team’s needs have been addressed. There’s always work to be done.

ESPN’s Aaron Schatz recently listed each team’s biggest remaining roster holes now that the draft and the bulk of free agency are over. For the Giants, he sees their biggest hole at the tight end position.

This is another team with questions at running back even after adding free agent Devin Singletary, but we’ll go with tight end as the team’s largest hole. That assumes that Darren Waller will retire, which is up in the air. If Waller leaves, the Giants will go back to starting Daniel Bellinger, who caught just 30 passes as a rookie in 2022 and then 25 more last season. The G-Men spent a fourth-round pick on Theo Johnson out of Penn State to back up Bellinger and/or Waller. They also have veteran blocking tight end Chris Manhertz and former Eagles backup Jack Stoll. For a team coming off a 6-11 season, New York has a surprisingly hole-free starting lineup — as long as you don’t want to have a complicated debate about the quarterback position.

Schatz is not buying into the narrative that Johnson is going to contribute more than expected as a rookie. He also makes no mention of Lawrence Cager, a player who continues to find his way on the field for the Giants.

Darren Waller is almost certain to retire as he is still mulling his future as the team goes through their offseason training program. Daniel Bellinger has never been given a primary role as a receiver and it’s anyone’s guess how he’ll handle an expanded role in his third season.

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Giants are signing TE Chris Manhertz

The New York Giants are signing tight end Chris Manhertz after a recent free agent workout.

The New York Giants continued to add tight end depth on Friday with Darren Waller’s future remaining uncertain.

NFL agent Sean Stellato, who also represents Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito, revealed that New York is signing tight end Chris Manhertz, who held a recent workout with the team.

The 31-year-old Manhertz was originally signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent out of Canisius in 2015. The journeyman has also made stops with the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars and, most recently, the Denver Broncos.

The Bronx native has appeared in 120 career games (53 starts), hauling in 26 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns. At 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, he is primarily used as a blocking tight end but also contributes on special teams.

In 2023, Pro Football Focus gave Manhertz an overall grade of 56.5.

With the Giants, Manhertz joins a group that consists of Darren Waller, who may be headed toward retirement, Daniel Bellinger, Lawrence Cager, Jack Stoll, and Tyree Jackson.

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Broncos cut TE Chris Manhertz to save $2.12 million

The Broncos released tight end Chris Manhertz, a move that will save the team $2.12 million in salary cap space.

The Denver Broncos released tight end Chris Manhertz on Friday, according to the Denver Post‘s Parker Gabriel.

Manhertz was scheduled to have a base salary of $2.14 million in 2024 and a total salary cap hit of $3.245 million, according to OverTheCap.com. After releasing the tight end, the Broncos will take on a “dead money” cap hit of $1.125 million with a total net savings of $2.12 million.

The veteran tight end understood the team’s business decision.

“I’ve played long enough in this league to where whatever happens, it’s just business,” Manhertz told KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. “Is it disappointing news? Sure. But it’s just business. You take it for what it is.”

Manhertz signed a two-year, $6 million contract with Denver last year. The team brought him in to contribute on special teams and block on offense. He caught just two passes for 16 yards in 2023.

Entering his tenth season in the NFL, the 31-year-old tight end will now seek his sixth team.

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Jaguars awarded 2 compensatory picks, ending 13-offseason drought

The Jaguars received compensatory draft picks for the first time in a long time.

For the first time since 2010, the Jacksonville Jaguars were awarded compensatory draft picks.

On Friday, the NFL announced that the Jaguars received a third-round pick (No. 96 overall) and a sixth-round pick (No. 212 overall) for the losses of Jawaan Taylor and Arden Key, respectively. Taylor joined the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency on a four-year, $80 million contract while Key signed with the Tennessee Titans on a three-year, $21 million deal.

Compensatory selections are awarded to teams that suffer net losses in free agency. While the Jaguars have lost plenty of other players in the last 13 offseasons, the team’s frequent spending nullified the opportunity to receive picks for those losses. For example, when wide receiver Allen Robinson and cornerback Aaron Colvin left the Jaguars in 2019, big contracts for offensive lineman Andrew Norwell and wide receiver Donte Moncrief erased the chance to get 2020 draft picks.

In 2023, the Jaguars largely stood pat in free agency, opting to focus their efforts on retaining their own players rather than hunting through the market. Jacksonville narrowly missed earning two more compensatory picks too, as tight end Chris Manhertz and wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. both received qualifying contracts that weren’t quite lucrative enough to earn a seventh-round pick.

With the addition of the two selections, the Jaguars have nine selections in the 2024 NFL draft.

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Jaguars’ projected 2024 NFL draft picks after trade deadline

The Jaguars still have plenty of draft capital to spare after sending a sixth-round pick to the Vikings for Ezra Cleveland.

The Jacksonville Jaguars gave up a sixth-round draft pick Tuesday to acquire offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland from the Minnesota Vikings. But even after losing the late-round pick, the Jaguars have plenty of 2024 NFL draft capital to spare.

With the draft just under six months away, here are the picks currently owned by the Jaguars:

There won’t be any more trades until the NFL’s 2024 league year begins on March 14, so the picks are mostly set for the time being. There are still the parameters of the Ridley trade that need to be finalized with the Jaguars’ fourth-round selection appearing unlikely to be the pick that gets sent to Atlanta.

Compensatory selections will be officially announced at some point during the NFL’s annual league meeting scheduled for March 24-27, 2024. While there’s no doubt that the loss of Taylor will net Jacksonville a third-round pick, there’s a chance that the loss of Key could land the Jaguars a fifth-rounder instead of a sixth-rounder.

The losses of tight end Chris Manhertz and wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. are also eligible to count in the compensatory formula, but are unlikely to reach the threshold for a seventh-round selection.

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4 ex-Saints made Sean Payton’s first 53-man roster with Broncos

Broncos coach Sean Payton has four ex-Saints on his 53-man roster in Denver.

Sean Payton finalized his first 53-man roster with the Denver Broncos earlier this week and it includes four of his former players from the coach’s time with the New Orleans Saints.

Payton kept three players on offense — tight ends Adam Trautman and Chris Manhertz and fullback Michael Burton. On special teams, Payton acquired kicker Wil Lutz in a trade with New Orleans on the day of roster cuts.

The Broncos also signed four former Saints to their practice squad, including two players who spent time with Payton in New Orleans. Here’s a quick look at the former Saints who have reunited with Payton in Denver.

8 ex-Saints reunited with Sean Payton on Broncos’ roster

Broncos coach Sean Payton has brought in eight former Saints who played for him in New Orleans. Here’s the full list.

Since becoming the Denver Broncos’ head coach in February, Sean Payton has signed several former New Orleans Saints. The veteran coach also traded for a former Saints during the draft, acquiring tight end Adam Trautman in April.

The ex-Saints coach has also signed seven former New Orleans players as free agents. In addition to Trautman, Payton also brought in fellow tight end Chris Manhertz, who is known for his blocking ability.

Denver has also signed former Saints wide receivers Marquez Callaway and Lil’Jordan Humphrey, plus running backs Tony Jones and Dwayne Washington. To block for those running backs, fullback Michael Burton was also signed.

On special teams, Payton signed kicker Brett Maher, who kicked for the Saints in 2021.

Additionally, the Broncos have a ninth former Saint, defensive lineman Jordan Jackson, but he played in New Orleans last fall when Payton was taking a break from coaching.

Here’s a look at each former Saint who reunited with Broncos coach Sean Payton in Denver.

This player could be a secret weapon for the Broncos’ run game

“He has been one of the better run-blocking tight ends [in the NFL],” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of Chris Manhertz.

The Denver Broncos made an underrated signing during free agency with little fanfare.

New coach Sean Payton signed tight end Chris Manhertz to a two-year contract, a move that flew under the radar among fans because Manhertz has just 24 career receptions on his resume.

How could a tight end with so little involvement in the passing game be a big addition to the offense? The answer: run blocking.

“I think in order to run the ball, it’s hard to do without a blocking tight end or someone that can handle the ‘D-gap,'” Payton said on July 29. “We found Chris in New Orleans on a free agent tryout with no football experience. [He] was a basketball player. A close friend of mine sent me a little video on my phone, and we brought him in. Our vision when we worked him out was that receiving, Jimmy Graham-type tight end. It actually was interesting because he developed into a really, really physical player at the line of scrimmage.

“Unfortunately for us then, Carolina picked him up off our practice squad, and then he went to Jacksonville. I would say within the last five years, he has been one of the better run-blocking tight ends. That and then his makeup, his character and he’s a tremendous guy. You can have a lot of things going for you relative to running the football, but you end up playing jumbo tackles, maybe, if you don’t have a blocking tight end. He just does a lot of those things well. You know exactly what you’re getting from him which allows you to gameplan easier on Wednesday and Thursday nights.”

Manhertz might not be a household name in Denver, but he’s probably a near-lock to make the 53-man roster given the role he could have in Payton’s offense. He has been called one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL, and that could prove to be extremely valuable to a Broncos team that is expected to run early and often in 2023.

Manhertz wasn’t a flashy signing, but he was an important one.

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Broncos’ updated tight end depth chart with new signing

Following the arrival of Tommy Hudson, here is an updated tight end depth chart for the Broncos.

After signing tight end Tommy Hudson last week, the Denver Broncos now have five true tight ends on the 90-man offseason roster: Greg Dulcich, Adam Trautman, Chris Manhertz, Albert Okwuegbunam and Hudson.

Nate Adkins, an undrafted rookie, might be a tight end/fullback hybrid. If that is the case, he will end up behind Michael Burton on the depth chart.

On the TE-specific depth chart, Dulcich leads the way as the team’s top receiving option entering his second season in the NFL. Behind him, the Broncos just traded for Trautman during the NFL draft. Before that, the Broncos signed Manhertz during free agency.

Okwuegbunam is a wildcard. He could emerge as a key receiving tight end this season or he could end up not making the 53-man roster. Neither scenario would be a big surprise given that Denver has a new coaching staff and a new offense going into the 2023 season.

Broncos (Projected) Tight End Depth Chart

Broncos offseason roster: No. 84, TE Chris Manhertz

Broncos tight end Chris Manhertz finds himself in a crowded tight end room in 2023. Will he make the roster?

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Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at ninth-year tight end, Chris Manhertz, No. 84. 

Before the Broncos: Manhertz (6-6, 235 pounds) is a grizzled NFL veteran. Manhertz is an alumnus of Canisius College, before his professional career began with the Buffalo Bills in 2015. After playing for the New Orleans Saints from 2016-2017, Manhertz spent time with the Carolina Panthers from 2017-2020.

With the Panthers, Manhertz played in 67 games (starting 26), where he caught 12 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown. Manhertz then moved south, signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021.  Using primarily as a blocker, Manhertz played in 34 games (starting 21 games) and caught 12 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown in two seasons with the Jags.

Broncos tenure: Manhertz signed with the Broncos on a two-year, $6 million deal in March of 2023, with the option for Denver to pick up the second year of the contract.

Chances to make the 53-man roster: The Broncos tight end room is extremely crowded in 2023. Of all the tight ends on the roster at the moment, Manhertz by far is the most battle-tested of them all. Despite his seniority, it may come down to who the Broncos like more between Albert Okwuegbunam and Manhertz when they trim the roster down to 53 players this summer. Due to his blocking ability, Manhertz seems to be the early favorite.

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