Tag: Elijah Chatman

PFF ranks Giants’ 2024 rookie class among NFL’s best

Pro Football Focus has ranked the New York Giants’ 2024 NFL draft class and rookie free agent signings among the very best in football.

The New York Giants wrapped up the worst season in franchise history earlier this month, finishing the year with a record of 3-14.

There weren’t many reasons for celebration or enthusiasm, but there’s at least one small silver lining and a reason to be optimistic about the future: The 2024 NFL draft class and undrafted free agent signings.

After two less-than-stellar drafts, general manager Joe Schoen made the most of his six picks last April. Not only did every rookie he selected contribute, but they all started at one point and are poised to play pivotal roles in the future.

Pro Football Focus feels similarly optimistic about the Giants’ 2024 rookie class, ranking them fourth overall behind the Los Angeles Rams, Washington Commanders, and Los Angeles Chargers.

  • WR Malik Nabers: 86.7
  • CB Andru Phillips: 77.5
  • S Tyler Nubin: 65.6
  • RB Tyrone Tracy: 58.4
  • DI Elijah Chatman: 58.9
  • LB Darius Muasau: 56.8

Not much went right for the Giants in 2024, but they can take solace in the fact that their rookie class could be part of their foundation moving forward. Malik Nabers is an ascending superstar after finishing his rookie season with more than 1,200 yards and an 87.1 PFF receiving grade. Fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy was the team’s leading rusher this season and forced 47 missed tackles combined as a runner and receiver.

Defensively, the Giants found starting-caliber players in slot cornerback Andru Phillips and safety Tyler Nubin. Phillips led the team’s qualified players with a 75.8 PFF coverage grade. Nubin contributed well in the box with a 76.0 PFF run-defense grade. New York also got decent contributions from Elijah Chatman and Darius Muasau as injuries piled up on their defensive front all season.

One strong draft doesn’t make up for two subpar drafts but at least it’s a place to build from for Schoen & Co.

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Giants face unenviable task of trying to replace Dexter Lawrence

The New York Giants are riddled with injury along their defensive line and are now scrambling to replace NT Dexter Lawrence.

New York Giants nose tackle Dexter Lawrence dislocated his elbow in the team’s 27-20 Thanksgiving Day loss to the Dallas Cowboys and was placed on injured reserve (IR) this week.

No Lawrence in the middle of the Giants’ defensive line is a scary proposition considering how teams have been shredding them in the running game even with Lawrence on the field.

Now comes the unenviable task of trying to backfill the big man’s role. Lawrence has played on 73 percent of the defensive snaps this season, the most of any of the Giants’ defensive linemen.

In addition to Lawrence being out, Rakeem Nunez-Roches (neck), who is second to Lawrence in playing time this year, is not practicing and backups D.J. Davidson, and DL Jordon Riley were limited on Wednesday.

Head coach Brian Daboll was asked what the plan is for the team’s final five games.

“You can’t replace Dexter,” he said. “I’d say we have a number of injuries on the defensive line right now, so we have a lot of young players that are going to have to, they’ve been working hard to continue to improve.

“(Andre Patterson) has done a nice job with them, but you’re never going to replace Dexter, and we’ll see where Nacho is, DJ, too. We’ve got some guys injured in that spot. These young guys are going to have to do a nice job of doing the best they can.”

The Giants’ depth chart is spotty at the moment. Daboll said Nacho could be “week-to-week,” leaving Davidson and Riley as the starters with rookie Elijah Chatman and recently signed Cory Durden as the others in the rotation.

Chatman was a training camp surprise as an undersized undrafted free agent out of  SMU this summer and has been on the club all season. He’s been on the field, spelling the starters to the tune of 28 percent of the snaps. He’ll be seeing the field a lot more over the next month.

“Yeah, we’ve used him more, I’d say, in passing situations,” Daboll said. “Obviously, the last game we had to use him a bunch. He’s got quickness.

“A shorter guy, but quickness, powerful. He’s going to have to do a good job, both in the run and pass, as all those guys. Riley, we’ll see where he’s at, he’ll be limited. D.J. Davidson, then you’ve got guys on the practice squad, Casey (Rogers), (Elijah) Garcia, and Durden that we just signed. So, a lot of young guys that are going to have to step up.”

This will be another true test of the Giants’ roster flexibility this year. Hopefully, for them, they bend but don’t break here.

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Giants snap counts from Week 6: Rookies dominate field time

The New York Giants lost their Week 6 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants failed to end their primetime slump on Sunday night, falling to the Cincinnati Bengals, 17-7, in another game they should have won.

The loss drops the Giants to 2-4 on the season and keeps them in last place among NFC East teams — a division that would be wide open if they could get themselves together.

“Tough loss. I thought our defense played very good football,” head coach Brian Daboll said after the game. “Missed two opportunities in the kicking game. And then didn’t score enough points offensively. That starts with me. It’s hard to win games when you score seven points. That’s the reality of it.”

Things get no easier for the Giants in Week 7 when they host Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium.

Here are the snap counts that contributed to the Giants’ Week 6 loss.

Offensive snaps: 79
Defensive snaps: 53
Special teams snaps: 22

The Giants’ rookie class is putting in work this season. Tight end Theo Johnson led the way with 70 snaps — an 89 percent share. Fellow rookies, running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, were just behind him with 66 snaps and 64 snaps, respectively.

On defense, safety Tyler Nubin took all 53 snaps. Defensive lineman Elijah Chatman had a 24 percent snap share while linebacker Darius Muasau took just two defensive snaps but led the team with 19 special teams snaps.

Running back Dante Miller, who was elevated from the practice squad, took seven defensive snaps.

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Giants’ Dexter Lawrence jokes, ‘I’m still faster’ than Elijah Chatman

New York Giants NT Dexter Lawrence jokes that he’s “still faster” than Elijah Chatman after the rookie’s viral hustle play against Houston.

In a Week 2 preseason game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium, New York Giants undrafted rookie defensive tackle Elijah Chatman went viral.

Chatman caught the attention of the entire football world by chasing down Texans running back J.J. Taylor from behind nearly 45 yards down the field.

Although Taylor was ruled to have stepped out of bounds earlier in his run, Chatman’s hustle was still the talk of the town. His teammates celebrated on the sidelines while his coaches praised him after the game.

“Elijah Chatman just made the New York Giants football team,” team legend Carl Banks declared during the game.

Following the team’s final training camp practice on Thursday, nose tackle Dexter Lawrence was asked about Chatman’s motor after he was clocked at 16.28 MPH. And in typical Lawrence fashion, he had some jokes.

“I told him I’m still faster than him,” Lawrence said with a laugh.

Chatman has leaned heavily on Lawrence throughout training camp and the preseason, and the lessons have clearly played off. He’s become a better player each and every day, and his hustle can’t be taught. It’s a good combination that will likely land him on the Giants’ 53-man roster.

Now we just need to see Lawrence and Chatman race.

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Giants’ Elijah Chatman focused on making the entire defense better

New York Giants rookie DT Elijah Chatman feels like he belongs and his sole focus is making the entire defense better.

Elijah Chatman signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent earlier this year. As an undrafted rookie, he has to show the coaching staff what he brings to the table early and often in order to secure a spot on the team.

Chatman has taken full advantage of the time he’s been given on the field, and he caught the attention of the NFL with his play against the Houston Texans on Saturday.

On Monday, Chatman spoke with reporters about playing with the studs this defensive line boasts. He has previously said that he’s always known he would get to the NFL and that he feels like he belongs in this league.

When asked if he feels like he belongs with guys like Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, Chatman remained humble.

“I wouldn’t say I belong with those guys specifically,” he said. “They obviously accomplished a lot more than I have. But it feels normal to me, rushing alongside of them. So I love that feeling and, like I said before, it gives me a lot of confidence because I know I have other unique people alongside of me.”

To that end, someone wondered if the focus being on his teammates means he can do what he needs to do with more ease. Chatman laughed.

“It’s not even that, if I can take some hands off of Dex then that’s a win for us as well. But I just try to look at how I can make the whole defense better,” he said.

When you find a player whose sole focus is on making the team better, you have to keep that player around. Not only does Chatman have the right attitude, but he didn’t hesitate to give 100 percent on the field on Saturday. And during preseason, that matters.

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Baldy Breakdown: Giants’ Malik Nabers a ‘special player’

Brian Baldinger breaks down the Giants’ preseason loss to Houston and focuses on two special players: Malik Nabers and Elijah Chatman.

The New York Giants’ 2024 draft class and subsequent undrafted free agent group are turning heads this summer. The six draft picks are all slated for key roles in their first seasons and several free agents will either make the 53-man roster or be retained on the practice squad.

In Saturday’s preseason game against the Houston Texans, the Giants saw both ends of the spectrum as their celebrated first-round pick, LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, put on a show on offense and free agent defensive tackle Elijah Chatman dropped some jams with his always-revving motor.

Retired offensive lineman and current NFL analyst, Brian Baldinger, took a look at both players after the game and came away impressed.

“Special player,” Baldinger said of Nabers. “Been doing it all camp long.”

“The greatest hustle play I’ve seen in three weeks of preseason football,” Balinger said of Chatman. “45 yards downfield, Elijah Chatman chased him down. They’re going to jump up and down in the film room . . . when they watch Chatman make that play. That’s an amazing hustle play.

Baldy also took a moment to praise the Giants’ offensive line.

The rest of the Giants’ draft class is rocking it. Safety Tyler Nubin, cornerback Dru Phillips, and linebacker Darius Muasau all possess the high-level skills to be solid NFL players.

Running Back Tyrone Tracy Jr. and tight end Theo Johnson will both factor into the offense as rookies this season.

Other free agents besides Chatman that could end up sticking with the Giants are running back Dante Miller, defensive back Alex Johnson, linebacker Ovie Oghoufo, and offensive lineman Jake Kubas.

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Giants-Texans preseason Week 2: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 2 preseason game against the Texans. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants fell to the Houston Texans, 28-10, on Saturday afternoon at NRG Stadium in what was their longest preseason road trip since the 1990s.

The game featured the return of quarterback Daniel Jones, who made his way back from a torn ACL. And in his first action since November, DJ looked rusty…to say the least. He tossed two interceptions and nearly a third before steadying himself in the second quarter.

Most starters saw a full half of action with others staying on the field a little longer. Some saw fewer snaps (see: John Michael Schmitz) as they worked their way back from their own injuries.

Here are the snap counts that contributed to the Giants’ Week 2 preseason loss.

Offensive snaps: 63
Defensive snaps: 75
Special teams snaps: 23

It was another good snap spread for the Giants’ roster with just about every healthy body getting field time. Rookie defensive tackle Elijah Chatman received a good look from head coach Brian Daboll and impressed.

Linebacker Darrian Beavers and cornerback Breon Borders also saw a significant of snaps but unlike Chatman, did not impress. In fact, most of the team’s cornerbacks struggled throughout the game, especially when it came to open-field tackling.

Meanwhile, some of the lower snap counts (see: linebacker Micah McFadden, defensive lineman Ryder Anderson, and offensive lineman Yodny Cajuste) were the result of in-game injuries.

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Giants vs. Texans Player of the Game: Malik Nabers

The New York Giants fell to the Houston Texans, 28-10, on Saturday and Malik Nabers is the Giants Wire Player of the Game.

The New York Giants lost their Week 2 season game to the Houston Texans, 28-10, in The Lone Star State on Saturday, but there were a few bright spots.

Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, the Giants first-round pick in this year’s NFL draft, stood out in his first game action with four receptions for 54 yards in one half of play.

The numbers may not seem eye-popping but the manner in which Nabers attained them is.

 

Honorable mention goes to another rookie — defensive lineman Elijah Chatman — who has been very impressive. In this game, he chased down Texans running back J.J. Taylor as if he were a linebacker.

Chatman also put several pressures on Houston quarterbacks in the game. He is the reason why the Giants traded veteran lineman Jordan Phillips to Dallas this week. He’s making the 53-man roster for sure.

As far as Nabers, his explosive, big-play ability is evident. We’ll give him a pass for this third-down drop in the first quarter — rookie mistake.

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‘Longshot’ undrafted rookie Elijah Chatman playing his way onto Giants’ roster

Former SMU defensive lineman Elijah Chatman is attempting to make the New York Giants’ roster as an undrafted rookie.

The New York Giants have a slew of defensive linemen in camp this summer, perhaps the best bunch they’ve had in years.

There is a dark horse among the group that could just happen to sneak onto the roster — an undrafted free agent rookie out of SMU by the name of Elijah Chatman.

The Giants signed Chatman in May after a tryout at rookie camp. He has been impressing ever since.

Chatman shone in the Giants’ 14-3 preseason win against the Detroit Lions last Thursday night, leading the team in quarterback pressures in the game.

“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do,” head coach Brian Daboll told reporters on Monday. “Again, he’s a smaller guy, but he’s got some length in his arms. He’s got some explosiveness and quick twitch, maybe a little bit different than some of the bigger guys. I think he’s developed since he’s been here. He had that tryout. I wouldn’t say it’s unusual, but it’s hard to do. So, he’s earned some more playing time.

“We’re going to give it to him and try to see him against as good a competition as we can so we can get a good evaluation. Give him some reps against the first team, whether it’s our team or Houston, so we can get a fair evaluation of him.”

Chatman is just six feet tall and weighs 278 pounds (we know, Aaron Donald wasn’t much bigger, if at all) but possesses great strength. In fact, defensive line coach Andre Patterson believes Chatman could be the strongest player on the Giants.

Chatman has plenty of experience under his belt, having played in 60 games at SMU, where he was a two-time All-AAC selection. Daboll was asked what attracted the Giants to such an obscure player who doesn’t “fit the mold” of the position he plays.

“You always want big, fast, long, strong people. That’s what this league is,” said Daboll. “But he was a talented player in college, too, when you went back and watched him. But sometimes that’s a tougher jump to make when you lack a little bit of height or size or length or quickness. But you can find good football players anywhere, and he’s done a nice job since he’s been here.”

Chatman is not going to displace Dexter Lawrence or Rakeem Nunez-Roches but he can certainly challenge the other defensive lineman on the team for a spot.

The Giants had a feeling that Chatman would make for a tough roster decision and here he is doing just that. At the very least, he’ll be a practice squadder. At the most, he’ll be one of those hidden gems they’ll talk about for years, like Victor Cruz.

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Giants release LB Jeremiah Martin

The New York Giants have officially signed DL Elijah Chatman and released LB Jeremiah Martin, plus other roster notes.

The New York Giants have released linebacker Jeremiah Martin in effort to make room for defensive lineman Elijah Chatman, who was signed after a successful tryout during rookie minicamp.

Martin, who went undrafted out of Washington in 2023, originally signed with the Cleveland Browns but was waived as a part of final cuts. He was signed to the Giants’ practice squad on January 1, 2024 and later to a reserve/futures deal following the conclusion of the regular season.

The 24-year-old Martin was not elevated for the team’s Week 18 game against the Philadelphia Eagles and has not appeared in a regular season NFL game.

Meanwhile, running back Deon Jackson, who was waived with an injury designation last week, has reverted to injured reserve (IR).

Following the transactions, the Giants have 87 players signed to their 90-man roster with four members of their 2024 NFL draft still unsigned (Tyler Nubin, Andru Phillips, Theo Johnson, and Darius Muasau). They also have a roster exemption for kicker Jude McAtamney, allowing them to carry a total of 91 players.

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