Tag: Evan Engram

Is Kaden Smith the Giants’ biggest sleeper in 2020?

Is tight end Kaden Smith, Evan Engram’s backup, the New York Giants’ biggest sleeper heading into the 2020 season?

As the New York Giants prepare for their return to East Rutherford, many are already looking ahead at what the 2020 season could bring, which players will regress and which players will step up.

Every year there are a few new studs, a few new duds and those who seemingly come out of the shadows. In 2019, wide receiver Darius Slayton stole the show in New Jersey, while quarterback Daniel Jones had all remaining eyes on him.

The arrival of Jones and the emergence of Slayton, coupled with a highly-publicized injury to running back Saquon Barkley, overshadowed the play of tight end Kaden Smith.

A sixth-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers, Smith was claimed off of waivers and awarded to the Giants in mid-September. He went on to appear in nine games with six starts, hauling in 31 receptions for 268 yards and three touchdowns.

Those numbers aren’t enough to warrant a second look if you don’t drill down further. The reality is, Smith was an exciting play-maker who displayed impressive athleticism and a quality all-around game. For that reason, it should come as little surprise that he’s been named the Giants’ 2020 sleeper courtesy of Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report.

When you think of the tight end position for the New York Giants, you think of Evan Engram. But the 2017 first-round pick has been limited to just 14 starts over the last two seasons, and it’s fair to wonder about his durability.

New Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett also likes to utilize multiple tight ends when he’s got the talent at that position, so there’s a good chance we see a lot of Kaden Smith this year regardless of what happens with Engram.

The 2019 sixth-round pick didn’t make the cut with the San Francisco 49ers but jumped to New York during his rookie season and showed flashes of brilliance while establishing chemistry with Giants quarterback Daniel Jones down the stretch.

As Gagnon alludes, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is big on multiple-tight end sets, so whether or not Evan Engram remains healthy, Smith is poised to play a major role on offense.

Entering the season, it’s safe to assume Smith will be a sleeper. How long he’s able to fly under-the-radar remains to be seen, but don’t expect that to last too long. Smith is just too talented to ignore.

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NFL execs, coaches rank Evan Engram among NFL’s best tight ends

NFL executives, coaches and players believe Evan Engram of the New York Giants is among the league’s best tight ends.

Earlier this week, Pro Football Focus ranked New York Giants tight end Evan Engram among the very best at his position in football, which is something NFL executives, coaches and players agree with.

In an ongoing series by ESPN, Engram was ranked seventh overall at the tight end position, but many argued he’s really more of a wide receiver.

“Routes, breaks … he’s top three,” one veteran assistant coach said of the 25-year-old. “But he’s not really a tight end.”

Another offensive coordinator agreed wholeheartedly, and it’s really not a knock on Engram. Quite the contrary.

“Those who haven’t watched that dude need to,” one NFL offensive coordinator said. “He’s a true receiver. Polished releases, whole route tree, run after catch. He just plays in a bad offense.”

Although he’s substantially improved, one area where Engram drew some criticism was his blocking — specifically in pass protection. He also lost some points over his lack of durability, which has become a persistent hot topic when discussing Engram.

Mark Andrews of the Baltimore Ravens barely edged out Engram for the No. 6 spot, while the top five rounded out with Darren Weller (No. 5), Rob Gronkowski (No. 4), Zach Ertz (No. 3), Travis Kelce (No. 2) and George Kittle (No. 1).

Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper and Jared Cook filled out the top 10.

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PFF: Giants’ Evan Engram among best TEs in football

Pro Football Focus believes New York Giants TE Evan Engram is among the best at his position in football.

When it comes to production at tight end in the NFL, a player is only as productive as the chances they are afforded. There are loads of talented, explosive players at the tight end position these days but only a few will stand out.

It all comes down to opportunity. That means targets in the passing game. A tight end can’t produce unless the ball is thrown his way. In 2019, Philadelphia’s Zach Ertz led all NFL tight ends with 9.0 targets per game followed by Kansas City’s Travis Kelce and Evan Engram of the New York Giants, who both averaged 8.5 targets per.

Those opportunities and the production off of those opportunities recently led Ian Hartitz of Pro Football Focus to proclaim that Engram is one of the top five tight ends in football.

Evan Engram was dominating target share to start the 2019 season and is one of the league’s most-talented TEs. And yet, he’s been the subject of trade rumors and just hasn’t been able to consistently stay healthy. Overall, Engram has played in 15, 11 and 8 games since entering the league, suffering two concussions, a bruised rib, multiple sprained knees, two hamstring injuries and an IR-worthy foot injury along the way. There aren’t five better players at the position when he’s right.

The ceiling *if* he stays healthy is huge; only Kelce (77), Kittle (65), Gronkowski (65), Ertz (64) and Waller (61) have averaged more receiving yards per game than Engram (52) among all TEs since 2017. His average of 7.7 targets per game with Daniel Jones under center in 2019 was just below Golden Tate (8.4) and Sterling Shepard (8.3). Note that backup TE Kaden Smith assumed a similarly productive role when Engram missed time last season.

The main difference between Engram and Ertz, Kelce and the others is that he only played in eight games in 2019, catching just 44 passes for 467 yards. Injuries once again derailed Engram’s plan to have a breakout season. The Giants still believe he can become elite and that shows in the limited statistics he’s been able to post up the past two seasons.

Engram averages a respectable 10.61 yards per reception but the Giants are hoping he can expand on that this season. They would like to see him get into the 13-yard range, where league-leader Mark Andrews of the Baltimore Ravens was last year and also increase his catch-ratio, which was just 64.75% in 2019. That would require Engram to improve his ability to catch the football when it is thrown in his direction. 35% of the passes his way were incomplete last season.

Staying healthy will assist Engram in becoming more consistent as well as more productive. There is no reason why under new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett that Engram cannot be used as a more vertical passing option like the Raiders’ Darren Waller or George Kittle of the 49ers. But he’s gotta stay on the field. The Giants added several big-bodied tight ends this offseason which could mean Engram will split out more rather than line up as an in-line tight end.

This coming season will be Engram’s fourth and it will be a crucial one in his career. The Giants have him under contract through 2021 after exercising his fifth-year option this spring, but for him to continue his career in blue, Engram will have to take the next step in 2020.

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Eagles Zach Ertz lands in the top-3 ahead of Rob Gronkowski in a ranking of TE’s by Execs, players, coaches

Philadelphia Eagles star Zach Ertz is No. 3 in a ranking the NFL’s best tight ends in 2020

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The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the best tight end duos in the NFL, and for a time, they had the guy recognized as the best in Zach Ertz.

Ertz is a supreme talent, but George Kittles and Travis Kelce appear to be on another level when it comes to their run after the catch prowess. Ertz is still a ‘made man’ amongst his peers and the respect was shown during a recent ranking of NFL tight ends by ESPN.com and several league executives, players, and coaches.

Kittles and Kelce landed the top spot, but Ertz got the not over Rob Gronkowski at No. 3.

“There’s a drop-off after Kittle and Kelce, but this guy is a championship-level player,” one AFC exec said. “He smokes us almost every time we play them. He doesn’t beat you deep, but he doesn’t need to because he’s so good with the intermediate stuff. I’d take him above almost everybody.”

Ertz has the most targets in the NFL over the past two seasons and his demise has been greatly exaggerated despite some suggesting the Eagles move on.

Ertz running mate, Dallas Goedert landed on the list as a player to watch, with some suggesting that he’s a better option at times.

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5 Giants under the most pressure in 2020

These Giants are under pressure in 2020.

With a new regime coming in, the New York Giants have several players who will be looking to impress during the 2020 season. Some were already here when Joe Judge and his coaching staff arrived. Some were brought along after they were hired.

The last three seasons haven’t been all that kind to Big Blue. After that 11-5 season in 2016, they have gone a combined 12-36. The hope is the new coaching staff can change the team’s fortunes, but it will also come with players performing under pressure.

Here are five Giants who are under the most pressure in 2020:

QB Daniel Jones

This comes as no surprise. The second-year quarterback faces a ton of pressure leading the offense. Jones had a promising rookie campaign, enough to build on in hopes he can be under center for years to come.

Outside of his 24 total turnovers, Jones showed he can lead an offense downfield. He has the arm talent, the mobility and the intelligence to be a successful quarterback in the league. But his second season has to prove he can continue building on the success he had.

There are few players under more pressure than the quarterback, regardless of the situation. But Jones is facing a Year 2 that will be crucial for his development down the road.

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See it: Giants’ Evan Engram out of boot, running and cutting

New York Giants TE Evan Engram (foot) is out of his boot, and is running and cutting for the first time since late last year.

New York Giants tight end Evan Engram will be under a lot of pressure in 2020 as his rookie contract slowly winds down.

Although the Giants did exercise his fifth-year option, they’ll need Engram to stay healthy and productive in order to begin negotiations on a long-term contract. Short of that, the talented tight end will glide into 2021 as a lame duck.

The good news? With the scheduled start to training camp less than a month away, Engram appears fully recovered from the Lisfranc surgery on his left foot, which was conducted in mid-December and, coupled with a knee injury, cost him eight games a season ago.

Engram posted a workout video on his Instagram on Monday which showed him without a boot, running and cutting for the first time (at least publicly).

Engram is a Pro Bowl-level talent and one of the most unique athletes at the position, but his entire career has been marred by injury. With the Giants now entering the final stages of their rebuild, he could serve as one of the team’s most important pieces in a potential championship run, but he’ll have to remain out of the cold tub in order to have that sort of impact.

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3 players in the NFC East who would be better on the Redskins

The NFC East has a multitude of dynamic players, but which ones would be better off on the Redskins roster?

Outside of the cut downs that will take place before the 2020 NFL season starts, all 32 rosters in the league are pretty much set, for the most part. As it stands now, the Washington Redskins have some hope for a successful season, but when looking at the rest of the NFC East, there’s little chance that they can make it to the top half of the division, barring an incredible season.

When looking at the other teams in the division, and predicting who is going to finish where, however, it got us to thinking… If the Redskins were living in a world where they could choose one player from each team to add to their roster, who would best suit them? Who would look better in the Burgundy & Gold, and how much better would the team be because of it?

It may never happen, but it’s at least entertaining to think about. Let’s dive in. Of all the Dallas Cowboys players, who would be the best suited in Washington?

WR Amari Cooper — Dallas Cowboys

(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

This is an easy one, seeing as the Redskins were seemingly close to actually getting Cooper on the roster in free agency earlier this year. While he ended up turning down a deal worth more than $100 million to stick with the Cowboys, picturing Amari in the Redskins offense — alongside Terry McLaurin and on the receiving end of some bombs from Dwayne Haskins — is intriguing.

It’s fair to wonder if his presence would stunt the growth of McLaurin, but it’s easy to think that Haskins would be far better off with Cooper on the depth chart. His route-running and sure-hands alone would add a viable threat to Washington’s already impressive stack of offensive weapons, and a veteran presence in the receiving corps would be a bonus as well.

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Giants’ Jason Garrett was a pass-heavy play-caller in Dallas

The New York Giants are widely expected to run more in 2020, but when he was a play caller in Dallas, Jason Garrett went heavy on the pass.

What can the NFL expect out of the New York Giants offense under new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett? Many expect to see a version of the Dallas Cowboys’ run-first attack with Saquon Barkley playing the Ezekiel Elliott role while Daniel Jones learns the ropes, developing in a similar manner to that of Dak Prescott.

But looking more closely at Garrett’s days as a play caller while he was the Cowboys’ OC with Tony Romo at quarterback, the tape shows a different side of Garrett, one that employs a pass-heavy attack.

“Looking at that 2009-12 sample of games, Garrett’s four offenses ranked in the top eight in passing yards and in the top 10 in completions and fantasy points per game,” writes ESPN’s Mike Clay. “Three of the four were below average in RB touches and fantasy points. All four ranked in the top 10 in WR touchdowns, OTD and end zone targets, with three of the four eighth or better in fantasy points per game. Granted, it was prime Jason Witten era, but all four tight end units finished top three in routes, targets, receptions, receiving yards and fantasy points, although only one was above 14th in touchdowns and end zone targets.”

That’s interesting to know, even if Giants head coach Joe Judge has already stated that his team plans on establishing the run, which the Giants are set up to do.

They can run the football. In 2019, they averaged 4.7 yards per attempt (6th highest in the NFL) and with a healthy Barkley in tow and a revamped offensive line, it only makes sense that Garrett will lean on the running game.

But the takeaway here is the role of the tight ends. Of course a lot of that hinges on the health of Evan Engram, who has not been able to consistently stay on the field. Kaden Smith, a second-year player who showed some prowess in the passing game last season, could benefit from Garrett’s play calling.

Passing the football more doesn’t eliminate Barkley from the offense. Quite the opposite. Barkley is perhaps the team’s top receiver as well. In his first two seasons Barkley has caught 143 passes for 1,159 yards and six touchdowns.

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Which Giants are 2020 Pro Bowl candidates?

How many Pro Bowl candidates do the New York Giants have in 2020?

The past few seasons for the New York Giants have not been kind in many ways. 12 wins and 36 losses will yield little respect from the NFL community. That usually means very few players on the roster will get serious consideration for postseason awards and accolades.

In 2017, the Giants had just one player named to the Pro Bowl – safety Landon Collins – and he missed the game due to a fractured forearm he suffered late in the season.

In 2018, Collins was named again but could not participate due to a shoulder injury. The Giants were represented by rookie running back Saquon Barkley, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year who led the league in total yards from scrimmage and placekicker Aldrick Rosas. Outside linebacker Olivier Vernon and special teams captain Michael Thomas were named as replacement players.

Last year, the Giants did not send anyone to the game. No players were selected to the roster or as replacements. Collins left vis free agency prior to the season. Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain that put a damper on his stats and Vernon was traded to Cleveland in March.

With all the roster turnover, the Giants have to place someone in the Pro Bowl. Barkley, who is healthy again, should return to form, if not exceed his rookie season. That will surely get him a berth on the roster.

But who else could get recognition on the Giants’ roster?

Besides Barkley on offense, there’s tight end Evan Engram, who has to break out one of these years. Maybe this is the year. Will Hernandez could have a bounce back season at left guard. If quarterback Daniel Jones can make a Dak Prescott-like jump, he could sneak into the picture.

There are several defensive players that might jump out. Newly signed free agents cornerback James Bradberry and linebacker Blake Martinez could have banner seasons. Then there’s defensive linemen Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence, two highly regarded players. Is this the season Jabrill Peppers breaks out? And what about rookie safety Xavier McKinney? How good will he be?

On special teams, Rosas had a down season in 2019, but a return to his Pro Bowl form of two seasons ago can get him back on the roster. The Giants have a lot of potential on special teams, especially in the coverage and return areas where there will a slew of players looking to make their mark.

My prediction for the Pro Bowl are Barkley, Lawrence and Engram but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a few more as their fortunes will see a sharp reversal upward this season.

In 11 personnel, there is no team faster than the Giants

After years of work, the New York Giants now have one of the fastest teams in the NFL and the fastest 11 personnel in the league.

The NFL has always been about power and speed, but in recent years, a greater emphasis has been put on the latter as teams play more wide-open football than ever before.

The New York Giants have traditionally relied more heavily on the power side of things, but they’ve run the risk of being left behind. For that reason, general manager Dave Gettleman has worked hard to increase the overall team speed in recent years.

In fact, the Giants focused very heavily on players who were fleet of foot in the 2020 NFL Draft, capping off what has been a substantial three-year rebuild.

“The theme of the day for defense was speed,” Gettleman told reporters following the 2020 NFL Draft. “We really feel like we improved our team’s speed and that was what we were trying to do.”

“Dave hit this off the bat, the theme of the day was speed,” coach Joe Judge added at the time.

With the 2020 draft class entered into the fray, the Giants didn’t just improve their overall team speed, they became one of the fastest teams in the NFL. And if you were to drill into it even further, they are now the fastest team in the NFL when in 11 personnel.

The data was shared by NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah.

For the Giants, 11 personnel would feature running back Saquon Barkley (4.41), tight end Evan Engram (4.42), and wide receivers Sterling Shepard (4.48), Golden Tate (4.42) and Darius Slayton (4.39).

Yeah, that’s speedy.

But beyond just their 11 personnel, the Giants have upgraded their team speed across the board, specifically on defense where it was really lacking, adding players like cornerbacks Darnay Holmes (4.48), Corey Ballentine (4.47) and James Bradberry (4.49) over the previous two seasons.

The Giants have also added speed elsewhere. Special teams ace Nate Ebner (4.48), and wide receivers Cody Core (4.47) and Corey Coleman (4.37) will each factor in at some point in 2020.

Although they still lack speed at the linebacker position outside of Lorenzo Carter (4.46), the Giants are clearly a much faster team than they were just three years ago and that should help them substantially as they continue working to right the ship.

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