New York Giants Training Camp Preview: Tight End

As the month of July nears a close, that means one thing in the NFL; the beginning of training camps. For a team like the New York Giants, it will be another important training camp. Last season it was the offense receiving an overhaul, this time it will be the defense. They brought back a familiar face in Steve Spagnuolo to be the defensive coordinator, replacing Perry Fewell. Also, there are still some kinks to be worked out offensively, as second year offensive coordinator had a good rookie campaign last season in which he will look to build upon.

This could be a make or break season for the Giants from a franchise era standpoint. If they miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, we could see a real overhaul not only on the roster, but coaching staff as well. Tom Coughlin has overseen two Super Bowl titles as his time as head coach with the Giants, but very little success outside of that, missing the playoffs six times and being one and done in the playoffs the other four times they made the postseason.

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Could the Giants break their streak of missing the playoffs, and continue their trend of winning the Super Bowl every four seasons? Training camp will give a lot of insight to where the Giants are at, as there are plenty of questions to be answered once the Giants open camp July 29th. We will have you covered on the storylines to follow here at Empire Writes Back, giving a position by position preview heading up to that date. The third position we will take a look at will be tight end.

Depth Chart:

Starter: Larry Donnell
Backup: Daniel Fells
Potential Cuts: Adrien Robinson, Jerome Cunningham, Matt LaCosse

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2014 was a coming out party of sorts for Larry Donnell. The Giants entered the summer and season with a huge question mark at tight end, and Donnell emerged from the unknown group. He showed that he was a real playmaker in the middle of the field and became a reliable target for Eli Manning when the going got tough.

Could the Giants need another player to emerge at tight end this summer again? Donnell is the unquestioned starter when he is on the field, but that is the problem; when will he be on the field? Donnell missed a large part of OTA and minicamp as an old Achilles injury flared up on him. The Giants were hoping that Donnell would continue his growth as a player with a full offseason, as he soaks up and retains a ton of knowledge to help improve in the offseason as he learns the nuances of the game.

By missing practice, Donnell is unable to put that unique skill to use. It also puts the Giants in a hole, as a position that looked to be set now becomes a question mark. Donnell looks to be a perfect compliment to the explosive receiving core the Giants have and a revamped backfield. He is a player to watch because of the injury concerns.

If Donnell is to miss time, who can the Giants turn to? In Daniel Fells, the Giants have a veteran that is a solid blocker. That is the biggest asset he has currently, as he is the best blocker the Giants have at the position. That alone would get him on the field, but if Donnell is injured and misses time, can he do more with an increased role? He has flashed the ability to be a weapon in the red zone, like Donnell, and is something the Giants will continue to use regardless of Donnell’s health status.

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Another player to keep an eye on would be Jerome Cunningham. For the second consecutive spring, Cunningham tore it up at practice, turning plenty of heads. Like Donnell, he shows a lot of potential and promise, and is a player the Giants want to work with.

A player they may be tired of working with though is Adrien Robinson. He has been pretty much a bust since being selected in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. The Giants selected him because of the raw talent and tools he showed than production, as he caught only 29 passes in four seasons at Cincinnati. He has not developed as the Giants had hoped, and he could be out of chances. The Donnell injury could help him stick around a little longer, but this looks like it could be the end of the road for the Robinson project.

Robinson’s time will surely be done if UDFA Matt LaCosse outplays him. The Giants will probably keep three tight ends for when the season begins, but for as long as they are unsure of Donnell’s health there will be at least four around. So, it would seem that there are probably three players competing for at most two spots, but more than likely one if Donnell’s Achilles checks out okay.

If Donnell continues his development on the track that he was on, the Giants will have a unique advantage as they have a real weapon at tight end. Not many teams can say that, and it would give the Giants an advantage offensively for a unit that already has the potential to be one of the best ones in baseball.

Next: 5 Reasons Why The Giants Could Miss The Playoffs

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