New York Giants Should Add Anquan Boldin To WR Corps

The New York Giants would be smart to add a veteran wide receiver at some point this summer, and Anquan Boldin is someone they should target.

The New York Giants have had a very strong offseason. They were successful during free agency, adding a lot of talent to their defense that should help turn things around. The success was carried over to the NFL Draft, where the Giants addressed more needs and hit on plenty of value with their six picks.

During OTA’s the Giants will be able to see these players on the field for the first time and evaluate where their roster is at. It will give the Giants a chance to see where they could need some veteran help. The offensive line looks to be an area of need still, while a veteran at safety wouldn’t hurt either.

While the Giants selected a wide receiver in Sterling Shepard in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, wide receiver is another position that the Giants could afford to add a veteran wide receiver at. One player they should keep in their crosshairs is veteran Anquan Boldin.

More from New York Giants

The Giants will be in no rush to add a veteran of Boldin’s caliber, but he is someone they should target once training camp gets closer. The Giants found a helpful veteran last year on the eve of training camp in James Jones, and could look to do the same this season with Boldin. Unlike Jones, whom the Giants made the mistake of cutting right before the regular season, Boldin should be held onto as a nice compliment to Odell Beckham Jr. on the outside and as a chain moving possession receiver.

Despite playing with horrific quarterback play last season, Boldin still had a respectable season with 69 receptions, 789 yards and four touchdowns. Those are solid numbers when you take into consideration that he was catching passes from the erratic Colin Kaepernick and mega bust Blaine Gabbert.

Despite entering his fourth NFL season, Boldin has shown no signs of slowing down. Prior to last season, Boldin had two consecutive seasons with at least 83 receptions and 1,000+ yards. Those are not easy numbers to reach, especially when you play in an offense as run heavy as the 49ers run.

Boldin would bring a physicality and presence to the Giants offense that is currently lacking. While Beckham Jr. and Shepard have the makings of an explosive wide receiver duo, they are lacking in size. Both are listed under 6-feet tall, so the 6-foot-1 inch Boldin would give Eli Manning a red zone target that he has lacked in recent seasons. A competent running game would help in that area as well, but if that is not going to happen getting a bigger target for Manning to find in the red zone would help.

The Giants also need to give themselves an alternative to Victor Cruz. The Giants overestimated what Cruz would bring to the table last season, as he ended up bringing nothing as he missed the whole 2015 season. The Giants didn’t prepare for that, and were left without any backup plans to Cruz.

They cannot have a repeat of that, and should consider anything that Cruz gives them this season as an added bonus. Right now the Giants have Beckham Jr. and Shepard as definitives at the wide receiver spot, but there is little else behind them.

Next: New York Giants 2016 NFL Draft Grades

Adding a veteran such as Boldin would be a smart move, as it would give them Cruz insurance and allow Shepard to focus working on the slot, where he projects to have the most success. He would bring an element to the Giants offense they are currently lacking, and could offer some guidance and veteran leadership to a wide receiving corps that is very young with only two players, Cruz and Dwayne Harris, having more than two NFL seasons of experience.

Home/New York Giants