New York Giants Offseason: Reviewing the Wide Receiver Position
By Sean Dyer
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Free Agency: Jarvis Landry, Terrelle Pryor, Donte Moncrief, Eric Decker, Cody Latimer, Michael Floyd, Willie Snead, Brenton Bersin, Kaelin Clay
When the New York Giants inevitably cut Brandon Marshall, they’ll need help at wide receiver. Odell Beckham Jr. is a stud and Sterling Shepard has the potential to be one of the better slot receivers in the league, but Big Blue needs another outside receiver, preferably one who’s over six feet tall.
Thankfully, there are a few intriguing options in free agency.
The New York Giants will likely use as much of their cap space as possible to figure out their offensive line situation. However, teaming Jarvis Landry back up with OBJ is just too tempting.
Landry is likely out of Big Blue’s price range and he’s also not an outside receiver or taller than six feet. But Beckham and Landry are former LSU teammates and best friends. If the NFL had yearbook superlatives, these two would win “best friends”. These guys are extremely close despite playing so far away from each other.
Perhaps Landry and Beckham would each take small discounts to reunite. It’s unlikely but these two trying to outdo each other with one-handed catches in pre-game warmups would be fun to watch. Watching them do it during games would be dangerous for opposing defenses.
Terrelle Pryor is just one year removed from a 77-1,007-4 season in Cleveland. He bet on himself and signed a one-year deal with the Redskins. Unfortunately, things did not work out in Washington and Pryor will certainly be looking for a new home.
Pryor is a great athlete at 6’4 228 lb. and would be an excellent red zone target for Eli Manning. After signing a one-year deal last offseason, Pryor could be looking to do the same after a 20-240-1 season so he can reset his market value and find a long-term deal in 2019.
If things work out for Pryor as a member of the New York Giants, the two sides could come to a long-term agreement during the season, similar to Alshon Jeffery and the Eagles this past season.
How many years has Donte Moncrief been primed for a breakout season? If you play fantasy football, you know the answer is every year ever!
That breakout season has yet to come in Indianapolis and although Andrew Luck’s health is partly to blame, perhaps Moncrief needs a change of scenery.
At 6’2 216 lb., Moncrief fits the bill of an outside receiver. Moncrief is a former third-round pick with plenty of talent and has scored 18 touchdowns in four seasons. He and Manning can reminisce about Ole Miss while celebrating touchdown connections.
Eric Decker may seem past his prime but new Giants wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert held the same position with the Denver Broncos from 2011-2017. During two of those seasons, Decker had 80+ catches, 1,000+ yards, and double-digit touchdowns.
Perhaps Tolbert could squeeze another productive season out of Decker and worst-case scenario, Decker provides veteran leadership for a team that is in dire need of it.
Tolbert also worked with Cody Latimer for the past four seasons. Latimer has yet to put up big numbers but perhaps Tolbert knows something about him that we don’t. Or perhaps he has been working with Latimer to unlock his potential and wants to continue to do that. Latimer was a second-round pick in 2014, after all, and had high expectations when he first arrived in Denver.
Tolbert may be in charge of the wide receivers but the man calling the plays in New York is Pat Shurmur. Shurmur just spent 2017 calling plays for a Minnesota offense that included Michael Floyd.
Floyd did not play much of a role in Minnesota’s offense but the 6’3 220 lb. receiver was once one of the better wideouts in the league. When Floyd was in Arizona, he and Larry Fitzgerald made quite a duo.
I’m not sure what Floyd has left, but at just 28 years old, I’m interested in finding out.
Willie Snead is a restricted free agent but after hauling in just eight catches in 2017, the New Orleans Saints may not be willing to match a significant contract offer from the Giants.
Snead had amassed 1,879 yards and seven touchdowns in his first two seasons but fell out of favor this past season, sitting behind Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn, and Brandon Coleman.
His market value is certainly low coming off the year he just had, but Snead could be a buy-low candidate for the New York Giants.
Brenton Bersin and Kaelin Clay are both linked to Dave Gettleman and new Giants offensive coordinator Mike Shula from their days in Carolina.
Bersin is an unrestricted free agent and Clay is restricted. Both are more special team contributors than receivers. Clay is a kickoff/punt returner and Bersin is more of a gunner.
One or both could help replace Dwayne Harris after he is inevitably shown the door by Big Blue.