New York Giants Offseason: Reviewing the Tight End Position

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ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 02: Troy Fumagalli (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /

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Free Agency: Anthony Fasano, Troy Niklas

NFL Draft: Mike Gesicki, Troy Fumagalli, Adam Breneman

Let me be clear. The chances of the New York Giants adding a tight end this offseason are slim. They have a very solid trio. One player who is a great receiver (Engram), one who is a great blocker (Ellison), and one who can do a little of both but still needs to develop (Adams).

However, if Shurmur and offensive coordinator Mike Shula decide that Engram is better suited in the slot or outside as a receiver, they could look for a more traditional tight end.

When it comes to free agency, there are a couple of options. The Giants obviously wouldn’t be shelling out big bucks for a Jimmy Graham, Trey Burton, Tyler Eifert, or Austin Seferian-Jenkins. But there are a couple tight ends who be available for cheap.

We’ll start with the more expensive of the two options. Anthony Fasano drew interest from the Giants last offseason (that was, of course, a different front office and coaching staff). He’s one of the best blocking tight ends in the league and can also contribute a bit in the passing game.

Fasano loves it down in Miami but the soon-to-be 34-year-old could look to finish his career back home. Fasano is a Jersey boy who went to Verona High School.

Troy Niklas is a big tight end (6’6, 270 lb.) who has yet to be able to contribute to an NFL offense. He hauled in just 19 catches for 203 yards and three touchdowns in four seasons with the Cardinals, but he’s only 25 years old.

The former second-round pick was a standout at Notre Dame and perhaps could use a quarterback like Eli Manning to unlock his potential. If Manning could make Kevin Boss, Jake Ballard, and Bear Pascoe look good, why not Troy Niklas?

After spending their first-round pick on a tight end last year, the Giants won’t be using significant draft capital on the position in 2018. Once it gets to the fourth round, however, they could consider taking a look.

Mike Gesicki was a matchup nightmare at Penn State. Like Engram, he’s too big for safeties and too fast for linebackers. At 6’6, 252 lb., Gesicki is a major weapon in the red zone.

Gesicki would certainly be a threat in New York’s offense but he has similar weaknesses as Engram. He drops a few too many passes and really struggles as a blocker.

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Troy Fumagalli is my favorite tight end in this year’s class. Watching his game film is what gave me the idea of putting Engram at wide receiver.

Fumagalli is a great blocker, coming from the run-heavy Wisconsin offense, but also has great hands, despite only having nine fingers. He’s received comparisons to Rob Gronkowski, Jordan Reed, and Travis Kelce. I don’t care how many fingers he has. If he can play like those guys, get him on my team.

Fumagalli at tight end with Engram, Odell Beckham Jr., and Sterling Shepard at wide receiver would give Manning an abundance of weapons in the passing game.

A former Penn State tight end, Adam Breneman transferred to UMass after battling knee injuries in Happy Valley. The medical tests on his knee will determine his draft slot.

Breneman has great size (6’5, 255 lb.) and can physically outmatch defenders. While at UMass, he was one of the most productive tight ends in the nation, leading the country in receptions by a tight end in 2016 and 2017.

Next: New York Giants Offseason: Reviewing the WRs

The New York Giants tight end position is in good shape. They added Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison last offseason and likely won’t do much to address the position this year.

If they choose to move Engram to wide receiver, however, there are some quality options to round out their tight end group.

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