New York Giants: Freddie Kitchens Hired as Tight End Coach

After a tumultuous season as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Freddie Kitchens has been hired as a tight ends coach by the New York Giants.

Before his time as head coach Cleveland, Freddy Kitchens worked with tight ends for the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. A low-risk, high-reward coaching signing like this could help reap benefits for the New York Giants young tight ends.

In a league where the tight end spot has seen a Renaissance, the Giants haven’t utilized the position as much as other teams. In fact, Mark Bavaro’s 1986 season stands as the only year in which a Big Blue tight end has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards.

25-year old Evan Engram has been an extremely promising prospects for the G-Men, but his struggles with injuries are beginning to define his budding career. The addition of Freddie Kitchens could help his numbers increase while also carving him out a larger role within the offense.

Before suffering a season-ending foot injury, Engram was putting up personal bests in receptions per game and yards per game. He was also on pace to finish the season with 934 receiving yards, which would have been a career-high.

Additionally, the signing of Jason Garrett by the New York Giants as offensive coordinator should do wonders for Engram’s game. On the Cowboys, Garrett utilized Jason Witten’s pass-catching ability every chance he got, with the future Hall of Famer putting up four separate 1,000-yard campaigns.

After Eli Manning announced his retirement, it became obvious that Daniel Jones will be the unquestioned starter heading into the 2020 season. Combined with Kitchens’ coaching experience and quarterback continuity, Evan Engram should further improve as he enters his athletic prime.

With a full offseason to rehab and a new tight ends coach, the hope is that Engram can come back as strong as ever. When he’s healthy, his blazing speed and improved catching should make him a matchup nightmare.

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