Darnell Mooney has already started showing the New York Giants something they could use this fall: a receiver who knows Matt Nagy’s system and can get moving in it faster than everyone else.
That familiarity matters. Mooney spent two seasons with Nagy in Chicago, and when the Giants brought him in this spring, the fit made immediate sense.
The team needed a veteran receiver with starting experience, and Mooney brought that background with him. He was quieter during offseason workouts, but once training camp opened, he began standing out as a dependable option for Jaxson Dart.
Mooney himself pointed to that head start this week. “He’s got some new plays, but everything’s kind of picking up speed from familiarity,” Mooney said this week.
There’s still reason to keep the enthusiasm in check. Mooney dealt with collarbone and hamstring injuries last season, and production has been uneven for a while now. He has gone over 500 receiving yards only once since the start of 2022, and his 2.1 catches per game matched the lowest mark of his six-year career.
Age is another part of the picture. He turns 29 in October. Even so, he’s younger than Odell Beckham Jr. and Braxton Berrios, both of whom are fighting for a roster spot, and JuJu Smith-Schuster will turn 30 in November while also sitting on the bubble.
Still, Mooney looks like a strong bet to be on the Week 1 roster. The Giants already guaranteed him $3 million, which makes a release hard to justify.
And even if he tops out as a rotational receiver, he brings more than 300 career catches and 4,000 yards with him. With Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton both carrying injury histories, it makes sense for the Giants to lean on a deeper group of experienced receivers.
But expectations should stay measured. Mooney may have a real role, yet it doesn’t feel like he’s headed for a huge share of the offense. Tight ends Isaiah Likely and Theo Johnson are expected to be major parts of the passing game, and Nabers is trending toward being ready for Week 1.
For now, Mooney looks like the No. 3 receiver, with a chance to climb past Slayton if drops remain an issue. A useful benchmark came from DeAndre Hopkins, who posted 22 catches for 330 yards and two touchdowns as a secondary target for John Harbaugh and the Ravens last season. Hopkins is older, but that kind of output from Mooney would not come as a shock.
Giants fans will get their first semi-meaningful look at him Saturday against the Vikings in the preseason opener. His workload is unclear, but he is expected to share the field with Dart at least once.
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Giants May Have Already Eased One Big Concern For Jaxson Dart
The Giants have spent training camp giving their offensive line something every young quarterback wants but rarely gets: continuity. Andrew Thomas, Jermaine Eluemunor, Jon Runyan Jr., rookie Francis Mauigoa and John Michael Schmitz have stayed together as the first unit, and the second-team group has reportedly remained mostly intact as well. For a team trying to settle Jaxson Dart into his new surroundings, that kind of stability matters, especially when it comes to the protection in front of him.
Dart enters a roster still sorting through other moving parts, but the line gives him a cleaner starting point than many rookies get. A lower sack rate is always part of the conversation for any young passer, and the Giants have at least made one important area feel less volatile by leaning on experienced blockers and keeping the same mix in place through camp. Whether that carries over once the games start is still the real test, but for now, one of the biggest concerns around Dart looks a little less daunting. [Read more 🡒]
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McFadden is working in a crowded room with Tremaine Edmunds, Arvell Reese and rookie Jack Kelly all in the mix for snaps, and that competition gives the Giants options if he keeps building momentum. His preseason return will be the next real checkpoint, and what he does there could tell the team plenty about how much more stable and disruptive this unit can become. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Kicking Battle Is Suddenly Leaning Toward An Unexpected Name
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John Harbaugh acknowledged both kickers for the way they handled the moment, which only adds to the intrigue around a competition that was already trending toward the unexpected. With other players making their cases and a few injury situations still being monitored, the kicking picture is one of the more closely watched items before the games start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]