The Giants have spent the offseason turning over their receiver room, but one obvious move still sits in front of them: pick up the phone and call Keenan Allen.
New York has already remade the group with Darnell Mooney, Odell Beckham Jr., Malachi Fields, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Calvin Austin III and Braxton Berrios all now in the mix. That makes wide receiver one of the most interesting camp battles on the roster, but it also leaves the door open for one more veteran to jump in and compete.
Allen is still out there, and that alone makes this worth a look. The six-time Pro Bowler is 34, which means the Giants wouldn’t be signing him to a guaranteed role or making some massive financial bet. He’d be fighting for a spot the same way Smith-Schuster, Berrios and the rest of the bubble receivers are, only with a far more decorated résumé.
That résumé is hard to ignore. Allen has 12,051 receiving yards and 70 touchdowns, and he’s coming off a season in which he caught 81 passes for 777 yards and four scores. He’s not the same player he was a few years ago, but there’s still production left there.
The fit becomes even more obvious with Malik Nabers’ ACL recovery timeline still uncertain. If New York is going to lean on Jaxson Dart, adding another dependable target makes plenty of sense. The Giants don’t need Allen to be a star, but they could use another proven option in a room that is still sorting itself out.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox also listed the Giants as a logical landing spot for Allen in a recent free agency breakdown, which only adds to the sense that this is a move sitting there for the taking.
Right now, the Giants are hoping Nabers is ready for Week 1 and that Darius Slayton can hold down the WR2 job. After that, the depth chart gets murky fast, with Mooney, Austin, Fields and Smith-Schuster all part of the conversation for key snaps.
That’s why Allen feels like such a clean fit. New York has little to lose and a chance to make the roster better.
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Giants Rookie Jack Kelly May Be Pushing For More Than Expected
Jack Kelly arrived in East Rutherford with the usual late-round label, but the Giants have reasons to think there may be more here than a special teams body. The rookie linebacker, taken in the sixth round out of BYU, is expected to help in the kicking game first, yet his college tape showed enough versatility and pass-rushing ability to make him an intriguing fit for a defense that can use linebackers in a few different ways.
Training camp will be the real test, and Kellys value could rise quickly if he translates that edge to the pro level. The Giants are still sorting out how much of a defensive role he can claim, and his chance to become more than a depth piece will depend on how he stacks up against the other linebackers in camp. [Read more 🡒]
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Training camp has a way of sorting out the rookies who are just along for the ride from the ones who can actually help, and the Giants have a few first-year players who fit that second category. Colton Hood arrives with the cleanest path to the field after going 37th overall, and his style meshes with what the defense wants to do. J.C. Davis also has a real opening in the offensive line mix, while Jack Kelly brings the kind of versatility that can keep a late pick in the conversation longer than expected.
Hoods chance is the most obvious because cornerback is one of the spots where a rookie can force his way into the rotation if the fit is right, and the Giants clearly believe his game translates. Davis, meanwhile, is in position to matter as the swing tackle and can make himself useful simply by proving dependable when the staff needs insurance up front. Kelly may have the longest road, but his value on special teams and ability to handle multiple jobs gives him a legitimate way to stick when camp starts sorting out the back end of the roster. [Read more 🡒]