The Giants spent the offseason stockpiling wideouts, then watched the group get whittled down piece by piece. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Odell Beckham Jr. were released.
Calvin Austin III and Braxton Berrios both landed on season-ending injured reserve. That leaves just Darnell Mooney and rookie Malachi Fields among the newcomers.
Fields arrived with real buzz after the preseason. He was flashing on contested grabs, stacking strong practice reps, and getting noticed by the coaching staff. The expectation was obvious: he could climb into the WR2 job and give New York another reliable target.
That hasn’t happened yet. Through five games, Fields has finished with exactly two catches in each one. He has been efficient when the ball has come his way, but the Giants still haven’t turned that preseason promise into a bigger weekly role.
And that’s becoming an issue for the offense.
Right now, most of the passing game is running through Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely. In Week 5, the two accounted for 63.5% of Jameis Winston’s targets. Likely sits second in the league in target share among tight ends, while Nabers ranks fourth among receivers across Weeks 4 and 5.
Against the Washington Commanders, that formula worked. Washington’s pass defense was vulnerable, and it didn’t have the personnel to handle Nabers or Likely. New York leaned into those mismatches and didn’t need much else.
The problem is what comes next. Two of the Giants’ next three opponents are the Houston Texans and the Philadelphia Eagles, and both teams bring secondaries that rank among the best in football. That kind of coverage won’t let Nabers and Likely dictate the game the way they did against Washington.
If those top options get taken away, Fields has to be part of the answer. For now, the Giants have mostly used him as a deep threat. His average depth of target sits at 14.8 yards, though Winston’s presence naturally gives every receiver a little boost there.
Still, Fields has shown there’s more to his game than vertical routes. His only touchdown this season came on a short crossing route that he turned upfield, and that kind of usage could help this offense. The Giants can also use him more on quick throws, giving Winston a clean outlet when the first read is covered.
New York can’t keep leaning so heavily on just a couple of pass-catchers, especially not with tougher defenses on deck. If Fields, or Mooney, doesn’t start drawing more work, the passing attack is going to stay too narrow for comfort.
In Other News...
Cam Skattebo's Explanation Puts Giants Fans On Notice Again
Cam Skattebo spent part of his latest conversation answering for a moment that stood out in a wet, muddy game and reminded Giants fans why he has become such a talking point so quickly. The rookie running back explained why he went without gloves late, a decision he believed would help him handle the conditions better, and he tied it to the kind of aggressive, no-nonsense style that has made him intriguing early in his time in New York.
The result, though, is what hangs over the explanation now. Skattebo acknowledged the fumble and made clear that ball security has to be front and center as he moves forward, even as he pushed back on doubts about whether he can grow into a lead-back role. For the Giants, the appeal is obvious, but so is the margin for error, and how he responds next will say plenty about where this run-first plan can go from here. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Offseason Overhaul Is Already Changing Everything That Hurt Them
The Giants spent the offseason trying to undo what went wrong, and the early returns show just how much change they embraced. A new head coach, 10 new starters and a fresh mix of personnel have given the roster a different feel on all three phases, with several newcomers already helping shape the teams identity. Tremaine Edmunds, D.J. Reader and Jordan Stout have each found meaningful roles, while Isaiah Likely has quickly become part of the conversation in an offense that needed more reliable answers.
Likelys presence has been especially notable because the Giants were looking for someone who could help the passing game feel less one-dimensional around Malik Nabers. On special teams, Stout has also added value in a way that doesnt always show up in the spotlight, giving New York stability in a spot that can quietly swing field position. The broader question now is whether these early gains are the start of something sustainable, or simply the first signs of a roster still trying to catch up to the standard it wants to set. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Were Right To Move On From Darius Slayton After All
Darius Slaytons run with the Giants ended the way plenty of roster decisions do in the NFL, with a player who once sat near the top of the passing game suddenly squeezed out by younger options and a changing depth chart. New York moved on after Slayton had previously been its top receiver, a reminder of how quickly a once-prominent role can disappear when a team decides it needs to go in a different direction.
The move has looked even more justified in the weeks since. Slayton landed with the Colts shortly after his release, but his next stop never really got off the ground, and Giants coach John Harbaugh said he expected Slayton would still find another chance to play football. For the Giants, the larger takeaway is less about sentiment and more about roster judgment: sometimes the hard cut is also the right one. [Read more 🡒]