Johnson showed pass-catching promise before suffering Lisfranc injury
Like a number of other things, the New York Giants handling of the tight end position was somewhat confusing during the 2024 season. The Giants, do, though, have an exciting young player at the position in 2024 fourth-round pick Theo Johnson.
Let’s review the position and look ahead to 2025 as we continue our series of positional reviews of the 2025 Giants.
2024 in review
The roster
Theo Johnson, Chris Manhertz, Daniel Bellinger, Greg Dulcich, Jordan Murray (practice squad)
Go back to the Giants’ ill-fated star turn on ‘Hard Knocks’ and you saw that the Giants were captivated by the pass-catching ability and raw athletic upside of the 6-foot-4, 264-pound Johnson. The Giants selected him in the fourth round, 107th overall.
As many times as head coach Brian Daboll, a one-time tight ends coach, has talked about how complex the position is to play in the NFL and how many things the Giants were relying on the tight end to do it figured that the Giants would bring Johnson along slowly, using him in limited packages as he figured out the position.
It did not work out that way. Rather that use Daniel Bellinger, a perfectly competent though unspectacular player, as the primary tight end while Johnson learned the ropes, the Giants buried Bellinger and force-fed Johnson starter snaps right from the beginning.
Predictably, Johnson, who shared snaps collegiately in a crowded Penn State tight end room, started slowly. He caught just three passes in eight targets over the first four weeks and grades from Pro Football Focus show he also struggled early in the season as a run blocker.
The snaps for Johnson, though, appeared to pay dividends as the season progresse. He had 26 catches in an eight-game stretch before suffering a season-ending Lisfranc injury, and his run-blocking also appeared to improve dramatically.
Bellinger, a third-year player and also a former fourth-round pick, never really found a consistent role until Johnson was lost for the season. He played just 365 snaps (32%) after playing 574 (72%) in 12 games as a rookie and 688 (62%) in 2023.
Veteran Chris Manhertz was used as the primary inline blocking tight end. Greg Dulcich was claimed off waivers from the Denver Broncos and played 27 offensive snaps over the final five games.
Speaking of confusing, how about the 14 transactions veteran tight end/fullback Jakob Johnson was involved in from the time the Giants signed him to the 90-man roster on Aug. 16 until they terminated him from the practice squad for the final time on Nov. 19? That was odd.
2025 outlook
This is not a position where I would anticipate the Giants using any significant resources this offseason. Unless Johnson’s recovery does not go as seems to be anticipated.
Manhertz can be an unrestricted free agent. He is a quality blocking tight end whose experience and locker room presence can help a young team. He is also cheap, having played for $1.377 million in 2024. I would recommend bringing him back, provided he wants to come back.
This position, though, will be all about Johnson’s development. The Giants apparently hope to have Johnson on the field when they begin workouts in the spring, but the timeline for recovery from Lisfranc surgery can be longer than that, so there is uncertainty. If there are complications for Johnson, that might change the Giants’ need to supplement the position.
Bellinger is a good player, just without the athleticism or dynamic pass-catching upside of Johnson.
Dulcich caught 33 passes for the Denver Broncos in 2022 after being drafted in the third round, but has done little since. If Johnson recovers slowly, perhaps there will be an opportunity for him to seize a role.
