Maybe not, so what can they do about it?
Malik Nabers was lying face down on the grass three plays into the New York Giants’ training camp practice on Tuesday. As Nabers lay there, almost everyone who saw him probably had the same feeling — the optimism surrounding potential progress by the Giants in 2025 was dissipating by the second.
Fortunately, reports are that Nabers, who set a franchise record with 109 receptions during his 2024 rookie season, is fine.
Crisis averted.
But …
While training camp is an exciting time and optimism abounds, these summer practices can also reveal fissures in a roster that, like tiny cracks in a car window, can become more problematic over time.
Could such a fissure be showing at wide receiver for the Giants?
The depth chart
Realistically, the pass-catching depth at wide receiver was always going to be a question mark. Only three wide receivers — Nabers, Darius Slayton, and Wan’Dale Robinson — were significant contributors for the Giants last season. No significant roster additions were made to change that.
Nabers, of course, is fantastic. Better quarterback play than the Giants received last season should make him even more of a devastating weapon. Slayton is probably an underappreciated player, despite having four 700-yard receiving seasons in six years and a career average of 15.0 yards per catch. He still has the speed to be a vertical threat in a Giants’ offense that promises to throw the ball down the field more often in 2025.
Wan’Dale Robinson caught a career-high 93 passes last year. It is fair to wonder, though, if a 5-foot-10 quarterback like Russell Wilson can take full advantage of a short-armed 5-8 receiver who primarily works the middle of the field. These heat maps provided by BBV user Chris3035 illustrate the issue.
Beyond those three, there are only question marks.
Jalin Hyatt is bigger and stronger entering Year 3 of a disappointing NFL career. Wilson has shown support for Hyatt since becoming a Giant, and his proficiency in throwing the deep ball should play into Hyatt’s strength as a speedy vertical threat. Yet, with just 31 receptions in two seasons — only eight last year — Hyatt has to be considered a “show me” player. Until and unless he shows he can be a full-fledged contributor, his ability to do so can’t be assumed.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette was a godsend for the Giants last year as a punt and kickoff returner. He would like a bigger role as a wide receiver, but in four years, he has yet to show he deserves one. He has just 14 receptions in 48 games.
After the season-ending Achilles tendon tear suffered on Sunday by Bryce Ford-Wheaton, the rest of the depth chart is filled with nondescript veterans trying to hang on to their NFL careers and undrafted rookies trying to start theirs.
Veterans Zach Pascal and Lil’Jordan Humphrey have not been impressive. Undrafted players like Beaux Collins, Da’Quon Felton, and Dalen Cambre are getting chances. Do we believe, though, that any of those players can be relied on to be major contributors on offense?
So, what do the Giants do?
The first answer I know you will think of is “sign Gabe Davis.” You might even be screaming, “Why haven’t they signed Davis yet?”
Yes, Davis is a former Buffalo Bills player who had success with Brian Daboll in Buffalo. So, there is a natural fit. Remember, though, that Davis finished last season on injured reserve with a torn meniscus. He visited the Giants and a few other teams during the offseason. There can be only one reason — his knee — that the 26-year-old is not signed somewhere yet.
No one is going to sign Davis until he can pass a physical and get on the practice field. If he can’t do that yet, it is fair to wonder if he would be ready to contribute at the beginning of the season.
The Giants worked out six-year veteran Brandon Powell before signing Gunner Olszewski to fill Ford-Wheaton’s roster spot. Powell is a 5-8, 181-pound receiver/returner with 78 games of regular-season experience.
Keenan Allen is still a free agent. He has 974 career receptions, but the 33-year-old seems likely to wait for an opportunity with a team considered a playoff contender.
If Davis isn’t the answer, the Giants will probably be looking for upgrades when teams trim their rosters to 53 players at the end of the preseason. There are always goodx veteran players turned loose, and the Giants will have the No. 3 priority on the waiver wire. Figure GM Joe Schoen to be aggressive if a player the Giants believe to be an upgrade is available, and receiver seems like one of the positions the Giants might target.
