Big Blue View mailbag: Daniel Bellinger, Daboll and Dart, James Hudson, more

Ken Goldstein asks: James Hudson.I have heard his name mentioned several times as being a solid pick up this offseason.

But I truly no very little about him as a offensive tackle.

Do we really have the much needed depth to the offensive line, that has failed us so many times these past few years.

The previous two seasons – I’ve said that without Thomas at left tackle, the season is lost. He was the one person the team could least afford to lose.

What is the real backup plan at left tackle – in case he gets hurt again?

It was obvious to everyone here that last year they didn’t really have a game plan for that.

Ed says: Ken, James Hudson is the real backup plan at left tackle. He was signed to be the swing tackle and was aligned as the starting left tackle all spring while the Giants slow-played Andrew Thomas’s return from Lisfranc surgery.

Here is what I wrote about Hudson a few weeks ago:

The 26-year-old Hudson was a fourth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2021. He has played in 49 regular-season games with 17 starts. Hudson has significant experience at both tackle spots. In 2024, he was almost exclusively at left tackle, playing 207 snaps there and just 15 on the right side.

When I asked Jared Mueller of SB Nation’s Dawgs By Nature, which covers the Browns, about Hudson he used the word “inconsistent.” Which is probably why Hudson has never been a full-time starter.

Pre-draft scouting reports indicated a raw player with tremendous physical upside but limited experience. Here is a snippet from Ourlads:

He is still incredibly raw and inexperienced, but there is absolutely no denying his physical talent and upside. He has a lot to learn and clean up but there is a level of explosion, twitch, and power here that very few can match. It may take a year-plus, but he could be a starting tackle or guard for a long time, and a very good one.

Hudson has yet to reach that starting status. He could, though, be an important player for the Giants in 2025. The Giants drafted offensive lineman Marcus Mbow in Round 5. While they believe he has five-position versatility, Mbow played only a handful of left tackle snaps in the spring and it seems like putting him at that critical spot as a rookie would be a last resort.

“He’s a guy that when we targeted tackles in free agency, obviously there’s a reason that he’s here,” Bricillo said. “We like him. He brings some traits that we really like. He has a level of toughness. He has a high character as far as a standard for himself and he works.”

The reality is that some players on any team are harder to replace than others. When you lose a left tackle who, at his best, is an All-Pro that is going to be a major blow no matter how you replace him.

As for overall depth, that’s why Hudson was signed. It’s why Mbow was drafted. It’s why I believe they hope Evan Neal can win a guard job and turn Greg Van Roten into a backup guard/center. It’s why the Giants continue to try and develop Jake Kubas.

Nobody knows for sure if any of it will work out. What we do know, in my view, is that the Giants enter the 2025 season with a better plan and a better chance to absorb some injuries.

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Robert Markowitz asks: Do you think Daboll’s future is now directly linked to Dart? This is the way I see it: If Dart doesn’t play significant snaps this year it means the Giants did well and Daboll will return next year. If the Giants are terrible and so is Dart, they’ll let a new GM and coach draft a new quarterback. If the Giants are middling and Dart shows promise Mara will let GM and coach return. What do you think?

Ed says: Robert, when a struggling organization drafts a quarterback in the first round of course their future employment status is going to be linked to the success or failure of that quarterback.

I don’t know exactly what criteria ownership will use to determine the fate of coach Brian and, maybe, general manager Joe Schoen. I do believe that if Dart shows promise that it bodes well for Daboll, regardless of the 2025 won-loss record.

As outspoken as John Mara was about the negative impact of constant coach/GM/coordinator changes had on Daniel Jones the organization is not going to want to do that to Dart. I think they will be looking for reasons to keep Daboll, not looking for reasons to fire him.

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James Pauloski asks: Dexter Lawrence is perhaps the best interior defender in the NFL. Yet the Giants are generally unable to stop the Eagles and their “tush push”. Why? What are the Giants not doing (or what are the Eagles doing) that enables the Eagles to be successful so often?

Ed says: James, what team is able to stop the Tush Push? None. According to Yahoo! Sports, the Eagles’ success rate running the Tush Push is 87%. And, yes, that number seems low.

I don’t know exactly how to break it down or analyze it. Here is a video from Brett Kollmann that is a little bit older, but explains a lot:

The Eagles have mastered the blocking angles and the leverage of the play. They also happen to have a big, strong quarterback who can push the pile himself.

No one has yet figured out a way to stop the play with any consistency.

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Nick Ottatiasks: Do position coaches ever teach the opposing position’s players? For example, our DL coach teaching the OL for a day or two and explaining what he teaches the DL and how the OL can counter.

Ed says: Nick, no. Position coaches have enough to do coaching their own groups. Now, coaches will talk to and learn from each other. Players do the same. Offensive and defensive linemen learn from each other. Cornerbacks and wide receivers learn from each other.

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Alex Kalb asks: I haven’t followed this all too closely so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like the Giants QB room is a little crowded with Wilson, Dart, Winston, and DeVito. Me, I think Winston should be the odd man out and up for a trade even if it’s just for minimal draft compensation: Wilson is the likely starter, Dart is the heir apparent, DeVito is, well DeVito. I didn’t fall in love with him during his stint as a starter, but he is more familiar with the roster, the playbook, the coaching staff and, besides, if the Giants are down to the third string QB, they’re probably in rough shape anyway. Do you think the Giants will carry four QBs into the season and if they don’t, how do you think they’ll play this?

Ed says: Alex, it’s time you got caught up. This is something that has been a big part of the discussion ever since Jaxson Dart was drafted.

The Giants will not carry four quarterbacks on the active roster. That is a waste of a roster spot.

I will be stunned if the Giants trade Jameis Winston. I know there is plenty of Internet speculation out there about that, but it makes no sense. The Giants signed Winston to a low cost two-year contract to be Russell Wilson’s backup this year and, if things go according to plan, Dart’s backup next year.

I watched how the other quarterbacks interact with Dart on the field during the spring, and Winston is a good influence. He’s a former No. 1 overall pick with a lot of experiences — good and bad — to share, and he is willing to do that.

DeVito is the clear odd man out. With apologies to the DeVito-maniacs out there, Winston is a better player. All you have to know to figure out the plan is that during the spring practices for every 10-12 reps Wilson, Dart and Winston got DeVito received one or two.

DeVito is not making the 53-man roster unless an injury to one of the other three necessitates it.

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Walker Joyce asks: My lingering puzzlement is the treatment of Daniel Bellinger. He had a fine rookie season, even came back from a fearful eye injury, showing character on top of his physical skills, and then the Giants spent the last few seasons trying to replace him. His development stopped cold in his sophomore year.

What do Schoen and Daboll know that we don’t? Is he obnoxious, not a good teammate? Did he get into drugs or mix with other bad habits? If so, they covered it up, but with all the media—beginning with you—it would’ve come out by now. I’ve never seen anything on the field that would explain their disenchantment.

In today’s NFL, the tight end has become a primary passing weapon, and on paper, DB fits the bill. Had they committed to him after his first campaign, he might be one of the league’s most reliable guys by now.

There were red flags galore when they brought in that flake Waller. Why the Dolphins wanted him is astonishing to me. I like Johnson and you’ve described the others’ virtues, but what the hell happened to Dan?

Ed says: Walker, there are no locker room or off the field issues with Bellinger. He is a good guy who appears to work hard at his craft.

The Bellinger question comes up a lot. And, yes, I am on record as saying I would like to see the Giants make better use of Bellinger.

Let’s be realistic, though. Bellinger is not Brock Bowers. He is not George Kittle or prime Travis Kelce. Bellinger is a reliable underneath receiver who won’t make big plays down the field unless he is schemed open. He is an OK blocker, but hasn’t been great.

The Darren Waller trade ended up being a mistake. I won’t blame GM Joe Schoen for trying it, though, and Schoen himself has said he would do that again. The Giants did not have a No. 1 receiver, and at his best Waller was that. That is something Bellinger will never be. The Giants hoped they would get something close to that, giving them a player they could build their passing attack around. It didn’t happen. Bellinger, unfortunately, got lost in the shuffle.

The Giants drafted Theo Johnson a year. While Bellinger is big, fairly fast for his size and athletic, Johnson is bigger, faster and more athletic:

Giants head coach Brian Daboll has indicated he sees Rob Gronkowski-type potential in Johnson as a player who could become both a dominant receiver and a good blocking tight end.

Johnson averaged 11.4 yards per reception last season, 6.7 yards per target and 5.1 yards after the catch. Over his three-year career, Bellinger has averaged 9.4 yards per catch, 4.5 yards per target and 4.8 yards after catch.

Veteran tight end Chris Manhertz has long been one of the league’s best blocking tight ends.

So, the Giants have a more dynamic tight end with more upside than Bellinger in Johnson, and a better blocking tight end than Bellinger in Manhertz.

I like Bellinger and believe he is a useful player, but that is just the reality.

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Robert Biggerstaff asks: my question this week is about Skattebo. I am concerned that since he runs into contact so hard he will get hurt a lot. I remember the fantastic Tucker Fredrickson who was such a boost for the team but could not stay on the field. Do you have thoughts on this? Do the team and trainers talk about this? It would be a shame if a runner with such exciting potential is lost because his usage wasn’t properly monitored.

Ed says: Robert, the Giants scout players for multiple seasons before they draft them. They understand exactly what Cam Skattebo is, they are intimately familiar with his background and his medical history. They know his play style and the risks that come with it. All of those discussions were had, probably several times, before they drafted him.

Players’ workloads are monitored during practices via GPS tracking data. Teams are well aware when players might need to have their practice workload cut back for a day or two. As for games, teams obviously know how many snaps guys are playing, how many touches they get, what kind of punishment they are taking and what their physical condition is.

That said, it’s a violent sport and guys get hurt. Teams do what they can to protect players, but when it’s game day somebody has to play.

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Brennan Lyons asks: After reading an article on Andre Patterson’s relationship with Roy Robertson-Harris (in addition to many other successful interactions with other DL), I was left wondering how our other Assistant/Positional Coaches measure up. I’ve read similar encouraging articles about Carmen Bricillo. Bowen is apparently more well regarded by general NFL pundits than the local media. Kafka appears to be more hit or miss.

As a fan, all I know is what I read from various media outlets. I was wondering what you guys think about our coaches. Do we have any others (I consider Patterson and Bricillo above average; Bowen also?) who are considered “stars” or at least, above average? Are there some others out there that you think we should target? ST, for instance, has been my sore spot for decades. Why can’t we ever get that right? How does the new guy look?

Coaching is obviously very important, especially for a young, developing team such as ours. I was just wondering what you and the staff think about our coaches and how we compare to other teams, especially the successful ones.

Ed says: Brennan, that is a difficult question to answer. We see very little of the work position coaches do. We only see a few full spring practices, and then training camp practices are open to media.

We don’t see practices during the season. We don’t see walk-throughs during training camp, which are done as a second practice. We don’t see the behind-the-scenes meeting room work, etc., that position coaches do.

In addition, we get very limited contact with position coaches. They are only made available to media a few times a year.

Andre Patterson has a long track record of success that is easy to document and to follow. Carmen Bricillo has had success getting good play out of lines with mediocre talent. It is hard to know a lot about the other guys.

Wide receivers coach Mike Groh is well-respected. Outside linebacker coach Charlie Bullen seems like a promising young coach. Secondary coach Marquand Manuel is new to the Giants, but is a respected veteran coach. Quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney has worked with head coach Brian Daboll since Daboll was offensive coordinator at Alabama. Tight ends coach Tim Kelly was offensive coordinator the Tennessee Titans under Mike Vrabel.

I hate to be vague, but it is really difficult to know. One thing I try to do is look at the position groups. Are they prepared? Do they know and execute their assignments? Are they in position? Do they commit a lot of dumb penalties or make mistakes you would not expect from NFL players? Do players seem to over-achieve or under-achieve?

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Spencer Grossasks: Just read the top 10 safeties heading into the 2025 season and it was pretty frustrating seeing both McKinney and Julian Love on it. Why couldn’t they have paid McKinney at least? I understand the Barkley situation but why let one safety go just to sign another one a year later? I know the contracts differ but there’s gotta be some pain to see that along with the morale in the locker room.

Ed says: Spencer, they have tried. It is my understanding they offered Xavier McKinney basically the same contract that Jevon Holland signed this past offseason. He turned it down, and in what had generally been a down safety market the Green Bay Packers stunned everyone by giving McKinney four years and $67 million. Julian Love got the same contract offer he signed with the Seattle Seahawks from the Giants during the bye week in 2022. He said no, thinking he could do better. The Giants allocated that money elsewhere and didn’t match the Seattle offer when it came during the offseason.

It was the same with Saquon Barkley. The Giants made him multiple offers and their final one was roughly equivalent in total years/dollars. He ended up getting more guaranteed money from the Eagles.

The Giants kept Darius Slayton. Joe Schoen has given generous extensions to Andrew Thomas and Dexter Lawrence. He will spend on guys, but he has often talked about having a “walk-away number” and being disciplined enough to stick to it.

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