Cody Latimer

New York Giants: How Will the Receiver Corps Shake Out?

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New York Giants, Sterling Shepard

With the acquisition of receiver Golden Tate, the New York Giants attempted to fill the role of Odell Beckham Jr., who was traded to the Cleveland Browns in a deal that shook the NFL.

Tate is the league’s top yards-after-catch receiver, but he’s not nearly as talented and explosive as Beckham, yet in the reality of the Giants offense, that might not be a bad thing. Often times, quarterback Eli Manning was found forcing the ball to Beckham and he would demand targets simply due to his electrifying nature.

The future of the offense for Big Blue is designed to burn time off the clock and maintain possession. Signing Tate and extending Sterling Shepard was a fantastic move, money aside. Both receivers can play in the interior and exterior, allowing head coach Pat Shurmur to move them around the field and create unpredictability.

It will ultimately allow Manning to spread the ball around the field without feeling the need to force the ball to one specific target. Shurmur’s scheme will finally open up and the possibilities will expand. However, there are several players fighting for starting roles on the receiver corps, so let’s see how the unit could shake out.

How will the New York Giants receiving corps look come September?

We can assume that Shepard and Tate will act as the No. 1 and 2 pass-catchers for the Giants, but beyond them, it’s a tossup. Personally, I feel that Corey Coleman can finally reach his potential and act as a true wideout. He only corralled five receptions for 71 yards in 2018, but he was featured mostly in a reserve role. With Beckham gone, Coleman has the opportunity to move up in the ranks.

I wouldn’t rule out Russell Shepard moving to the No. 3 spot, though, as he caught 10 balls for 188 yards and two touchdowns last season. He’s a solid red-zone threat in addition to his possession skills. Additionally, he averaged 18.8 yards-per-reception, compared to Coleman’s 14.2.

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It should be an interesting position battle between those two players — Coleman is a former first-round pick that has plenty of value on the offense, he just has to find a way to access it. Shepard is dependable in specific schemes but only featured a 52.6% catch-rate — Corey earned 62.5%.

Behind those two options, the Giants have draft pick Darius Slayton who apparently has feet for hands so far in OTAs. He has a lot of work to do before becoming a dependable receiver at the NFL level, however, he is extremely athletic and could develop into a solid target given a successful development.

Don’t forget about Cody Latimer. The five-year veteran played in just 6 games last year before succumbing to injury. He’s a talented player that can make contested catches. He’s mostly a deep-ball threat, but if healthy, he can easily steal the No. 3 job away from Coleman and Russell Shepard.

Latimer earned 11 catches for 190 yards and a score on a 68.8% catch-rate.

Predicting the Giants’ receiving corps:

1.) Sterling Shepard

2.) Golden Tate

3.) Cody Latimer

4.) Corey Coleman

5.) Russell Shepard 

Comment your prediction below!

New York Giants: Which Are Players Set To Become Free Agents In 2019

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The New York Giants have a crucial offseason coming up for the future of their franchise. They will have to make multiple tough decisions in 2019, such as who to cut and whether or not to find a new quarterback. Along with that, they will need to decide who they want to resign and who they want to let walk in free agency.

When The Giants Can Start Signing Players:

The 2019 New League Year is on March 13 at 4:00 p.m. This is when all contracts expire and players officially become free agents. Teams can negotiate new deals with their players beginning on March 11. March 13 is the first official day of free agency. The Giants will need to have made decisions on their soon-to-be free agents by that date.

New York Giants With Expiring Contracts:

The Giants have 25 players with expiring contracts this offseason.  Among those 25 players are multiple starters. Players such as Landon Collins, Cody Latimer, Jamon Brown, B.W. Webb, Jon Halapio, Aldrick Rosas, Curtis Riley, Corey Coleman, Elijah Penny, Josh Mauro, and Zack DeOssie are starters on the 2018 Giants who will be free agents this offseason.

In addition to the starters just listed, plenty of depth players have expiring contracts also. Mario Edwards, Kerry Wynn, Russell Shepard, John Greco, Nathan Stupar, John Jenkins, Scott Simonson, Bennie Fowler, Alex Tanney, Kristjan Sokoli, Jordan Williams, Antonio Hamilton, Spencer Pulley, and Alonzo Russell are depth players for the Giants with expiring contracts.

Key Players For The Giants To Resign:

Among these 25 players are a couple of Pro Bowlers and key starters. Landon Collins is a former all-pro who will be looking for a big payday this offseason. In addition, Pro Bowl kicker Aldrick Rosas will look to get paid handsomely after being the best kicker in the NFL in 2018. These are two key, extraordinary players that the Giants will look to resign.

Aside from the Pro Bowl caliber players, the Giants will need to resign a few other starters this offseason. A pair of solid offensive linemen will need new contracts in 2019, Jamon Brown and Jon Halapio.

Jamon Brown was acquired by the Giants during their bye week in 2018. He was a massive improvement over their former starting guard, and quickly became a fan favorite. As soon as Brown stepped on the field for the Giants, the teams started to win and Eli Manning started to play better. Jamon Brown is a player that the Giants must resign in 2019.

Jon Halapio is a quality center who went down with a leg injury in week two of the 2018 NFL season. He was playing the best out of any of the team’s lineman through the first two weeks, and Dave Gettleman was quick to point that out in his post-season presser. The Giants plan to move forward with Halapio as their starting center, so expect to see him get resigned in 2019.

New York Giants Vs. Dallas Cowboys Post-Game Analysis – What Now?

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The New York Giants hosted the Dallas Cowboys for the final game of the season. The Giants came into the game with a 5-10 record, already eliminated from the playoffs. The Cowboys arrived with a 9-6 record, already clinched a playoff spot. With a loss today, the Giants fall to 5-11 while the Cowboys move to 10-6.

Up And Down Offense:

Overall, the Giants’ offense played a great game. They totaled 35-points and got big games out of Barkley and Engram. However, quarterback Eli Manning did turn the ball over twice and the team was unable to move the ball on the final possession of the game.

Saquon Barkley had a record setting day. Barkley had 142 total yards today (109 on the ground, 33 through the air), which put him over 2,000 yards on the season. That made Barkley the third running back in NFL history to gain 2,000 yards in their rookie season, joining elite company.

In addition, Barkley had three receptions today which helped him set the record for the most receptions by a rookie running back in NFL history. Barkley finished the season with 90 receptions, surpassing the previous record of 88 held by Reggie Bush. Barkley had a rushing touchdown today, his eleventh on the season. That set a Giants franchise record for most rushing touchdowns in a rookie’s season.

Quarterback Eli Manning had a slow start to the game. He threw a red zone interception on the Giants’ first drive, the followed that up with a lost fumble on the next drive. After that, Manning responded well with 301 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. One was to wide receiver Cody Latimer, who hauled in Eli’s perfect pass with one hand for a touchdown. The other was a throw to the flat that Engram turned upfield and dove into the end zone with.

Lousy Defense:

The Giants’ offense was able to put up a big 35 points on Sunday, but the defense let up a whopping 36 points. Edge rusher Olivier Vernon had a big game with 2.5 sacks, but there is only so much one player can do. The Giants’ secondary got picked apart throughout the game.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw for 387 yards and 4 passing touchdowns with zero interceptions on the day. Tight end Blake Jarwin had a field day against the Giants with 119 yards and three touchdowns. The Giants defense had a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter, up 7 with the Cowboys looking at a fourth and fifteen. Unfortunately, the Giants were not able to make the stop. Dak Prescott connected with wide receiver Cole Beasley for the touchdown on fourth and fifteen. The Cowboys then converted the two point attempt to put the team on top 36-35.

Aftermath Of The Loss:

With this loss, the Giants are locked into a top eight pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. They currently hold the sixth pick and have room for improvement. If the Raiders win this week, the Giants can move all the way up to the fourth pick. This can come as a huge silver lining to Giants fans who are already looking ahead to the offseason.

New York Giants: What To Expect From Wide Receiver Cody Latimer In 2018

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New York Giants, Cody Latimer

The New York Giants signed wide receiver Cody Latimer to be the replacement of Brandon Marshall, a big-bodied pass-catcher that can block in the run game. Latimer is an experienced wide-out, capable of laying a body on a cornerback to help spring the running back into the second-level without interference.

Cody has struggled in the pass-game, only recording 287 yards and two touchdowns in 2017, and believe it or not, that was his best season up to date. With the Giants, he will be looking to improve upon those numbers and utilize his undervalued skills in the pass-game.

Cody Latimer wants to be a different player for the New York Giants:

Latimer is the only WR to play with both Peyton and Eli Manning, and he is set on making the most of his time with the active Manning.

“We were out there, me and him, throwing and going through our stuff, and I told him that I’m going to do what I didn’t do for his brother,” Latimer said. “Do all the extra. All the extra film, always out after practice. Show my growth as a pro. Stuff I already knew to do [in Denver] but I just didn’t.”

The Giants are hoping to extract a new player out of the talented receiver, one that can utilize his blazing speed and strength to the advantage of the offense. Hopefully, he can live up to be a solid replacement for Marshall, who struggled immensely with Big Blue last season.

Latimer was drafted in the second round by the Broncos several years ago. He was highly touted coming out of college. Standing at 6-foot-2, he’s now the tallest WR on the Giants’ roster.

“When he’s out there he’s definitely going to give it all he’s got,” Sterling Shepard said about the new acquisition. “Great route runner to be that big, snatches the ball out the air, so I think he’s going to be great for us.”

With Shepard in the slot, Cody will have his chance to succeed as the team’s second wide-out, but I wouldn’t rule out Shepard from stealing a few reps on the outside. Nonetheless, it will be intriguing to watch him harness his true abilities, especially now that he has a starting gig to work with.

New York Giants: Two New Additions To Watch During Training Camp

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New York Giants, Cody Latimer

Training camp officially begins today for the New York Giants, with the players that have made it this far reporting in for the earliest stages of activities, and the roster will soon be trimmed to the one that will take the field at the start of the season. It’s also a chance for fans to get a look at how the new additions to the team are fitting into the system.

Who are the ones worth paying the most attention to? Here’s two that are outside of the obvious names such as Saquon Barkley. One for the defense, and one for the offense.

Connor Barwin, OLB

Connor Barwin agreeing to a two year deal with the Giants is big for the team. The pass rusher brings something much needed to the Giants defense, and can be a veteran presence to aid rookie linebacker Lorenzo Carter. However, the clock isn’t on Barwin’s side. At least, it shouldn’t be when you look at the numbers on paper.

The Eagles released Barwin in 2017 and he was picked up on a one year deal by the Rams, who didn’t sign him to another contract. There’s a reason why both teams moved on from him, despite having five sacks and decent tackling numbers in both of his last two seasons. Barwin is 31, and this training camp will be big for him.

It’s a chance for the team to see whether he still has the skill and athleticism at 31 to play a big role in the pass rush, and Barwin’s training camp will surely have an effect on the position battles at outside linebacker. Giants fans have been optimistic so far after the team picked Barwin up, but it’s time for Barwin to prove that their confidence is well placed.

Cody Latimer, WR

Cody Latimer is another newly signed player, who joined the Giants back in March. The receiver played his entire career for the Broncos before his move to New York, but didn’t have a notable season until last year. That was when he recorded more than three times more yards than he did the previous season, and scored two touchdowns while increasing his average yards per catch from 9.5 to 15.1

Can Latimer keep improving and play a bigger role with the Giants than he did with the Broncos? That’s the big question going into training camp. Latimer faces a lot of competition. Obviously, Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard are the team’s main receivers. The fact that their status is already clearly defined just makes the competition even fiercer between the others at the position.

Latimer could be the third wide receiver on the depth chart, but that assumes that he fends off efforts from Roger Lewis and Amba Etta-Tawo. If Latimer does put up good performances in training camp, the help in the passing game will be very useful to quarterback Eli Manning, who was let down by his receivers once Beckham Jr. was injured last season.

 

How will the New York Giants improve their wide receiver core?

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It has been a few days since New York Giants‘ wide receiver Brandon Marshall was released after failing his physical. Even though he never really got in sync with the offense last season before a season ending ankle industry, Marshall still leaves a hole at wide receiver.

Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, but coming off a season ending injury., and Sterling Shepard solid playing out of the slot, but the Giants are still in need of WR2. We all saw the receivers on the field last season. They must find a way to add more talent to the position.

What are their options?

The New York Giants can add wide receiver talent through free agency and the draft, but is it also possible that someone on the current roster can step up?

Free Agency

Being late in free agency, there are not any top options available at this point, thought there are still some options out there. Dez Bryant, Eric Decker, Dontrelle Inman, and Jeremy Maclin are the top free agents still available. For the Giants, if any of these players were to agree to a minimal contract, this is how they could fill a need through free agency.

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These receivers are all likely approaching the last few years of their career, and while they have been productive at times they have been unable to show any consistency in recent years.

The Draft

It seems unlikely that the Giants will take a wide receiver in the earlier rounds of the draft, but if they were too, they should take a larger player at the position.

Eguanimeous St. Brown is 6’4″, 214 lbs, and runs a sub 4.5 40-yard-dash, is projected to go in the second to third round. He has the potential to be better than the top WR prospects, but has not gotten much opportunity.

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Auden Tate 6’5″, 228 lbs is projectied to go in the second to third round and is a huge mismatch for defensive backs and linebackers. Lined up with the already dynamic talent on that offense. He is still very young, coming into this league after his junior year in college and could be a great complimentary peace.

Current Players?

When looking at the current roster of the New York Giants, there is one player that jumps out at me. Cody Latimer is 25 years old and spent the last four seasons playing in the shadow of Demaryious Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Never being able truly show his fully potentional, it is possible that his best days are ahead of him.

The NFL draft is approaching and the New York Giants can go several different directions. You don’t want to miss out on any BREAKING news! Sign up for FREE here.

To me, Latimer could fit in is a more than quality WR2 for the Giants, but it would not surprise me if they upgrade the decision.