david sills

New York Giants: David Sills V being signed back to practice squad

by
david sills, new york giants

It looked like the New York Giants were parting ways with wide receiver David Sills, but more recent news indicates the team will stay with the player. This comes after Sills was initially waived in some of the most recent roster cuts. Despite that fact, it looks like he will remain with the organization in some way as the Giants sign him to the practice squad.

Ending up on the practice squad instead of becoming a free agent is the reward that Sills receives for putting on a good preseason performance where he was one of the leading receivers through the first two games. The Giants chose to rest most of their starters for those games, and Sills was one of the backup players who received significant time to play and undergo evaluation by the coaches.

While Sills was the most promising receiver of the preseason, it’s not hard to see why that performance only carried him to the practice squad. This is a season when the Giants have a number of additions at the position, as well as returning talent.

The Giants added Kadarius Toney, Kenny Golladay, and John Ross – and they bring back Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton, top names from previous seasons. On a crowded roster like this, there’s just not much room for players like Sills who might have a spot further down the rotation on shallower teams.

While the practice squad isn’t a prestigious spot, Sills might not be there for long. The Giants are dealing with injuries at receiver right now, and if they lose any more players or if these injuries extend into the regular season, they may have a need at the position.

If that happens, Sills will almost certainly be on the shortlist of players to call up.

New York Giants wide receiver position battle boiling down to four players

by
david sills, new york giants

The New York Giants have an extremely important week coming up for roster bubble players, and the back end of the wide receiver unit is full of questions.

Against the Cleveland Browns in the second preseason game of the off-season, the only stand-out player in the WR was David Sills, who recorded a touchdown catch in the second half.

Multiple players are on the brink of being released, fighting for an opportunity to spend the 2021 season on the active roster. The Giants will have to cut the roster down to 53-men by August 31 at 4 PM. Sills may have impressed, but he’s no lock just yet.

New York Giants WR position battle boiling down to four players:

1.) Alex Bachman

Unfortunately for Bachman, he had a poor outing against Cleveland this past weekend. He dropped one of his four targets, picking up 6 yards. Unfortunately, there’s no room for error at this point in the off-season, and he’s falling behind quickly, with Sills and Dante Pettis showing stronger performances. He has a total of just one reception and 6 yards over two games, despite earning 46 snaps.

2.) Damion Willis

Willis is another player gunning for a roster spot, earning 50 snaps over the past two games. Willis has hauled in three receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown, showing far more than Bachman. Fortunately for the former Cincinnati Bengal, he has not dropped a pass but offers little beyond his receiving capabilities. The Giants will likely be looking at special team’s value with receivers at the back end of the roster, so the practice squad could be in his future.

3.) Dante Pettis

Dante Pettis is known for his kick returning abilities, but he also contributed nicely toward the end of the 2020 season with the Giants. He hauled in four receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown over the last two games of the season. He was a catalyst against the Dallas Cowboys, but he remains on the roster bubble with Sills pressing him.

So far, during preseason play, Pettis has three receptions on seven targets for 25 yards. Unfortunately, he hasn’t made a significant impact and has earned no snaps on special teams.

4.) David Sills

Sills has been one of the more impressive receivers this off-season but also offers little on special teams. During preseason play, he’s hauled in six receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown, completing over 50% of his opportunities. As a 6’4″ receiver, the Giants may depend on him as a bigger possession option in case Kenny Golladay is forced to miss any time during the regular season. Based on his work ethic, traveling around the country with Daniel Jones to offer a helping hand, he’s already in the good graces of head coach Joe Judge.

Unless Judge sees more value with a player that can serve as a gunner return man, I believe Sills is the favorite to make the roster.

New York Giants: David Sills V speaks on performance vs Jets

by
david sills, new york giants

The New York Giants came into their first preseason game looking to evaluate players rather than focus on a win, and one player who made a strong mark is one of the under the radar receiving targets for Daniel Jones this season. David Sills V is one of a number of receivers competing for playing time in an expanded and competitive lineup, but set himself apart in the receiving game despite his low profile status heading into this offseason.

Sills had 49 yards and 3 receptions, which led all receivers for the Giants in their loss to the Jets. He was also targeted 5 times, which was more than any other player, and had the longest reception of the game at 37 yards. In other words, Sills was a bright spot in an offensive performance where the Giants only put up 7 points overall.

Impressively, this performance comes in Sills’ first appearance since the 2019 preseason after spending 2020 on the injured reserve following a training camp injury.

“It was awesome being out there. That was my first time being in a game since preseason of 2019. So, it was really good and exciting to get out there. It was nice to kind of get that first catch, first hit, kind of got the nerves going a little bit, but after that, it’s kind of like, all right, let’s go, let’s go have some fun,” Sills told reporters after the loss.

Sills speaks on big catch

Sills also gave a description of what was going through his head during the big reception that turned out to be the biggest chunk of yardage the Giants offense produced.

“We got man coverage, we checked into a fade and I thought Clayton threw me a great ball, gave me a chance on it, so it’s something I think my teammates, the quarterback and my coaches expect me to make that play. It was nice to be able to make that play, but still didn’t come out with outcome we wanted, winning the game,” Sills elaborated.

The Giants might not have gotten the outcome they wanted, but the individual performance is encouraging nonetheless. Especially when the quarterback play was largely lacking for the Giants as they chose to rest Daniel Jones and instead exclusively rely on their backups.

A point of interest in the future will likely be the chemistry between Jones and Sills, as if Sills keeps it up he may just end up being one of Jones’ targets in the lineup of regular season receivers.

New York Jets beat New York Giants 12-7 in First Preseason Game | Recap and takeaways

by
new york jets, zach wilson

The New York Giants and New York Jets faced off tonight in Week One of the 2021 NFL preseason. The New York Jets came out victorious. FINAL SCORE: 12-7.

Key stats and takeaways

New York Jets

  • QB Zach Wilson: 6/9, 63 yards
  • WR Denzel Mims: 3 receptions, 51 yards
  • DE Bryce Huff: 2 sacks, 2 TFL

2021 second-overall draft pick Zach Wilson had a solid debut in his first NFL action. While he did not light up the scoreboard, Wilson was smart with the football. He was accurate, had some impressive plays, and avoided any major mistakes. An all-around good performance by a rookie quarterback.

Many felt as though the Jets got a steal in the second round of last year’s draft when they selected wide receiver, Denzel Mims. Tonight, Mims looked like an impressive wide receiver, totaling 51 yards. Denzel Mims had a nice highlight, converting a 3rd and 18 while showing off some skills after the catch.

The New York Jets’ defense took advantage of the New York Giants’ thin offensive line. The Giants lack depth upfront and this allowed the Jets to total 5 sacks in the contest. Bryce Huff contributed two sacks on the night.

The Jets also seem to have some solid quarterback depth. Mike White threw for 127 yards on 13 completions. James Morgan gained 45 yards on 5 completions. No turnovers for any of the Jets’ quarterbacks.

New York Giants

  • QB Clayton Thorson: 5/16, 72 yards, 1 TD
  • WR David Sills V: 3 receptions, 49 yards
  • LB Carter Coughlin: 5 total tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL

The New York Giants’ starting offensive linemen did participate in tonight’s matchup. For the most part, the unit was impressive. Andrew Thomas looked good in both pass protection and run-blocking, including a dominant pass set in the first quarter. RG Will Hernandez also looked like an improved version of himself. Hernandez moved very nicely as a lead/pulling blocker and had a couple of key blocks in the running game. However, it was not a perfect outing for the starters as RT Matt Peart let up a sack on a third down.

Once the starting offensive linemen went out and the reserves went in, Giants fans were reminded just how poor this team’s depth on the offensive line truly is. The Giants let up 5 sacks, losing 34 yards and allowing a safety. The reserve linemen struggled mightily and also lost OG Kyle Murphy with an ankle injury.

Quarterback Clayton Thorson struggled throughout the game. He did throw a nice touchdown pass after evading pressure late in the game, though the majority of the game was relatively unimpressive.

Training camp standouts WR David Sills V and CB Rodarius Williams were on the field for the majority of the game. Sills lived up to the hype, beating cornerbacks with great releases off the line of scrimmage and making a few sound receptions for 49 yards (he also drew a DPI on a deep target). Williams had a rough night, letting up plenty of yards in receptions. But he did recover a fumble in the fourth quarter and nearly took it back to the end zone.

LB Carter Coughlin also stood out defensively for the Giants. The second-year player transitioned to off-ball linebacker this offseason after playing EDGE in his rookie year. Coughlin looked like he had been playing inside linebacker for years, putting together an impressive 5 tackle, 1 sack, 1 TFL performance. Carter was all over the place making plays.

New York Giants: Roster bubble players to watch closely in preseason

by
david sills, new york giants

The New York Giants play their first preseason game of the season tonight at 7:30 pm against the New York Jets. Joe Judge and the Giants plan on treating this preseason game as a traditional fourth preseason game. This means that the starters will barely play (if they even play at all) and the backups will receive the majority share of snaps.

Tonight’s game gives the Giants fans and front office a chance to analyze the players fighting for a spot on the roster. Some of these players are on the bubble and pushing for a spot on the final roster this year. But these players, like David Sills, Rodarius Williams, and Gary Brightwell, will need to perform well in the preseason to earn their spots.

David Sills V

Third-year wide receiver David Sills V has turned heads this summer with numerous impressive practice performances. Sills was a tremendous wide receiver in college at WVU. He totaled 33 receiving touchdowns in his final two collegiate seasons before going undrafted in 2019. David Sills has been with the Giants since September of 2019 after he was waived by the Buffalo Bills that August.

In 2020, David Sills was having an impressive summer practicing with the Giants. Unfortunately, he was not able to play in the regular season, as he suffered a foot fracture that landed him on IR and out for the year. One year later, David is once again having a phenomenal training camp.

David Sills spent the entire 2021 offseason following quarterback Daniel Jones across the country to train for this season. His hard work seems to have paid off as David has looked like a true receiving threat, making plays against the first-team in practice with the Giants. Still, there are a lot of talented wide receivers on the Giants’ roster, some that can contribute on special teams. If David Sills V wants to win a spot on the roster, he is going to have to put together some strong performances in the preseason.

Rodarius Williams

Like David Sills, Rodarius Williams has been popping off at training camp practices. The Giants drafted Rodarius Williams in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Rodarius is the older brother of Cleveland Browns’ cornerback, Greedy Williams. Williams is a press-man corner who exudes confidence. He has the physicality to counteract big-body pass-catchers outside the numbers. He also finished his college career with 150 tackles (35 stops) and allowed just 54.2% of the pass targets against him to be completed for 1,636 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Giants have plenty of talented defensive backs on their roster. But Rodarius Williams has been a pleasant surprise through camp and looks like he could sneak his way onto the back-end of the roster. With a couple of solid performances in the preseason, Rodarius Williams could secure a spot on the final roster.

Gary Brightwell

Running back Gary Brightwell is another player that the Giants drafted in the sixth round of this year’s NFL Draft. The Giants added a lot of depth at running back this offseason as Saquon Barkley prepares to return from his knee injury. Gary Brightwell, however, now seems to be buried pretty deep on the team’s depth chart.

The former Arizona Wildcat has an uphill battle to make the final roster. He has not played much in practice due to some nagging injury problems. But with an impressive string of preseason performances, Gary Brightwell could make his presence felt and give himself a chance at the fifty-three-man roster. The backups are expected to see plenty of playing time on Saturday against the Jets. This is the game for Gary Brightwell to show out and put his name back in the running.

New York Giants: 3 big takeaways from the release of the unofficial depth chart

by
david sills, new york giants

The New York Giants released their first unofficial depth chart ahead of the first preseason game against the New York Jets on Saturday. With the team enjoying a great experience at MetLife during Fan-Fest, coining the first fan engagement since before COVID-19, spirits are high, and excitement is brewing.

While the depth chart has a few interesting placements, there’s still plenty of time for players to change the course of their off-season.

Three takeaways from New York Giants’ unofficial depth chart:

1.) David Sills listed ahead of CJ Board, Austin Mack, and Damion Wills

One of the standout players for the Giants thus far has been David Sills, who broke his leg last year, ending his preseason early. Sills was a stand-out during training camp in 2020, and once again, he’s proving to be a solid receiver, especially in the red zone. During live drills in the RZ, Sills has hauled in five touchdown passes, with a number of them coming from quarterback Daniel Jones.

David spent the majority of his off-season following Jones around the country, working hard to create chemistry and perfect timing. Clearly, that is paying off in a big way during camp.

“Basically this guy followed Daniel around the country,” Giants coach Joe Judge said of Sills, per Art Stapleton of NJ.com. “Wherever Daniel was, he was going to be there to catch passes. That’s someone who you can tell has really invested in himself to get every shot he has.”

Judge loves players who invest in themselves and spend extra time refining their craft. Based on that alone, I would say Sills is on the fast track to earning a spot on the 53 man roster. If he can contribute on special teams, Judge will have a hard time moving on from him and his work ethic.

“He’s making a lot of plays for us,” Judge said. “He’s doing a good job, he comes out, works hard every day. Sills is a guy who does everything you ask and he does it 100 percent.”

2.) Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines listed as projected starters at OLB

The Giants added tons of outside linebacker support this off-season, but they listed two familiar faces as the projected starters ahead of the first preseason game. Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines, who was activated off the PUP less this week as the starters, have Azeez Ojulari and Trent Harris behind them.

Carter is coming off a torn Achilles and Ximines a shoulder injury that ended his season, but they have the most experience at the position. The expectation is that Ojulari will earn significant reps to open the year, given his success last season in the SEC.

Having more depth at the position will prove to be beneficial in 2021, as the Giants were forced to rely on seventh-round pick Carter Coughlin and practice squad player Jabaal Sheard as their primary outside linebackers in 2020. Based on the fact this depth chart is unofficial, it’s not surprising to see Ximines slotter it in as the starter.

3.) Tae Crowder listed as starting WLB next to Blake Martinez

When the Giants drafted Tae Crowder with the final pick in the 2020 NFL draft, nobody expected he would be vying for starting snaps just one year later. The Giants have Crowder listed as the starter opposite Blake Martinez. Not much has been said about the former Georgia stand-out this training camp, but he showed flashes of adequacy as a pass coverage linebacker and run stopper during his rookie season. He collected 40 total tackles, 18 stops and allowed 283 yards. Over 210 covered snaps, he didn’t give up a single score, which is a positive sign.

Behind Crowder, the Giants have Devante Downs and TJ Brunson. I wouldn’t expect either to dislodge him from the starting spot, putting Crowder in an advantageous position to open the year as the primary weak side linebacker.

Giants’ wide receiver core shaping up to be an all-out battle for roster spots

by
david sills, new york giants

Last season, New York Giants receiver John Ross might’ve been starting Week 1, but now he’s simply fighting for a roster spot at the back-end of the unit. A lot has happened over the past few months. The Giants bolstered the offense, adding Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney to the WR corps.

With only two spots left for the taking, several receivers are gunning for a chance to land on the 53 man active roster. It’s coming down to Ross, Dante Pettis, David Sills, Austin Mack, and CJ Board.

Ross, Sills, and Board have looked the best thus far during camp, but with only two of the three having real NFL experience, the Giants have a tough decision to make with Sills, who is a traditional wideout dominating in the red zone during specific drills.

The former West Virginia standout has five touchdowns during training camp, the most of any receiver up to this point. He has looked great with his route running and creating separation, including solid vertical hops to leap over defenders.

Head coach Joe Judge raved about Sills, who’s making a strong case for a roster spot:

“Sills is a guy who does everything you ask and he does it 100 percent,” head coach Joe Judge told reporters on Friday. “He’s definitely a guy you’ve got to tell, ‘Hey, slow it down a little bit.’ This guy’s commitment off the field in terms of what he’s done in the offseason, basically this guy followed Daniel around the country. Wherever Daniel was, he was going to be there to catch passes. That’s someone who you can tell has really invested in himself to give every shot he has.

The issue here is that both Ross and Board are capable of featuring on special teams. Board is a starting punt gunner and average receiver. That is enough for him to land a roster spot. With only one remaining, Ross is also capable of being a kick returner but has plenty of competition in the category, with Jabrill Peppers and Kadarius Toney taking reps.

Ross has two avenues to securing a roster spot: either he can flash talent as a punt returner during preseason or he can make an impact as a gadget player with jet motions and pre-snap movement.

If the Giants feel as though they can deploy him in unique ways, different than a traditional receiver like Sills, he could provide more value. The team would likely place Sills on the practice squad anyway, but that would enable an alternative team to snag him.

Based on Board’s ability as a gunner, I believe he has a spot locked down, but with Pettis missing time the past few days due to an injury, he has fallen behind in the race. It is quite intriguing to see so much talent fighting for backend positions. Pettis not making the roster should attest to how strong the wide receiver unit looks this season.

New York Giants: Who is David Sills V? | Training Camp Standout

by
david sills, new york giants

The New York Giants are enjoying several training camp standouts this year on both sides of the ball. Some newly signed players, such as Adoree’ Jackson, have adjusted easily and made key plays during practice. But some younger, less-established players have also turned heads with impressive performances at camp.

Wide receiver David Sills has stood out during training camp. But Sills is one of those less-established players that most fans do not know much about. So that begs the question, who exactly is this training camp standout wide receiver, David Sills?

Who is David Sills?

College career

New York Giants training camp standout David Sills is a former quarterback-turned-wide receiver. Sills split time at both quarterback and wide receiver at West Virginia in 2015 but flashed some potential as a receiver, ending the season with seven receptions for 131 yards. He then transferred to El Camino College in 2016 to play exclusively at quarterback before returning to West Virginia as a wide receiver.

David Sills hauled in 60 receptions for 980 yards and an insane 18 touchdowns in 12 games for West Virginia in 2017. As a senior in 2018, Sills was impressive once again, posting 65 receptions for 986 yards and 15 touchdowns in 12 games. David Sills was a true playmaker for the Mountaineers in his collegiate career.

NFL career

David Sills went undrafted in 2019 before signing with the Buffalo Bills in April. He was unfortunately waived by the Bills in August, but then signed with the New York Giants’ practice squad in September. He spent the entire 2019 season on New York’s practice squad. During training camp last year, David Sills suffered a foot fracture, landing him on injured reserve.

The Giants have not given up on David Sills, though, as they signed him to an extension through the 2021 season. The Giants’ 6-4 roster-bubble receiver has yet to play a down of football in the regular season. But he has been a consistent standout in practice and has worked hard this offseason to prepare for the 2021 season.

According to Giants head coach Joe Judge, David Sills “just followed Daniel [Jones] around the country and wherever Daniel was, he was gonna be there to catches passes.” Sills has never missed an opportunity to get some extra work in with his quarterback, improving his game and strengthening their chemistry.

2021 training camp

David Sills has been making plays left and right in practice during New York Giants training camp this year. Check out this impressive grab that Sills caught from Danny Dimes with first-team defensive backs Adoree’ Jackson and Logan Ryan in coverage:

It is important that this play was made with the first-team. Sills’s hard work has not gone unnoticed as he has earned first-team reps. This is a big step towards making the final roster. If David Sills can keep shining in training camp and pre-season, he could be a summer standout that earns a spot on the Giants’ final roster this regular season.

New York Giants: 2 wide receivers in a battle for roster spot

by
New York Giants, Austin Mack

The New York Giants are heading into the regular season with a bevy of questions on the roster.

How will the wide receiver corps shake out?

What will the pass rush look like?

Do they have a starting cornerback to supplement the loss of DeAndre Baker?

There’s plenty more where that came from, but I want to focus on the back end of the roster where a position battle is taking place.

Two receivers who are pushing for a spot on the New York Giants’ roster:

David Sills:

At 6-foot-3 and 211 pounds, Sills spent 2019 on the Giants’ practice squad. However, his lanky and quick frame has given him an opportunity to compete for a spot on the team. The coaches have been impressed with his effort, also making an impact on special teams. Daniel Jones seems to find confidence in him as an option, being in the right place at the right time.

“I think he’s a guy out there you can trust, and a guy who’s in the right spot a lot of the time and can get open and make plays,” Daniel Jones said.

WR coach Tyke Tolbert also raved about Sills, stating he’s a “rep stealer.”

“David Sills has done a really good job. He’s a really smart guy, he’s working hard. He’ll go in there and play all of the positions,” said wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert. “I told you guys the other day, he’s a rep stealer. He has his reps, he’s going to go in and run his reps, then he’ll steal some other reps. If he sees guys running down the field, he’ll jump in there and say ‘I got them, I got them.’ I like that about him. He jumps in there, doesn’t matter what position it is. He goes in there and plays and executes his assignments.”

Austin Mack:

The former Ohio State wide receiver is coming off a year where he struggled with injuries. He isn’t the fastest guy on the field and isn’t going to make Odell Beckham Jr. style catches, but he is reliable and about average in every category. Being flat across the line gives the Giants something to work off of, as there is an upside to unlock.

He has been stellar so far in camp, catching about everything that has been thrown his way. He is physical off the line of scrimmage and smooth and his brakes, giving quarterback Daniel Jones a nice target over the middle.

I don’t see him as a deep threat by any means, but he can be a solid contributor in the short/intermediate passing game.

Tyke Tolbert said that Austin Mack was an incredibly intelligent player.

“The thing with Austin Mack is his knowledge,” Tolbert said. “Austin Mack’s a super smart guy. He can play any position. He’s a tough guy, he’s a physical guy, he’s very dependable. That’s the thing that stands out with him to me.”