kadarius toney

New York Giants: Saquon Barkley and Kadarius Toney give passing attack much-needed YAC ability

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New York Giants, Saquon Barkley

The New York Giants offense was one of the worst in the NFL in 2020. The unit averaged a measly 17.5 points per game, ranking 31st in the league. In Jason Garrett’s first season as offensive coordinator of the Giants, he put a disappointing product on the field. New York had a phenomenal defense in 2020, but their putrid offense held the team back from making a serious playoff push.

The Giants recognized this fault and worked hard to correct it in the 2021 offseason. Dave Gettleman and co. invested plenty of resources into the offense by signing playmakers like Kenny Golladay and Kyle Rudolph in free agency. They then doubled down in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, selecting wide receiver Kadarius Toney.

The Giants’ offense was hindered with the loss of its greatest playmaker in 2020, Saquon Barkley. The superstar running back went down with a season-ending ACL injury in Week Two, leaving the Giants without any deadly weapons on offense. The Giants still managed to have a decent rushing attack with Wayne Gallman in the backfield. However, the Giants’ offense severely lacked any receiving threat from the backfield. Now, with Saquon returning to the lineup and the addition of Kadarius Toney to the offense, the Giants have two elite yards-after-catch receiving threats to utilize.

Saquon Barkley and Kadarius Toney stats and highlights

In his dominant 2018 rookie season, Saquon Barkley led the NFL in scrimmage yards (2,028) en route to winning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Saquon was incredible running the football that season, but he was just as impressive in the receiving game. In 2018, Saquon Barkley set a New York Giants franchise record with 91 receptions, the most in a single season by a rookie in the team’s history.

Barkley totaled 91 receptions for 721 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was a major focal point in the Giants’ passing attack. Saquon’s receiving workload decreased in 2019 as he was hampered with injuries. In 2021, he likely will not be asked to catch as many passes with the Giants’ influx in receiving talent, but Saquon will be an X-Factor in the passing game. He provides phenomenal receiving skills out of the backfield and elite tackle-breaking ability after the catch as the Giants’ third or fourth receiving option on the field.

According to Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus, the New York Giants ranked dead last in the league with the fewest yards after the catch per reception in 2020 at 3.0 yards per. Now, with two tackle-breaking machines in the lineup, the Giants’ yards after the catch should improve drastically. In addition to Saquon Barkley’s return to the lineup, Daniel Jones will enjoy the arrival of the human joystick that is Kadarius Toney.

Kadarius Toney forced a missed tackle on 35% of touches since 2018, which was first among the 2021 wide receiver draft class (PFF). Toney forced 32 missed tackles on 80 catches the past two seasons (PFF). The young man from the University of Florida is nearly impossible to bring down. On 177 touches in his collegiate career at UF, Kadarius Toney forced an insane 64 missed tackles (PFF).

Daniel Jones was one of the best deep-ball throwers in the NFL last season. However, he struggled to gain efficiency in the intermediate portion of the field. Saquon Barkley and Kadarius Toney are the perfect weapons for Jones to utilize underneath. They are quick, shifty players that can catch the ball and take it to the house on any given play. Expect to see a lot more yards after the catch generated by the Giants’ offense in 2021.

Who should return kicks and punts for the New York Giants in 2021?

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New York Giants, Jabrill Peppers

The New York Giants possessed an inconsistent special teams unit in 2020. This was a surprise, being that the team’s rookie head coach Joe Judge has extensive experience coaching special teams. Judge was the special teams assistant for the New England Patriots from 2009 to 2014 before becoming the special teams coordinator in 2015 and manning that position through 2019.

In 2020, Judge was hired as the head coach of the New York Giants. This was a surprising hiring as the Patriots’ long-time special teams expert was anything but a household name. Joe Judge put together an impressive coaching staff in his first season, but left the special teams unit the same. Thomas McGaughey remained the team’s special teams coordinator.

Understanding the amount of attention Judge gives the special teams unit, many expected the Giants to have one of the best units in the NFL last season. However, expectations were not exactly met as the Giants’ special teams were in the middle of the pack. One area where the Giants struggled to find consistency was in the return game.

Running back Dion Lewis served as the primary kick returner last season, though he is no longer with the Giants so the team will need to find a capable replacement. Jabrill Peppers and Darius Slayton returned the bulk of the punts last season, but the Giants might now have a better option on the roster.

The punt returner

In 2021, the Giants should make a switch at punt returner. As exciting as it is to see Jabrill Peppers field punts, it is also a bit of a risk. Jabrill has struggled with some injuries in his career, one of which was suffered on a punt return. Peppers returned 15 punts in 2020, averaging a solid 12.5 yards per return.

Darius Slayton was the more efficient punt returner in 2020, returning 9 punts at an average of 21 yards per return. Slayton could see more opportunities as the punt returner this season since his role as a wide receiver is bound to reduce with the additions of Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney. But that new addition, Kadarius Toney, would likely make the most sense as the Giants’ new punt returner.

Kadarius Toney returned punts and kicks during his career at the University of Florida. He averaged 21.6 yards per return on kick returns and 11.3 yards per return on punt returns. In 2020, Toney returned 11 punts for 139 yards (12.6) and 1 touchdown. Toney is a tackle-breaking machine and a threat to take the ball to the house on any given play. He is the Giants’ best punt returner on the roster for those reasons and he should field the majority of punts this season.

Kick returner

As mentioned, Kadarius Toney is impossible to tackle. Toney forced a missed tackle on 35% of touches since 2018, first amongst all draft-eligible receivers in the 2021 NFL Draft class (PFF). This will be applicable to punt returns and kick returns, too. Toney is a solid option for the Giants as a kick returner, though the dangers of the kick return game might encourage the Giants to keep him out of that position. Instead, the Giants might opt to go with a career return specialist in 2021.

The New York Giants signed running back Corey Clement this offseason. Clement has experience as an NFL veteran returning kicks and contributing on special teams. He has averaged 25.1 yards per return on kick returns in his career. As a backup, Clement makes sense to return kicks for the Giants since he is not expected to play a major role in the team’s offense. Corey Clement could focus solely on special teams and contribute as a reliable kick returner.

Whether Kadarius Toney or Corey Clement earns the kick-returning role remains to be seen. Both players should be considered for the position, among other players on the Giants’ roster. Sixth-round rookie running back Gary Brightwell could be another intriguing option for the Giants. The goal for the New York Giants will be to promote a player who is reliable, durable, and explosive to the kick returner position. Luckily, they have a few options on their roster that fit the bill.

New York Giants: Reacting to the ridiculous Kadarius Toney ‘bust’ narrative

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new york giants, kadarius toney

Some fans and analysts are already clamoring on about New York Giants‘ first-round pick, Kadarius Toney being a bust due to a few inauspicious offenses. When the Giants traded back in the 2021 NFL draft with the Chicago Bears, nobody expected them to take the Florida stand-out receiver, but he offers another element to the offense with his shifty abilities and powerful running style.

However, he has gotten off to a rocky start so far with the Giants, and somehow people are equating that to a bust narrative, despite him showing no signs of lacking respect or discipline. After rookie camp, where Toney was given the wrong size cleats without a guaranteed contract, he waited out voluntary camp but showed up to the facilities to ensure the coaching staff he was at the very least around the building.

One analyst devised an article questioning Toney’s start, harping on the time he spent with the second team during minicamp — a lazy analysis from NBC Sports analyst Mike Florio.

Via Dan Duggan of TheAthletic.com, Toney spent the mandatory minicamp working exclusively with the second-string offense. That meant he got no reps with quarterback Daniel Jones.

Toney, as noted by Duggan, has had a clunky start to his NFL career. His performances at rookie minicamp became undermined by a cleat issue (he did drills with one bare foot) and a minor injury. Then, he skipped three weeks of OTAs because he didn’t have a contract.

It seems as if Florio tries to pin these claims on Dan Duggan, who simply pointed out the transgressions and didn’t jump to a conclusion regarding several isolated incidents that were justified.

The events that have transpired since the New York Giants drafted Kadarius Toney:

1.) Missed VOLUNTARY workouts

Toney missed voluntary workouts after dealing with equipment issues that nearly lead to an injury. Having yet to sign his rookie contract, which was completely out of his hands and reliant on his agents, they elected to keep him healthy and safe from any further issues. This is completely justified; Saquon Barkley did the same thing during his rookie season back in 2018.

2.) Left mandatory camp early due to a family EMERGENCY

Toney left mandatory camp early on the final day of practice due to a family emergency. Another completely isolated incident that is justified, based on the obvious nature of the situation.

3.) Started with the 2nd team during mini-camp to get acclimated

Some analysts and fans are having a hard time realizing that head coach Joe Judge likes to start his players at the bottom and force them to work their way up. Toney is no different, getting acclimated to NFL-style camp with the second team. It makes complete sense since the first team already understands what is expected of them and knows a portion of the playbook. Toney is entering with no prior knowledge of NFL-level training nor the scheme, so his insertion wouldn’t have done him any good.

I expect to see him participating with the 1’s come training camp, but making a big deal out of mini-camp is utterly ridiculous.

New York Giants: How Kadarius Toney pick influences Darius Slayton

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New York Giants, Darius Slayton

The New York Giants are shaking things up at wide receiver this season. The team added both a new deep threat in Kenny Golladay and a promising draft pick in Kadarius Toney, and it’s certain that their on the field lineup at the position will look different compared to recent years.

For some of the existing players at receiver, that might be unsettling. After all, the newcomers are direct competition for the top performers from the last couple of seasons. However, head coach Joe Judge claims that the Giants aren’t planning to replace their current lineup of playmakers. At least, not yet.

Speaking to reporters after minicamp, Judge talked about the Giants drafting Kadarius Toney as well as how it will impact existing receiver Darius Slayton.

“I would say he’s a veteran player,” Judge said of Slayton. “He’s not in his first year, he’s got skin in the game right there. In terms of Darius, everyone is going to play to their strengths. Darius and Toney, will they be on the field at the same time, different packages, different positions at times, but I think everybody on the team affects the other by the way they work and how they produce.”

As Slayton and Toney are both coming into the season behind Golladay and likely Sterling Shepard on the depth chart, it looks like they’ll be in some kind of competition despite the insistence that they have different roles.

Judge also spoke about talking to Sterling Shepard, another player threatened by the addition of Toney. According to Judge, despite the headlines, the Giants also didn’t make the pick to replace Shepard.

“I thought it was necessary to talk to Shep specifically because when we drafted Toney the word in the press as he was reading those headlines was specifically he’s a slot receiver which, look, we are not bringing in someone to play one position. I thought it was relevant at the time to contact Shep out of respect for how he is with our program to communicate that with him,” Judge continued.

Clearing up misunderstandings like this is something that Judge claims to have done regularly – he also talked on the phone with Nate Solder after the Giants drafted Andrew Thomas. Though, the writing was still on the wall going forward and Thomas ended up taking over the starting role anyway as Solder opted out of the season.

At the end of the day, getting better isn’t an easy process for a team. For better players to come in, some players have to get displaced. That’s just the nature of the sport, and we have yet to see how that process is going to turn out for the Giants. It is, after all, inevitable for some players to lose their spot even if the coaches have the best of intentions.

New York Giants reach deal with first round pick Kadarius Toney

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new york giants, kadarius toney

Kadarius Toney was the one draft pick that hadn’t signed yet for the New York Giants – but the team recently solved that. They came to an agreement with Toney on Thursday in a deal that will pay out a guaranteed $13.7m over the next four years according to Tom Pelissero.

The Giants drafted Toney in the first round following an uncharacteristic trade down out of the eleventh pick overall. The consensus going into the draft was that the Giants were looking to add weapons, but it surprised most that they ended up with Toney rather than DeVonta Smith or Jaylen Waddle.

However, even if the pick isn’t the one that was expected, the Giants will save a bit due to their trade down. DeVonta Smith was selected by the Eagles before he could fall to the Giants, and it’s been reported that Smith’s contract is worth a larger $20m with a $12m signing bonus.

Considering the Eagles also had to give up a lot to get Smith, while the Giants on the other hand gained from training down, this is just another area where it looks like the Giants might have come out ahead if Toney pans out and develops on the field.

Some might have been concerned for the Giants’ draft pick after Toney started OTAs slowly and notably participated in one practice with one shoe, but head coach Joe Judge has said that the problem isn’t an injury situation. As of now, there’s no reason to think we won’t see Toney on the field for week one as expected.

New York Giants: Big name players take reluctant approach to OTAs

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New York Giants, Leonard Williams

OTAs are the subject of much of the spotlight around the NFL right now at this point in the offseason, but fans of the New York Giants may have noticed that a number of big names were missing from the voluntary practice on Thursday.

These voluntary workouts are, of course, voluntary. There’s no hard requirement for players to turn up to them, but they have a valuable role nonetheless and it often raises eyebrows when high profile players miss out on them. It certainly has for the New York Giants, as it wasn’t just a tiny handful of players skipping but rather a number of influential impact players.

Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports that the starting secondary was a no-show and that the team’s big name offseason additions were gone too.

First-round pick Kadarius Toney, big-money free agent signings Kenny Golladay and Adoree Jackson, and expensive re-signing Leonard Williams were among the 20 players out of 90 who did not attend.

This might rub some the wrong way as the Giants spent a first round pick on Toney and gave big contracts to Golladay, Jackson, and Williams. The organization has invested big in all of those names, so some will argue that they should appear more committed and show up for voluntary workouts in return.

It should be mentioned, however, that there’s been no drama around the team itself because of the matter. Players not showing up this time just seems to be a matter of preference, rather than the result of any dramatic situation such as one involving a big name player holding out for a contract or a player being unhappy with the team.

Even if 20 players not attending might be a reason to raise eyebrows, this doesn’t seem – right now at least – like anything to panic over.

New York Giants: Why not to worry about Kadarius Toney missing OTAs

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new york giants, kadarius toney

There has been a recent uproar regarding Kadarius Toney missing OTAs for the New York Giants this past week. If you are unaware what OTA stands for, it represents “organized team activities,” which are completely voluntary for all players but is a suggested attendance by the team, of course.

The team prefers to have their eyes on players, as reckless things that happened in the past, circa DeAndre Baker last off-season. However, the Giants feel confident in there current roster that they will make good decisions, as they vetted first-round pick Kadarius Toney significantly before picking him with the 20th overall selection.

Even the NFLPA suggested players don’t attend the organized workouts held by teams, but specifically for Toney’s case, it makes far more sense to skip out than attend.

Why the New York Giants and their fans shouldn’t be worried:

Consider this, during rookie camp, Toney strained his calf due to a lack of football activities, and with his contract yet to be signed, an injury could impact the guarantees he earns. Holding out and letting his agents figure out the guaranteed money is in his best interest, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that he’s missing voluntary workouts.

Consider this factor, Saquon Barkley didn’t sign his rookie contract until the day before training camp started in 2018, so Toney still has plenty of time left to get the deal done. If you want to look at it more extreme case, Joey Bosa missed all of training camp and signed in late August just before the season started, but ultimately stayed with the Chargers and played out his rookie season.

Don’t let this very frequent ordeal demoralize you regarding Kadarius and his influence this upcoming season. Toney will be a New York Giant one way or another, even if it takes a few extra weeks to get the deal done. Most of the Giants’ draft picks have already signed their rookie contracts, so I fully anticipate Kadarius to solidify his in the coming days.

By the time week one rolls around for the 2021 season, this will be a long lost narrative, and since the NFL is currently in a dead period, this news is far more prevalent than it should be.

New York Giants: Why Kadarius Toney might be the Cowboy-killer in 2021

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new york giants, kadarius toney

The New York Giants still have their fair share of problems to work out during training camp, but there is reason for optimism heading into the 2021 season. Upper management allocated plenty of resources towards bolstering the offense, including the acquisitions of Kenny Golladay, John Ross, Kyle Rudolph and drafting Kadarius Toney with the 20th overall pick.

For a unit that ranked 31st in points per game last year, it is difficult to imagine the Giants struggling at that level once again with all of these new playmakers. Of course, the offensive line remains a major question after they cut Kevin Zeitler and didn’t supplement his loss appropriately.

General manager Dave Gettleman said it best, at some point, “you have to let the kids play,” so I imagine both Matt Peart and Shane Lemieux will land playing time, but they will have to fight to earn it.

Divisional games this year will be extremely important toward the Giants’ playoff hopes, as their non-divisional opponents are tough. Luckily, both the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles have issues at positions of necessity. They both have weak secondaries, which will open up the passing game for Daniel Jones and the offense.

In the specific article, I want to take a look at Kadarius Toney and how he could end up being a Cowboy-killer in 2021.

What does Toney bring to the New York Giants?

As the 20th overall pick, Toney finished the 2020 season with a 35% forced missed tackle rate, the highest of any receiver in the draft class. He totaled 1,145 yards from scrimmage and 11 scores. His quick-twitch abilities and shiftiness in the open field make him incredibly difficult to bring down, but for Dallas, they will have far more issues with his talents.

Last year, the Cowboys drafted Ceedee Lamb with their first-round pick but didn’t realize they would have a historically bad defense with one of the worst secondaries in the NFL (29.6 points allowed per game). That reality remains the same, as they drafted three corners to help supplement the loss of Chidobe Awuzie and Byron Jones the year before.

Dallas hired former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn to lead their defense, and he brought over Keanu Neal and Demontae Kazee to help translate his defense.

Atlanta’s defense has been inefficient the past few seasons nonetheless, so the Giants already have an advantage in that category. Toney will have a fantastic advantage to utilize, as Dallas lacks a slot corner to hold it down.

Jourdan Lewis was their primary slot man in 2020, earning 614 snaps at the position. He finished with a 45.8 overall coverage grade, per PFF, allowing 492 yards and three touchdowns. As a four-year veteran, he is a solid tackler in the short medium of the field, but Toney is too agile and quick for him to stand a chance out of the slot.

Based on the obvious mismatch, Toney has a clear advantage and should dominate Lewis. As long as the Giants can get creative and their offensive scheme doesn’t hold them back, I believe Kadarius can be the Cowboy-killer, which would be a dream come true for Giants fans.

New York Giants revamped their offense with sure-handed receivers in 2021

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New York Giants, Kenny Golladay

The New York Giants had one of the worst offenses in the NFL in 2020. The Giants averaged a putrid 17.5 points per game this past season. New York lacked playmakers on offense once superstar running back Saquon Barkley went down for the season in Week 2.

In the passing game, the Giants severely lacked dependable weapons to haul in passes from Daniel Jones. In a pivotal sophomore season, Daniel Jones had 23 of his passes dropped in 2020. The Giants’ wide receivers were inconsistent and undependable. New York made it a point of emphasis to fix that in the 2021 offseason.

The Giants’ new dependable wide receiver corps

According to Pro Football Focus, the Giants had the second-highest rate of dropped passes last season. Tight end Evan Engram receives a lot of criticism for dropping 11 passes in 2020. However, he was not the only receiver that struggled to hold onto the football last season. Darius Slayton also dropped 6 passes. The Giants’ receivers also struggled to separate last season.

Golden Tate averaged only 2.1 yards of separation in 2020 (tied-fourth worst in the league). Darius Slayton’s separation at a 2.9-yard average was not much better. The Giants recognized a clear need to upgrade Daniel Jones’s offensive weapons and seized the opportunity to do so in the 2021 offseason.

The New York Giants made a splash in free agency this offseason when they landed the market’s top wide receiver, Kenny Golladay. The Giants landed a receiver that is as dependable as they come. Kenny Golladay has the second-highest contested catch rate in the NFL since 2018 (PFF). Daniel Jones now has his big-body “go up and get it” outside receiver with Kenny G.

With their first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Giants got another sure-handed receiver. Kadarius Toney had only 3 career drops on 123 catchable passes during his time at the University of Florida (PFF). Toney fills a huge YAC need for the Giants, but also brings some dependability to the offense, too.

The Giants’ third big receiving acquisition this offseason was tight end Kyle Rudolph. Evan Engram struggled to hold onto the ball as New York’s starting tight end in 2020, so the Giants went out and got the most sure-handed and dependable tight end in football to help him out. Kyle Rudolph has recorded zero drops on 90 targets the past two seasons (PFF).

The New York Giants now have consistency and dependability on offense. Daniel Jones will enjoy throwing to sure-handed receivers as he attempts to establish himself as a franchise quarterback in his third season.

New York Giants: Kadarius Toney is the YAC machine that the Giants’ offense was missing

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new york giants, kadarius toney

The New York Giants revamped their offense this offseason. The Giants’ offense was one of the worst in the NFL in 2020. New York only managed to score a putrid average of 17.5 points per game last season. Dave Gettleman and company recognized that changes were needed, so the Giants went into the offseason with the goal of finding “touch-down makers.”

The Giants succeeded in finding their “touchdown-makers.” The additions of Kyle Rudolph and Kenny Golladay should improve the Giants’ red zone offense and receiving dependability. But the first-round addition of Kadarius Toney will improve the Giants’ offense in a different way.

Kadarius Toney the YAC machine

Kadarius Toney might not give the Giants an added edge in the red zone like Kenny Golladay, but he does provide a lot for the offense. New York’s offense was particularly bad after the catch.

The Giants’ offensive weapons rarely created yardage after the catch. According to Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus, the New York Giants ranked dead last in the league with the fewest yards after the catch per reception in 2020 at 3.0 yards per. Not only did the Giants’ receivers struggle to separate from coverage last season, but they also struggled to make plays with the ball in their hands.

To fix this, the Giants went into the 2021 NFL Draft and selected the best yards-after-catch receiver in the entire draft class. Kadarius Toney is borderline impossible to tackle. He is labeled a human joystick for his video game-like juke moves. Kadarius Toney forced a missed tackle on 35% of touches since 2018, which was first among the 2021 wide receiver draft class (PFF). Toney forced 32 missed tackles on 80 catches the past two seasons (PFF).

On 177 touches in his collegiate career at UF, Kadarius Toney forced an insane 64 missed tackles (PFF). The Giants landed a tackle-breaking machine in Kadarius Toney. The Gator product will jump-start New York’s offense and provide elite after-the-catch ability to a team that severely lacked in that regard.