Kenny Golladay

New York Giants Top News: Devontae Booker’s big role, Kenny Golladay represents more than just a WR1

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new york giants, kenny golladay

The New York Giants are planning to ease star running back Saquon Barkley into live-action. After suffering a torn ACL, MCL, and partially torn meniscus, prioritizing his health is essential.

With the Giants doing Saquon Barkley as a long-term solution, they made sure to bring in a secondary back to help take the load off early in the 2021 season. The front office signed former Las Vegas Raiders RB Devontae Booker to a two-year, $5.5 million deal. Booker has a dead cap of $2 million this season and a potential out in the 2022 off-season.

Booker is more than capable of handling starting reps if Barkley is forced to miss any time. Last season over 16 games, Booker tallied 423 yards, three touchdowns and caught 17 passes for 84 yards. After fumbling seven times in his first three seasons, he’s only allowed the ball to break loose just once in the past two years.

Most consider him a supplement to Barkley as he finds his way back from injury, but head coach Joe Judge still wants to see the veteran compete during training camp.

Judge stated that Devontae Booker only has himself to worry about, outside of Saquon Barkley’s situation:

“I think Devontae has to worry about himself and not worry about where anybody else is,” Judge said before today’s training camp practice, his first in-person news conference in about 17 months. “We’re going to look to get contributions from all of our players, no matter who is available on the roster. Again, whoever comes to a game for us is going to play, alright? We’re not traveling guys to sit there and watch the game.”

The importance of Kenny Golladay ranges beyond his utility on offense:

The Giants signed Golladay to a four-year, $72 million deal this off-season. He provides quarterback Daniel Jones with a WR1.

Golladay offers something new to quarterback Daniel Jones, a top wide receiver he can depend on regularly. Jones has operated with lackluster talent at times. His top receivers were sterling Shepard and Golden Tate in 2020. Golladay is only one year removed from a Pro Bowl performance, recording 1,190 yards and 11 scores. As a big possession receiver who fits Jason Garrett’s offensive scheme, Golladay will make a significant impact immediately.

Standing at 6’4″ and 214 pounds, Kenny is an elite red-zone threat, a category the Giants struggled in last season. His importance to the offense is directly connected to Daniel Jones, who will undoubtedly reap the rewards of Golladay’s presence.

Why the New York Giants’ red zone offense will be much better in 2021

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kyle rudolph, new york giants

The New York Giants have revamped their offense. In the 2021 offseason, New York did not hold back. The Giants made every move they could this offseason to upgrade the offensive side of the ball. They spent big in free agency with the signings of Kenny Golladay and Kyle Rudolph. They then doubled down in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft when they selected wide receiver Kadarius Toney 20th overall. The Giants made move after move dedicated to fixing their incompetent offense.

In 2020, the Giants had the second-worst ranked offense in the NFL. New York averaged only 17.5 points per game last season, a truly putrid number. One of the reasons why the Giants struggled so badly to put points up on the scoreboard was their inefficiency in the red zone. Their red zone scoring percentage ranked 31st in the league in 2020 at 46.34%. Time and time again, the Giants got into scoring range and failed to convert. NFL teams will not find great success without a competent red zone offense.

That is going to change in 2021. The New York Giants added a couple of top-tier red zone threats to their offense to fix their problems in the scoring zone. The Giants’ red zone offense will be much better in 2021 because of the signings of Kenny Golladay and Kyle Rudolph.

Kenny Golladay and Kyle Rudolph in the red zone

The New York Giants desperately needed an outside “X” receiver on their roster entering this offseason. The team was in need of a true WR1. They found that in Kenny Golladay. Golladay led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2019. He possesses a huge frame and makes his presence known down near the goal line. Kenny Golladay is a premiere red zone threat. According to PFF, the Giants’ new alpha dog is the highest-graded wide receiver on contested targets since 2019 (96.7). When Daniel Jones is in doubt, he can just throw it up to Kenny Golladay, and more often than not KennyG will come down with it.

Kyle Rudolph is arguably the most dependable tight end in the NFL. ‘Ole Reliable Rudolph dropped 1 pass on 167 targets from 2018 to 2020. He’s as sure-handed as NFL players get. Rudolph is durable, too, playing in 92 of 96 games since 2015 for the Vikings. Of Kyle Rudolph’s 48 career touchdown receptions, 40 of them — 83.3 percent — have come in the red zone (Paul Schwartz of the NY Post).

Kenny Golladay is the 6’4″ wide receiver that the Giants needed to fix their red zone offense. Kyle Rudolph at 6’6″ also has the height and strength to box out defenders and make those contested catches in the end zone. Of course, Evan Engram at 6’3″ will also be a factor in the red zone. The Giants struggled to capitalize when in scoring position last year. But that should change in 2021.

3 New York Giants named as players to build around

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New York Giants, James Bradberry, logan ryan

The direction that the New York Giants are building in has become slightly clearer over the past couple years – their roster has improved, their wins have increased, and they have a head coach that should be around for a long time. The roster is definitely in a better state than it was when the Giants drafted Saquon Barkley, one of the most significant past moves in their rebuilding history.

But years into the rebuild, which players stand out as the most notable pieces in it? It’s a hotly debated subject, but Pro Football Focus took a swing at judging it and picked three players that, while predictable, might be a bit controversial due to the omission of one player.

CB James Bradberry
DI Leonard Williams
WR Kenny Golladay

In an ideal world, Andrew Thomas’ rookie season would have resembled Tristan Wirfs’ year, making him an easy inclusion here. There were promising things to take away from how Thomas closed the year, but his 62.4 grade was underwhelming. Bradberry’s and Williams’ performances in their first full season on the defense were not. They both ranked fourth at their respective positions in PFF’s Wins Above Replacement metric during the 2020 season.

The Giants will be hoping Golladay entices quarterback Daniel Jones to take more downfield shots. Golladay recently ranked as the league’s third-best deep threat, regularly winning in contested-catch situations downfield. Golladay’s 53 contested catches overall over the past three seasons are second to only Allen Robinson II at the position, even despite all his missed time in 2020.

Evaluating the chosen players

The omission, of course, is Daniel Jones. As we’ve seen from many articles this season from both the national and local media, much of the expectations on Jones this year center around taking a step forward and becoming a franchise player. As of now, though, PFF doesn’t list Jones with the franchise building blocks they have right now.

The three players that were listed, however, are non-controversial enough. James Bradberry looks like one of the best corners in the league, Kenny Golladay is predicted by many to be a top 10 receiver, and Leonard Williams led the team in sacks last season. Williams, though, will likely be the most boom or bust player on this list considering his inconsistent performance throughout his career.

His surroundings are different compared to when he was with the Jets, and Williams plays well under Patrick Graham, so it’s possible that the inconsistency will be shrugged off – but it’s still a concern that will have an impact on how fans look at Dave Gettleman’s decision to bring back Williams on a big contract.

Golladay hasn’t played with the Giants yet one way or another so it’s hard to judge his status as a building block just yet, but based on his performance with the Lions, he could very well be the deep threat Daniel Jones needs.

These three players all have to prove they can perform at a high level consistently in their current surroundings to truly take the title of franchise players, but out of all the players the Giants have, it’s hard to object to them receiving the title of players to build around.

New York Giants: New additions Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney will be an elite deep-threat duo

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new york giants, kenny golladay

The New York Giants had one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season. They averaged a putrid 17.5 points per game, ranking second-to-last in the NFL. Part of the Giants’ major struggles offensively was their failure to get the deep-passing game together.

Daniel Jones attempted only 43 passes 20+ yards downfield in 2020. Jones is a conservative quarterback, but this low attempt total is unacceptable in the modern NFL. The Giants also did not have a ton of vertical receiving talent, nor an offensive coordinator that emphasized deep passing. But in 2021, all of that should change.

The New York Giants made plenty of big moves this offseason to improve their offense. Some of the Giants’ acquisitions seem to indicate that New York will emphasize the deep-passing game this upcoming season. In particular, new additions Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney will be a huge boost to the team’s vertical offense, creating an elite deep-threat duo.

Golladay and Toney going deep

Kenny Golladay is one of the best deep-threats in the NFL. Pro Football Focus ranked the Giants’ new alpha dog as the third-best deep-threat in the league. Golladay was a huge addition to the Giants’ offense as a receiver that will open up their vertical attack on offense.

Per PFF, Golladay ranks fourth among NFL wide receivers in deep receiving yards over the past three years, and he was just nine yards behind third-place despite playing in only 5 games in 2020. Kenny Golladay’s 628 yards on deep passes ranked second in the league in 2019 (PFF). KennyG’s production on deep receiving is incredible, but the Giants’ first-round pick Kadarius Toney isn’t too shabby going deep either.

According to Pro Football Focus, 10.7 percent of the Kadarius Toney’s targets in college were on passes 20+ yards downfield. Toney earned an insane 99.6 grade with a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeted on those deep passes.

Kadarius Toney is one of the most dynamic rookies entering the NFL this year. Not only is he a great deep receiving threat, but he is also a YAC monster that will open up the intermediate passing game, along with the return of superstar running back Saquon Barkley. 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).

Daniel Jones was PFF’s third-highest graded passer on deep balls in 2020 with a 95.6 passing grade. Jones did not throw deep that often, but when he did he made it count. Now, with this influx of talent in Kadarius Toney and Kenny Golladay, Daniel Jones should start slinging it deep more often and the Giants’ offense should enjoy an elite deep-threat duo in 2021.

New York Giants: Kenny Golladay could be held in contempt of court before training camp

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new york giants, kenny golladay, daniel jones

The New York Giants haven’t had an odd offseason situation in some weeks, but that streak is over as one of their high profile free agents may be held in contempt of court. This free agent is Kenny Golladay, one of the most hyped signings overall that the Giants brought in this year.

The legal case behind all of this doesn’t actually involve Golladay directly. He’s not a party in the civil lawsuit, but nonetheless received a subpoena that would have seen him appear at a virtual deposition last December. Due to missing that deposition, he could be held in contempt of court.

Golladay is a non-party with no potential liability in a civil case in which his former NFL agent, Jason Bernstein, is suing memorabilia company Redland Sports and MVP Authentics for allegedly violating an exclusive rights contract by working with rival NFL agent Todd France to set up an autograph signing in 2019. Golladay played with the Lions at the time and later became a client of France’s at Creative Artists Agency.

It seems, effectively, that Golladay has been caught in the middle of a fight between his former agent and his current agency. Thanks to missing the deposition, he’ll have until July 22nd to provide an explanation for his absence.

That date is cutting it pretty close to Giants training camp, which is set to begin five days later. With that being said, it’s not certain this legal matter will end up having any impact on Golladay’s ability to attend – or prove to be much of a distraction.

We don’t know all the details and it’s quite possible there’s a good reason why Golladay didn’t respond to the subpoena. If there is one, the situation might quickly fade out of relevance without anymore trouble for Golladay or the Giants.

New York Giants: Why Kenny Golladay was the ‘perfect’ free agent signing for Daniel Jones

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new york giants, kenny golladay, daniel jones

The New York Giants are heading into the 2021 season with far better personnel on offense compared to the 2020 campaign. Unfortunately for quarterback Daniel Jones, the team traded away one of the best receivers in the NFL upon his drafting (OBJ), and it took them two years to provide him with an arsenal of weapons most would consider adequate.

This off-season, management had one priority, upgrade the offense and provide Jones with as many supporting pieces as possible. They started with signing one of the best possession receivers in football, Kenny Golladay. The two sides agreed on a four-year, $72 million deal with an out in 2024, which would count $6.8 million in dead money. By that point, Golladay will be 30 years old and have earned $21.4 million for the 2023 campaign. However, his cap hit for this upcoming season will be just $4.47 million, which allowed the Giants to continue spending in free agency.

The question is, what does Golliday provide the Giants offense, and why is he the perfect free agent signing for Daniel Jones?

In 2019, Golladay finished with 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning a Pro Bowl appearance. This past year, he played in just five games before going down with a hamstring injury which hampered him for the remainder of the campaign. Considering the Detroit Lions have been a bottom-of-the-barrel team for quite some time, they often lose players to free agency — the Giants are expecting Golladay to take the offense to another level as a big 6’4″, 214-pound pass catcher.

Consider this, Daniel Jones completed 16 passes for 652 yards and six touchdowns when throwing the ball 20+ yards down-field in 2020. He didn’t throw a single interception in that range, but Jason Garrett only called plays with him throwing the ball 20+ yards on fewer than 10% of his attempts. Of course, this can be correlated to a lack of time in the pocket due to inefficient pass blocking, but the New York Giants also ranked last in yards of separation among their receivers. Only Sterling Shepard reached the average mark of 3.0 yards of separation, per Next Gen Stats.

How will the New York Giants use Golladay?

Golladay is known for his ability to make big plays downfield, using his strength and frame to shield off defenders. Pairing an elite possession threat with a quarterback who has deadly accuracy in that intermediate/deep range is reminiscent of Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress to a degree.

Best case scenario, Jones and Golladay experience the developmental leap that Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs enjoyed last season. Allen went from throwing 20 touchdowns in 2019 to 37 last year, making his first Pro Bowl. Diggs played a significant part in his success, accounting for eight touchdown receptions and 1,535 yards, a career-high by a large margin. He also garnered 127 receptions out of the 572 total attempts from Allen. I fully expect Jones to be looking Kenny’s way frequently this upcoming year, otherwise, his signing would’ve been for naught.

The reality is, Jones will go as far as the offensive line takes him, but the influx of weapons should command additional attention from defenders, dragging blitzers out of the box.

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: Kenny Golladay a top-three deep threat in the NFL, says PFF

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New York Giants, Kenny Golladay

The New York Giants went into the 2021 offseason with a clear mission: get Daniel Jones some playmakers. The Giants did exactly that, loading up on offensive weapons for Danny Dimes as he enters his third season.

New York made a cannonball splash in the 2021 free agency period when they signed the market’s top receiver Kenny Golladay to a huge deal. Golladay and the Giants inked a four-year $72 million contract. The Giants got themselves an alpha-dog outside wide receiver in Kenny Golladay.

Kenny Golladay is the quintessential “go up and get it” wide receiver. He’s a big-body outside receiver, standing in at 6 feet 4 inches. Golladay is a contested-catch king and one of the best vertical receiving threats in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus, there are only a couple of wide receivers in the NFL that threaten the long ball like Golladay.

Kenny Golladay, one of the NFL’s best deep threats

Pro Football Focus put sports media in a tizzy last week when analyst Anthony Treash made a hot take claiming that Tyreek Hill might be the best deep threat in NFL history. Uh, hello? Randy Moss? Ever heard of him?

Treash admitted Moss is the deep-ball king. However, he doubled down on his claim and expanded on it, saying Hill is the league’s best deep threat currently and has the potential to go down as the GOAT of the long ball. Anthony Treash then dove into the NFL’s best deep threats and listed the New York Giants’ very own Kenny Golladay as the third-best deep threat in the league.

The two deep-threats listed ahead of Kenny Golladay were Tyreek Hill (duh) and DK Metcalf. Fair enough. Kenny G ranked number three because of his production over the past three seasons. Per PFF, Golladay ranks fourth among NFL wide receivers in deep receiving yards over the past three years, and he was just nine yards behind third-place despite playing in only 5 games in 2020.

Kenny Golladay has the second-highest contested catch rate in the NFL since 2018 (PFF). His ability to body inferior cornerbacks on vertical fifty-fifty balls is what makes him so special. And it is the reason why he is such a perfect fit with Daniel Jones and the New York Giants.

Daniel Jones was PFF’s third-highest graded passer on deep balls in 2020 with a 95.6 passing grade. Kenny Golladay’s 628 yards on deep passes ranked second in the league in 2019 (PFF). Danny Dimes has elite deep-ball accuracy and now he finally has an elite deep-receiving option. Time for Jason Garrett and Daniel Jones to get the nuclear launch codes out and say “bombs away!” in 2021.

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: Dave Gettleman succeeded, found his “touchdown-makers” this offseason

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New York Giants, Kenny Golladay

Last month, New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman sat down in a press conference to recap the Giants’ offseason moves. During his discussion with the press, Gettleman mentioned that the Giants wanted to add “touchdown-makers” and feels that they had accomplished that goal.

“Touchdown-makers” is a term Dave Gettleman has used before. Upon drafting Saquon Barkley with the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Gettleman described Barkley as a “touchdown-maker” and a “threat to take it to the house every time he gets his hands on the ball.”

Dave Gettleman claims to have found more “touchdown-makers” this offseason. And his claim is indeed accurate. The Giants had a successful offseason period that saw them acquire a plethora of talented playmakers on offense.

The New York Giants’ new “touchdown-makers”

The New York Giants’ offense was incompetent in 2020. The Giants’ offense was the 31st ranked unit in the NFL, averaging a putrid 17.5 points per game. Hence Dave Gettleman’s desire to add “touchdown-makers,” players that could put points on the board.

What better way to fix an incompetent offense than to sign the league leader in touchdown receptions from 2019? Kenny Golladay was that guy, hauling in an impressive 11 touchdown receptions in a breakout 2019 campaign. Golladay caught 65 passes that season for 1,190 receiving yards. He was still an alpha dog wide receiver in 2020, averaging 67.6 yards per game, prior to the season-ending injury that shut him down after just five games.

Similar to Saquon Barkley, 2021 first-round pick Kadarius Toney is a “threat to take it to the house every time he gets his hands on the ball.” Toney had the highest missed tackle rate (35%) among 2021 NFL Draft WRs (PFF). The dynamic UF playmaker racked up 10 touchdowns in his final collegiate season.

The Giants also added reliable tight end Kyle Rudolph to the lineup this offseason. Rudolph is on a shortlist of players with 15+ receiving touchdowns in the red zone since 2016. According to Paul Schwartz of the NY Post, of Kyle Rudolph’s 48 career touchdown receptions, 40 of them — 83.3 percent — have come in the red zone. The Giants added some big-play scorers with Toney and Golladay, but they were wise enough to add a short-range assassin in Rudolph as well.

And, of course, the Giants’ offense was without its original “touchdown-maker” for the majority of the 2020 season. Saquon Barkley tore his ACL in Week Two, spending the rest of the season on injured reserve. Now, fully healthy, Barkley will return to the lineup in 2021 and look to be that home-run threat the Giants’ offense grew accustomed to having. Saquon Barkley, Kadarius Toney, Kyle Rudolph, and Kenny Golladay will step into the Giants’ 2021 offense and make big plays.