Big Blue View
Can Bellinger be the mortar as the Giants rebuild their offense?
The sixth pick of the New York Giants’ 2022 draft class has become something of a forgotten man in the offensive conversation.
Few Giants fans knew Daniel Bellinger when he was selected in the fourth round (112th overall) out of San Diego State. He was expected to be, at best, a depth piece and blocking tight end in 12-personnel packages.
Instead, Bellinger emerged as an important piece as a rookie, starting 11 of 12 games his first year. Of course, that year was interrupted by an eye injury, but Bellinger picked up where he left off after returning. Not only was his blocking an important piece of the Giants’ run game, but he proved to be a weapon in their RPO-based offense early in the year.
Since then, however, Bellinger has slipped down the depth chart. He’s become something of an afterthought on the Giants’ offense and could be viewed as expendable.
So is he just a mediocre player who only managed to start for an undermanned offense? Or is there more there? Could he be a potential building block — if not a focal point — going forward?
Bellinger is the type of player that teams always need more of and rarely regret having on their roster. He’s a tough, well-rounded, and versatile tight end who can contribute on any down and distance.
The Giants have used Bellinger all over their offensive formation, lining him up as an in-line and detached tight end, as a wide receiver, and as an H-back. He’s a capable blocker in the run and pass game, a good safety blanket in the underneath area of the field and dangerous when he catches the ball in-stride.
Blocking is often the first thing discussed with Bellinger. He was, quietly, a key part of the Giants’ success in 2022. The Giants often took the air out of the ball at the end of games, and Bellinger’s blocking often made life easier for Saquon Barkley. He isn’t a dominant blocker — which could count against him — but he often does enough for the play to succeed and his absence was noticed when he was injured as a rookie.
For example, here is Bellinger leading the way to a touchdown as a fullback against the Bengals.
Bellinger doesn’t blow linebacker Germaine Pratt up, but he does enough to prevent him from filling the gap and creates a hole for Tyrone Tracy.
He also has a good feel for delivering chip blocks as he releases into routes. He’s able to disrupt opponents’ rushes while also staying on time.
Here, Bellinger isn’t the target of the play, but he disrupts the rush, executes his own route well, and buys enough time for Daniel Jones to get the ball to Theo Johnson. Bellinger’s chip allows Jermaine Eluemunor to get into position and prevents Dallas Turner from engaging the right tackle with great form.
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