Big Blue View
The New York Giants are getting ready for training camp, along with the rest of the NFC East. This is the first offensive position group in the NFC East Grading series. After the defensive grading, the Giants, Eagles, and Cowboys all finished with 13 points, with Washington finishing with 11 points.
How does it work, you may ask? It’s VERY complicated! The best positional group is assigned four points, and the “worst” receives one point. It is a complex formula, up there with E=MC², but we’ll attempt to deliver the information in a palatable manner, and I’m sure it will be well received by all fan bases, of course. With that, let’s talk about the tight ends in the NFC East!
Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, Brevyn Spann-Ford, Michael Trigg, DJ Rogers, Princeton Fant
I have a lot of respect for Jake Ferguson as a starting tight end, as do the Dallas Cowboys, who signed Ferguson to a four-year, $50-million contract extension. Ferguson is coming off an 81-catch, eight-touchdown season for Dak Prescott in Dallas, but the depth behind Ferguson is suspect. Brevyn Spann-Ford is a quality big-bodied blocker with 18 catches across the last two seasons.
The Cowboys selected Luke Schoonmaker in the second round of the 2023 draft, and he hasn’t exactly earned that high draft capital quite yet, but he does provide solid depth for Dallas. Michael Trigg and DJ Rogers are undrafted free agents who will compete for a roster spot, with the former having many fans in the draft community. Princeton Fant is also on the roster. Still, Dallas is the easy one-pointer despite the talents of Ferguson.
Points: 1
Chig Okonkwo, John Bates, Ben Sinnott, Colson Yankoff, Anthony Firkser, Lawrence Cager, Quentin Moore
The Commanders signed Chig Okonkwo to a three-year, $27-million contract to be Jayden Daniels’ number one receiving tight end option in David Blough’s offense. Washington drafted Ben Sinnott in the second round of the 2024 draft, but the former Kansas State star has failed to seize the day in the receiving role. With no more Zach Ertz, Okonkwo will look to be the easy check-down valve for Daniels, with a lot of explosive upside.
Points: 2
Isaiah Likely, Theo Johnson, Chris Manhertz, Thomas Fidone II, Tanner Conner
The New York Giants signed Isaiah Likely to a three-year, $40-million contract that included $26-million guaranteed; he rejoins John Harbaugh in New York, away from the shadow of Mark Andrews, and will now be the tight end one for the Giants. Likely’s ability to extend plays coincides perfectly with how Jaxson Dart played last year, but Likely’s skills should be a perfect fit for the quick game of Matt Nagy’s offense.
Expect to see a lot of 12 personnel with Theo Johnson earning a large percentage of snaps. Johnson is a very good tight end two and a solid starting tight end, who still has a lot of upside. Chris Manhertz gives the Giants veteran...
