Big Blue View
You do not have to look too hard to see league insiders think Isaiah Likely will be key player this year for the New York Giants. Coming over in free agency, Likely is joining John Harbaugh in New York with lofty expectations after signing a three-year, $40 million contract.
Likely believes this offense will finally allow him to showcase the full range of his abilities after spending four seasons sharing opportunities in Baltimore.
“I feel like New York was just the best place for me to pick to be able to blossom, show my talents, and show that I’m a top tight end caliber player in this league now,” Likely said.
New York Giants: Regenerated. New venerable coach, intriguing young weapons at the offensive skill positions gearing up for breakout seasons, and a defense that has been rebuilt. This franchise should feel rejuvenated.
Samuel Butler might never have called an audible in the face of a blitz, but the English novelist wrote that “life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises.”
The basis for a lot of preseason hype about the Giants is that Jaxson Dart is about to make a significant jump because a football adage tells us quarterbacks make their biggest improvements between their first and second seasons.
The Giants have not had the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year since Lawrence Taylor in 1981. Reese’s best fit in the NFL from jump is exactly where the Giants are planning to play him: next to Tremaine Edmunds and in the middle of the defense. He can attack gaps from the weak side, turned loose to chase plays sideline to sideline by using his 4.46 speed. Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia put him in a position to read and react, then see it and go, and Reese gave nightmares to the opposition. That’s how the Giants will use him, too.
“To me, Arvell Reese was the best player in the draft, and I think a part of that is the hybrid nature of all the ways he can impact your defense,” The Athletic draft analyst Dane Brugler said. “And I think some people see that, and they’re a little scared off by, ‘Oh well, he doesn’t have a true position.’ This isn’t a tweener. And there’s a big difference between being a tweener and then being versatile.”
Isaiah Likely, New York Giants (8): Likely played less in 2025 than 2024 because of a mix of injuries and...
