Will the real Wan’Dale Robinson please stand up for the New York Giants in 2024?

Let’s discuss Robinson as we continue player-by-player profiles of the Giants’ 90-man roster.

The skinny

Height: 5-foot-8
Weight: 185
Opening day age: 23
Position: Wide receiver
Experience: 2
Contract: Year 3 of four-year, $8,185,166 rookie deal | 2024 cap hit: $2,232,318 | Guaranteed at signing: $5,791,409

Career to date

The Giants surprised many by selecting Robinson in Round 2 (43rd overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft. They left wide receivers like George Pickens and Romeo Doubs on the board to do so, saying they had a plan for the diminutive slot receiver.

We have only seen flashes of what Robinson can do over his first two seasons. A torn ACL suffered in a breakout nine-catch, 100-yard Week 10 game vs. the Detroit Lions in 2022 sidelined him until early in 2023.

That injury, combined with the offensive line and quarterback issues that plagued the Giants last season, has made it such that we have only seen glimpses of Robinson’s potential.

Robinson had 60 catches for 525 yards last season, averaging only 8.8 yards per catch. In two seasons, he has averaged only 9.1 yards on 87 receptions. He averages 4.0 receptions per game over his first 21 NFL games.

2024 outlook

Over the final two games of the 2023 season, Robinson caught 11 passes (5.5 per game) for 140 yards (12.7 yards per catch).

That is the kind of play the Giants are hoping from from the 23-year-old, and the kind of play Robinson hopes to deliver now that he feels fully healthy.

After delivering a five-catch, 85-yard (17.0 yards per catch) performance in the season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles that included a 33-yard catch-and-run, Robinson said there was “no doubt” it was the best he had felt since before his injury.

“This is definitely probably the best that I’ve felt,” he said.

The Giants hope that the addition of wide receiver Malik Nabers, the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, will create additional space and opportunities for Robinson, Jalin Hyatt and Darius Slayton.

With good health and a better overal offensive situation — fingers crossed for both — perhaps Robinson will show in Year 3 why the Giants drafted him earlier than many thought he would be selected.

The post WR Wan’Dale Robinson aiming for big season in Year 3 first appeared on Bleedbigblue.com.

Emmy Award-winning sports producer for KSHB41, Nick Jacobs shared this clip from Hard Knocks on X, which shows Giants general manager Joe Schoen and his team contemplating the ramifications, both good and bad, for pursuing Kansas City Chiefs standout DT Chris Jones (h/t Gridiron Heroics’ Glenn Kaplan):

“You know, future Hall-of-Fame player. Still a game-wrecking talent. Makes football look easy at times. When he’s dialed in playing within the scheme, and he’s unlockable, it’s hard not to imagine the good things that would come with him and Dex[ter Lawrence] together in the middle. They’re the two best defensive tackles in football,” Giants personnel said before dealing with the harsh reality of the team’s financials.

“Financially it’s impossible where we’re at. You know, we’re looking at a $35 million cap hit next year.”

Giants: DT Chris Jones would have been a dream addition

Nov 20, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) is sacked by Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Jones was outstanding in 2023. He put up 10.5 sacks and four defended passes as he spearheaded the Chiefs’ defense to a third Super Bowl win in the seven-year Patrick Mahomes era that has directly overlapped with his eight-year tenure in Kansas City. The Mississippi native earned an 84.1 player grade from Pro Football Focus for his work on the previous campaign.

Of a truth, he and Lawrence would’ve been a dynamic duo on the Giants front line that could have taken New York’s pass rush to heights it hasn’t seen in years. The cost for the Giants to be the boss would have broken their bank, though.

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• 6 trades the Giants could make during training camp

Jones’ price tag would have cratered the Giants into a major salary cap hole

Nov 1, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones (95) celebrates with fans in the stands after defeating the New York Giants at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Jones wound up signing a five-year, $158.75 million deal to return to the Chiefs with $101 million guaranteed, as Ian Rapoport reported back when the deal was signed in March, per NFL.com’s Grant Gordon. Prior to, the 30-year-old was on a four-year, $80 million deal from 2020-23. Even on his previous $20 million annual salary, which was almost $12 million less than what he is getting now, he would have been the Giants’ second-highest-paid player heading into next year. That current figure would have trumped Daniel Jones’s $35.5 million earnings for the upcoming campaign.

While the Giants’ coaching and front office heads may have wanted Chris Jones last winter, they were able to fortify their linebacker unit with the addition of Brian Burns, whose eight sacks in 2023 did not fall short of the Chiefs superstar’s output. Nevertheless, the Giants will roll into 2024 with an upgraded defensive unit. Lawrence will do the heavy lifting at tackle, but the Giants have ample weapons that will help their defensive front play up to standard next season.

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It took 23 years, but the NFL finally got the New York Giants on HBO’s Hard Knocks.

We learned that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are Joe Schoen’s go-to when on the road. He said that he ate PB&J sandwiches while driving as an area scout, and also ate them when driving to New York after being hired as the Giants’ new GM in 2022.

But while that’s a fun anecdote, it wasn’t the big story from the first episode.

The real meat of the first episode was the peek behind the scenes of the Giants’ free agency process, particularly with respect to star running back Saquon Barkley.

The value of Saquon Barkley

“Certain positions have high dollar points because they’re positions of impact,” said assistant GM Brandon Brown “You want to make sure you get return on your investment.”

The big question for the Giants was whether Barkley — and the running back position in general — is worth that investment.

Schoen said early in the episode that the running back position became less and less of a need for the Giants in comparison to the rest of the roster. He observed that the Giants needed to add a cornerback, a pass rusher, and a number one receiver, saying “that running back keeps going down.”

“We’re not going to franchise him,” Schoen said, noting that the team wasn’t going to be realistic to franchise and trade him. The Giants didn’t anticipate anyone giving up draft picks for Barkley as well as sign him to a $12 million per year contract. They regarded a potential tag and trade scenario as a “Hail Mary”.

The Giants’ front office members also seemed skeptical that any team with a $20 million per year receiver would pay Barkley what he was asking. As it so happens, the Philadelphia Eagles were willing to give Barkley that contract. And in light of how the Giants’ brass values the running back position, the Eagles signing Barkley likely came as a surprise.

Schoen questioned how Philly would allocate their funds given their own needs. That’s particularly true given that their divisional rival would also have to pay receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, both who whom would garter far more than $20 million per year.

Replacing Barkley

With respect to the class of running back free agents as a whole, Schoen said, “There’s going to be saturation in the running back market, there could be some value guys there.”

He later said to John Mara that he believed that the Giants wouldn’t need to draft a running back highly to replace Barkley, but that they would be able to address the position with a high value player in the second week of free agency.

The Giants’ brain trust discussed multiple free agent running backs. From Zack Moss and Tony Pollard to Devin Singletary, who they ultimately signed.

We know that Hard Knocks is edited in such a way as to give us a glimpse behind the scenes, but without giving away much of anything to future opponents. Even so, we got some interesting insight on the running back position, and perhaps into the offense as a whole.

The discussion around Singletary noted that (in contrast to Moss) he’s more of a receiving threat, and a screen player in particular, on third downs than a pass protector. That could be a hint that the Giants will look to emphasize running back screens in the upcoming season. They also noted that Moss was a “banger” on first and second downs, while Singletary is more of a finesse player. In light of that — and of course the pick of Malik Nabers at 6th overall — that the Giants are going to be more pass-heavy than in previous years.

Schoen also noted that the Giants aren’t paying Daniel Jones $40 million to hand the ball off. It seems clear that the plan has been to add weapons in the passing game, and put the offense wholly on Jones.

Put simply, the first episode makes clear that this wasn’t Saquon Barkley’s team anymore. 2024 is all about Daniel Jones.

The post Giants’ Saquon Barkley decision focal point of ‘Hard Knocks’ debut episode first appeared on Bleedbigblue.com.

The Giants’ schedule is tied for the sixth-toughest in the NFL in 2024

Daniel Jones, quarterback. The NY Giants NFL team held an organized team activity at their training facility in East Rutherford, NJ on Thursday May 30, 2024. Credit: Tariq Zehawi/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

For a team that picked in the top 10 of the draft this offseason, receiving a top-10 toughest regular-season schedule is not ideal. According to Giants.com, the Giants’ schedule is tied with the Buffalo Bills as the sixth-toughest in the NFL this season based on opponents’ combined winning percentages from the 2023 season (.516).

Could the Giants exceed expectations this season?

Right, Steve Smith, a former pro bowl NFL wide receiver, works with wide receivers Jalin Hyatt and Malik Nabers. The NY Giants NFL team held an organized team activity at their training facility in East Rutherford, NJ on Thursday May 30, 2024. Credit: Tariq Zehawi/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Giants’ over/under win total for the upcoming season is currently at 6.5 wins. Considering they barely mustered together six wins last season, this line seems fair. However, Big Blue made some key upgrades that should help them earn some extra wins this season.

Rookie first-round pick Malik Nabers will be injected into the offensive lineup this season, hopefully giving Big Blue its first 1,000-yard receiver since 2018. He is among three big additions that the Giants made on that side of the ball as they also upgraded the offensive line with a pair of veteran signings in free agency. On the opposite side of the ball, Brian Burns could elevate the defense to new heights while playing alongside Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence.

• Could the Giants trade for a former 4x Pro Bowl cornerback during camp?
• Giants’ veteran pass-rusher listed as prime trade candidate
• Giants’ rising star pass-rusher named to ‘All-Breakout Team’ ahead of 2024 season

But at the end of the day, the team’s success will rest on the shoulders of its quarterback. Daniel Jones is working back from a torn ACL that he suffered in November. The Giants need him to return to the winning form that he displayed during the 2024 season when he helped lead them to a 9-7-1 record and their first postseason victory in over a decade. That season, Jones threw for a career-high 3,205 yards and a career-low 1.1% interception rate.

If Jones makes a full recovery and can bounce back, not only will he be a Comeback Player of the Year candidate, but the Giants could also find themselves competing for a playoff berth once again this season.

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Co-owner John Mara always contended his storied franchise would never participate in the show, which features an in-depth look at an individual NFL team’s trials and tribulations during training camp.

“When I’m next to my father in Gates of Heaven Cemetery,” Mara said a few years back when asked when the Giants will let HBO’s cameras into their facility.

Well, Mara is still very much alive and his team — albeit in an off-season iteration of the original formula — will take their turn on the long-running program.

The Giants will be featured on the offseason version of the show and their front office will be the main focus, not the players. HBO began filming in January and is in the process of wrapping this week.

So, what changed Mara’s mind? Why is he suddenly so receptive to the idea?

Marketing.

This year marks the franchise’s 100th season and what better way to promote that than appearing on a national program that almost every NFL enthusiast watches religiously?

Plus, the time and circumstances finally aligned to Mara’s liking. It gives him an opportunity to repair the team’s fraying image publicly. In addition, it will serve as the first peek into a team’s offseason process and provide a comprehensive look at the engine that drives an NFL team behind the scenes.

“How do we identify and target that 17-year-old kid who lives out in California who may never go to any of our YouTube channels or our social media accounts?” said Nilay Shah, the Giants’ senior vice president for marketing and brand strategy, via The Athletic. “How do we get them to understand the history and the impact this organization has had in the NFL in the context of our 100th season?”

It’s a new era in Giants football as well. General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are not camera shy. The agreement reached with HBO was to display the team’s offseason process — the draft, free agency, OTAs, and minicamps — rather than disrupt training camp.

“As we enter our 100th season, we look forward to providing our fans with the opportunity to see what it takes to build an NFL roster,” said Shah.

“Beginning the moment the previous season ended, we gave NFL Films unprecedented access to this critical time of the year. We know viewers will gain insight from moments that have never been captured before and are excited for them to learn more about our Giants history.”

The five-part original series premieres Tuesday, July 2 at 9:00 p.m. EDT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max, with new episodes debuting subsequent Tuesdays through July 30.

The post What finally convinced Giants’ John Mara to surrender to Hard Knocks? first appeared on Bleedbigblue.com.

Per the Hollywood Reporter:

A Los Angeles jury on Thursday agreed with fans who claimed they overpaid for NFL Sunday Ticket, according to NFL. The decision, which was reached after less than a full day of deliberations, could force the league to change its broadcast model that’s made it the most popular sports league in the country.

The jury in the NFL Sunday Ticket antitrust trial has ordered the @NFL to pay $96 million in damages to commercial class and $4 billion in damages to the residential class.

The NFL’s revenue last year was $19 billion.

Story from @McCannSportsLaw to come.

Credit:… pic.twitter.com/k7QteRKvna

— Sportico (@Sportico) June 27, 2024

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Some more of what the legalese of the decision covers.

The league was disappointed — surprise! — by the decision of the California court.

A federal judge has ordered the @NFL to pay $4 billion in residential class damages and $96 million in commercial class damages to fans and bars, respectively, in the Sunday Ticket case.

In the statement below, the league says it will appeal the decision. pic.twitter.com/pWpXEpfe4L

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) June 27, 2024

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The damage could be steeper because antitrust damages can treble.

The #NFL has been ordered to pay 96 million in commercial class damages & 4 BILLION in residential class damages per today’s guilty verdict in the Sunday Ticket antitrust trial.

By federal antitrust law, that 4 billion becomes 12 billion in actuality. The plantiffs were seeking…

— Spotrac (@spotrac) June 27, 2024

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The #NFL has been ordered to pay 96 million in commercial class damages & 4 BILLION in residential class damages per today’s guilty verdict in the Sunday Ticket antitrust trial.

By federal antitrust law, that 4 billion becomes 12 billion in actuality. The plantiffs were seeking…

— Spotrac (@spotrac) June 27, 2024

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js.

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A long-standing tradition will continue in the blazing heat as New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones will host a group of Giants receivers this week in North Carolina.

Jones mentioned earlier in the off-season that he would be putting together the trip, which is taking place this week, per a report from ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. We don’t yet know which receivers are attending the trip, and we’ll update when we know more. Though Raanan’s tweet confirming that it’s happening does feature a short video from Wan’Dale Robinson of Jalin Hyatt on a jet ski.

Barring a radical (and unreported) change in the NFL’s rules, it’s unlikely that jet skis will figure heavily in the Giants’ passing attack. But these trips are about more than running routes and catching passes — there’s only so much a player can improve throwing and catching against air. They’re also about building familiarity and chemistry outside of the locker room, in the hopes that it will carry through to when things really start to matter in training camp and into the season.

The informal passing camps have been a regular occurrence for the Giants, dating back to the spring and summer of 2011. That year, Eli Manning organized meet-ups with receivers like Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Ramses Barden, and Jerrel Jernigan at facilities in Hoboken and at Duke. Those sessions were in lieu of workouts and mini-camps that were canceled by the lockout which disrupted that year’s off-season.

Manning kept the tradition up even after the advent of the new CBA, and passed it on to Jones.

The post Daniel Jones hosts the receivers in North Carolina first appeared on Bleedbigblue.com.

The San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, and Cleveland Browns are also in the mix.

Where are the New York Giants, you ask? Well, right near the middle, even though they possess the best nose tackle in football in Dexter Lawrence.

18. NEW YORK GIANTS

Lawrence is a unique player, winning at a greater rate and with far more volume than any other nose tackle in the game when rushing the passer. Adding Brian Burns in the offseason gives the Giants a much better threat on the edge, and now the team needs Kayvon Thibodeaux to take a step forward. Though he got into double-digit sacks in Year 2, he had just 43 quarterback pressures from 520 pass-rushing snaps and his PFF pass-rushing grade declined from his rookie season.

The Giants’ front seven will be interesting under incoming defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. Last year, under Wink Martindale, they were a 3-4 base. This year, they’ll be more of a hybrid. We’ll know more when training camp begins in a month.

With Lawrence in the middle, Burns at one end, and Thibodeaux at the other, the Giants have some studs up front to build around. They signed free agent veteran Jordan Phillips to their rotation, which also includes Rakeem Nunez-Roches and a slew of young hopefuls.

Bowen said that he won’t be blitzing at the rate Martindale did, but the pass rush was still a priority. The maturation of Thibodeaux will also be key to the defense’s success.

The post PFF ranks Giants’ defensive line in middle of NFL pack first appeared on Bleedbigblue.com.

How well can Malik Nabers carry the burden of expectations on his 21-year-old shoulders? The answer to that question will go a long way toward what kind of 2024 season the New York Giants rookie wide receiver, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, will have.

There are big-time expectations for the former LSU star. Those start with this:

• Be the Giants’ best wide receiver since Odell Beckham Jr., who was a superstar for New York from the moment he stepped on the field.

Putting up nice numbers, like becoming the first 1,000-yard receiver for the Giants since Beckham did it in each of his first four full seasons, isn’t the only expectation. There are these, which are corollary to putting up nice numbers:

• Be the difference-maker who changes an offense that was 30th in the NFL in points scored last season.
• Help the Giants get better play out of Daniel Jones.
• Be a big part of the reason the Giants win enough games to take the heat off head coach Brian Daboll.

Mostly, the expectation for Nabers is to be a Beckham-like star from the start.

“I feel like it’s no pressure,” Nabers said during minicamp. “I’ve been playing football all of my life. I’m just trying to stay up with the guys here. You know, put the competition that those older guys want to see out of me. I’m just trying to be me, trying to level up my game every day I’m out here.”

Let’s discuss Nabers as we continue player-by-player profiles of the Giants’ 90-man roster.

The skinny

Height: 6-foot
Weight: 200
Opening day age: 21
Position: Wide receiver
Experience: Rookie
Contract: Four years, $29,207,750 | 2024 cap hit: $5,310,500 | Guaranteed at signing: $29,207,750

Career to date

Nabers helped LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels win the Heisman Trophy by leading the FBS in receiving yards with 1,569 and earning unanimous All-American honors. Along he way he caught 89 passes (11th in the nation), 14 touchdowns (third in the nation) and averaged 17.6 yards per catch. In 2022, Nabers had 72 receptions for 1,017yards (14.1 yards per catch) and three touchdowns.

Nabers finished his career as LSU’s all-time leader in receiving yards (3,003). That means Nabers topped players like Beckham, Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase.

2024 outlook

Nabers, the youngest player on the roster, challenged his teammates during the spring.

“When I’m out there on the field, the level of competition rises at its highest – because my competition, I bring the dog, I bring the juice when I’m out there,” he said.

“So having me on the field, it’s been helpful to those older guys here. Just trying to bring some enthusiasm out there on the field. The celebrations, I know you’ve seen a lot of the celebrations, so just trying to get all the guys ready to practice.”

Big-time catches like this one are what the Giants are hoping for:

Nabers is +600 at DraftKings Sports to lead rookies in receiving yards, behind Marvin Harrison Jr.

DraftKings has Nabers’ over/under for receiving yards at 875.5, and his regular-season receiving touchdowns over/under at 5.5.

The Giants probably need Nabers to exceed those numbers, and the expectations (yes, back to that) are that he will if he stays healthy.

Nabers will be compared to Beckham, both because of the college they attended and the NFL team they were drafted by.

On draft night, Giants head coach Brian Daboll would not bite on comparing the two.

“I’m not going to compare [Nabers] him to anybody,” Daboll said. “I think he’s a fantastic player. He’s got a lot of good attributes. Starting with his personality and demeanor, his competitive stamina. He’s got some dog to him.”

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