Can WR Montrell Washington Find a Roster Spot on NY Giants?

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll has always enjoyed having dynamic playmakers in his receivers' room who allow him to get the ball to them underneath and gain yards after the catch.

Veteran receiver Montrell Washington has the skillset to do that, but hasn’t been able to get on the field consistently to this point in his career. He spent the 2022 season with Denver, appearing in 15 games with one start and catching four out of his nine targets for 2 yards, which is not particularly impressive. He also ran the ball five times for 30 yards, again not very impressive.

The last two seasons, Washington, who played his college ball at Samford, was with the Chiefs. He's been more of a special teams contributor in his short NFL career, posting 40 career punt returns for 332 yards and 20 career kickoff returns for 374 yards.  

Washington is someone I first learned about in 2021, when he dominated the Florida Gators, including making big-time plays against first-round cornerback C.J. Henderson.

Despite playing for an FCS team in Samford, Washington registered 142 scrimmage yards, two scrimmage touchdowns, 179 return yards, and a return touchdown against Florida.

Montrell Washington, WR

Height: 5-10
Weight: 170
EXP: 3 Years
School: Samford
How Acquired: FA-’25

2024 in Review

Washington spent the 2024 season on the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad. They called him up for one game, that against the Las Vegas Raiders. In that game, Washington would play just five offensive snaps without being targeted, but did have one kick return for 14 yards.

After the Raiders game, Washington went back to the practice squad for the rest of the season.

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Contract/Cap Info

The Giants signed Washington to a one-year contract worth $1.03 million, the entire amount being his base salary. If Washington doesn’t make the roster, the Giants receive a 100% credit toward their cap on the transaction.

Washington will be an exclusive-rights free agent after the 2025 season, meaning that the Giants could choose to retain him for a league minimum contract without negotiating.

2025 Preview

While Washington showed dynamic playmaking ability in college, he’s never proven that he could replicate that in the NFL.

With there only being at most three wide receiver spots available on the 53-man roster, there’s an uphill battle for Washington to secure his spot.

Special teams contributions could be a selling point for Washington, but the Giants already have an abundance of talent that can help there, including Ihmir Smith-Marsette.

There’s a possibility that the Giants could look to keep Washington on their practice squad just in case, but it’s unlikely that he’s going to be a concrete part of the Giants’ plan.

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