Key Concern Raised Regarding Giants' Free Agency Haul

While Solak’s criticism is certainly understandable, given the importance of strong blocking for any part of a successful NFL offense, his claim about it affecting the Giants’ rushing attack feels faulty, given how they performed last season.

The backfield took a massive hit when rookie Cam Skattebo went down with an ankle injury in Week 8 after he was averaging a healthy 4.1 yards per attempt. Tyrone Tracy, Devin Singletary, and Jaxson Dart’s dual-threat abilities picked up the slack, leading the Giants to No. 5 on the ground at the season’s end.

That success in running the football came despite having nearly zero efforts from the receiving corps on the blocking front. The Giants’ unit played in just seven total pass blocking snaps, which was one of the lowest in the league last season, according to PFF.

Instead, the Giants looked to their multiple tight end packages to serve as the extra beef to pave the way for their ball carriers to thrive. Their trio—Theo Johnson, Daniel Bellinger, and Chris Manhertz—each saw at least 12.6% of their 2025 snaps come during pass blocking situations.

As this offseason has unfolded, that same approach has not been neglected by John Harbaugh and company in free agency. The Giants retained the 6-foot-6, 235-pound Manhertz, who earned a 69.7 PFF blocking grade last fall, to keep the extra lineman role for heavy run packages.

Their signing of former Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely also brings along some blocking upside. New York is eager to utilize his vertical skill set, but he also has the size and experience to pick up defenders in open space and push them out of the way to create big-time plays.

The true goal with revamping the receiver room was to surround Dart with additional playmakers who could take some of the pressure off Malik Nabers amid his ACL rehab and offer depth in case injuries rear their ugly heads again.

Harbaugh saw how deadly the Giants’ offense could become with the right system, elite playmakers, and the strength of Dart’s impressive arm. The one factor missing was a few more talented and reliable targets (23 drops last season), and they’ve found names whose pro resumes reflect all the potential they could bring to the table.

If everything falls into place and health holds up, the Giants want to be a much faster, more explosive offense that puts defenses on their heels from the jump. They’ll also mix in the power running game with the influx of non-traditional blockers they have in the tight end room and with All-Pro fullback Patrick Ricard.

Looking back at the team’s free agency class as it stands heading into April, Solak would have been wiser to critique some of the other positions that the Giants didn’t do enough to bolster depth or starting talent. Wide receiver is on the path to becoming a strength next season.

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