NY Giants Risers and Fallers from Preseason Finale

Helped: Gunner Olszewski

Throughout the preseason, Olszewski has been a consistent performer, coming up with timely catches for his quarterback, regardless of who he is on the field with. 

Against New England, it was no different. He was targeted three times and finished with a team-high 68 yards. That included a 50-yard reception from Jaxson Dart on the second play of the game. 

We know about his skills as a returner, but he has shown the ability to make plays on offense as well. He has 10 catches for 112 yards and a touchdown this preseason. He has definitely helped himself.

Hurt: Beaux Collins

Last week, Collins had that 80-yard reception from Russell Wilson. That will likely turn out to be the first and only pass he catches for the Giants, as he just has not taken advantage of all his opportuniti es. 

He's been targeted seven times this preseason, and two of them have resulted in interceptions because of bad routes. 

In the final preseason game, on an offense that once again threw for over 300 yards, Collins was targeted four times and failed to record one reception. 

There are just too many others on this team that are coming up with catches and also provide special teams value. Collins definitely made his future murky.

Tight Ends

Helped: Greg Dulcich

If the Giants were looking for a natural pass receiver at tight end, they definitely found it in Dulcich. Now that he's healthy, the former UCLA product is showing all of the promise he had coming out of college when Denver drafted him. 

He is very smooth in his route running and has great hands. He also seems to know his way around the end zone. In their final preseason game, he was able to haul in two touchdown receptions. 

That gave him three for the preseason. Simply put, he is the best receiver of all the tight ends on the roster.

Helped: Thomas Fidone II

Have you ever seen a player who was already 255 pounds and thought to yourself, “Once he fills out, he's going to be a problem.” 

That's Fidone. He has been flashing all preseason and during training camp. He has a tremendous catch radius and strong hands to go with it. 

He is a willing blocker, and although he needs to improve his strength and technique, he is a legit prospect and worth continuing to develop. 

He has been productive this preseason, with his four receptions for 39 yards and a touchdown bringing his preseason totals to eight receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Hurt: Daniel Bellinger

Bellinger was already the talk of training camp because he is going into the final season of his rookie deal, and his role has continually diminished since his rookie season, when he took over 84% of the snaps. 

Over the past two preseason games, Bellinger had to watch as Dulcich and Fidone catch pass after pass. The better both of them looked, the more expendable Bellinger looked. 

There doesn't seem to be a niche for him to fill on this team. He is not the blocker or the pure receiver, and they now have two other players who can be developed as all-around ends. 

These other performances merely illuminate a crowded room with an obvious piece that no longer seems necessary.

Defensive Backs

Helped but he's hurt: TJ Moore

Moore continued a very strong training camp and preseason. The final preseason game could have been the game to stamp him as a roster spot. Over the three preseason games, he proved he could be a sure tackler and sticky in coverage. 

He had eight tackles and a couple of passes defended. He emerged as a ball hawk in college at Mercer University, and against the Patriots, he was able to show those skills again. 

With a little over a minute remaining in the third quarter, he stepped in front of Patriots quarterback Ben Wooldridge's pass and took it 44 yards to the endzone. 

That had to be the highlight of his athletic career, celebrating an individual accomplishment that helped his team. At the same time, his teammates and coaches all congratulated him at the highest level on national television.

But the highs are not always high. With four minutes remaining in the game on a Jamie Gillan punt, Moore ran down to cover and then just fell to the ground. It was evident that it was a lower leg injury and was simply referred to as “gruesome.” 

As the training and medical staff rushed onto the field, they were quickly followed by teammates and finally the medical cart. The highest of the highs juxtaposed with the lowest of the low. 

A realized dream seemed dashed in less than a quarter of football. We all hope for a speedy recovery and that Moore will be able to regain the form he showed, but the reality is there are no guarantees, and the circumstances will be different if he returns. It's just another reason why the NFL means “Not For Long.”

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