Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, a third-round choice in 2023, played in over half of the team’s offensive snaps in his rookie year, but his workload was dramatically reduced last season. With Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, and Wan’Dale Robinson ahead of him on the depth chart, Hyatt read the writing on the wall as early as last summer and suggested the Giants should trade him if they planned on using him in a reserve capacity.
At the time, Big Blue was unwilling to entertain the notion, and the club’s stance in that regard has not changed, even though the Nabers/Slayton/Robinson triumvirate remains. According to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, other teams checked in with the Giants about the possibility of acquiring Hyatt, who averaged 18.9 yards per catch and who scored 15 TDs in his final collegiate season at Tennessee (which is what encouraged New York to trade up for him in the 2023 draft).
General manager Joe Schoen rebuffed the outside interest and will continue to carry Hyatt on the roster. The former Volunteer caught just eight passes for 62 yards last year, and though he bulked up this offseason with the goal of becoming a more versatile player, it is unclear whether he will see a great deal of action absent an injury to one of the top three wideouts.
The club has also elected to retain tight end Daniel Bellinger, who, per Dunleavy, drew trade inquiries of his own. Like Hyatt, Bellinger is a recent draftee (fourth round, 2022) who saw his playing time slashed last season. After appearing in 62% of the Giants’ offensive snaps in 2023, Bellinger’s snap share dropped to 32% in 2024. He caught just 14 passes for 125 yards.
That reduction in playing time was largely due to the arrivals of veteran Chris Manhertz and 2024 fourth-rounder Theo Johnson, and both players are still around (Manhertz was re-signed in March). It is therefore likely Bellinger will again be used quite sparingly, which is especially unlucky for him as he enters the final year of his rookie pact.
Fellow tight end Greg Dulcich, whom the Giants claimed off waivers in November, was unable to carve out a spot on this year’s depth chart. According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, New York would have liked to keep Dulcich on its practice squad, but — perhaps taking Bellinger’s plight into account — Dulcich saw a clearer path to playing time in Miami. He recently signed with the Dolphins’ taxi squad.
With Russell Wilson slated to handle starting quarterback duties at the start of the 2025 campaign, and with first-round rookie Jaxson Dart impressing in the preseason, there was already some trade chatter surrounding Jameis Winston. Assistant GM Brandon Brown attempted to shoot down those rumors, though that did not stop other teams from at least calling the Giants about Winston’s availability, as Dunleavy reports.
Brown has said Winston wants to remain with the team, and former NFL quarterback Matt Simms offers at least one reason why. In a recent appearance on the Talkin’ Ball With Pat Leonard podcast (video link), Simms said Winston’s perspective and influence helped the Giants’ QB room jell this offseason. With so much of the team’s future hinging on Dart’s right arm – to say nothing of the job security of Giants brass – maintaining a positive dynamic for Dart can’t hurt.
Keeping bellinger is pointless. They don’t like him and don’t play him. But need to keep him bc he was a draftee. Stupid
Dulcich is a sleeper to me broncos haven’t utilized tight ends efficiently for years. Bellinger is a dud and/or not being used correctly too. Theo needs more targets and play schemes giants need to get their junk together lmao
I liked dulchich in Den, he always get hurt though. I think he’s real talented but staying on the filed has been a problem for him.
I like bellinger – they haven’t used him well since he was a rookie.
Yup fair. Theo has potential tho
Disagree…..Theo Johnson is the starter, but Bellinger gives them depth at the position and given injuries is exactly why they kept him…he knows the system and with a better throwing QB, which Wilson and the whole QB crew is, you might be surprised at how they use his skills this year……
If the QBs have time to throw this year, I could see bellinger being more involved, manhertz is a real good blocking TE, buy he has under 300 receiving yards in 9 years. If they’re looking for a TE after johnson to target it will likely be bellinger. And exactly to your point, he’s depth at the receiving The position. Cutting him loose doesn’t make sense with the current roster
What would the Giants get for Winston?
They should think hard about any offer over a 5th. Dart looks like he’s nearly ready, he can handle being the #2.
And when Tommy DeVito wins a game or two in New England, the Giants will regret trying to sneak him through waivers with an eye to the practice squad.
what the hell else were they supposed to do? Teams knew they couldn’t keep him so they couldn’t have traded him, and he wasn’t going to leapfrog the other QB’s on the roster. Pointless comment.
Tommy DeVito. Good one.
“Keeping bellinger is pointless. They don’t like him and don’t play him. But need to keep him bc he was a draftee. Stupid”
It’s funny but you could say this literally verbatim about Hyatt, too.
Hyatt actually received trade interest. I feel like a team like Chiefs or Niners would use him better
I am not surprised there was some interest in him. He’s very fast and a legit deep threat. The word on him is that his ability to run actual routes needs a lot of work. The fact is, though, that he spent almost all of last season in Daboll’s doghouse so he almost never saw the field. I don’t see Daboll suddenly using him, so if the trade interest was there, they should have traded him.
I think Daboll doesn’t like him like that either lol
He really hasn’t earned any extra playing time. He’s fast, but not a good route runner. He really doesn’t have good hands and drops a lot of passes. He’s better than when he was first drafted but he’s got a lot more work to do before he get’s more opportunities.
I think I’ve spent more time reading about Hyatt’s promise than the total length of actual highlights the past 2 seasons. With the departure of Engram, he was the one I was yelling “don’t throw it to stonehands” at (though Jones would under or over throw by 10 yards so it wasn’t Hyatt’s fault very often)
Bellinger can catch the ball but when doing that he’s not in helping to block, which doesn’t help him get chances because the line is still mainly turnstiles.
Another season of settling for Slayton as #2WR?
I am baffled that the Giants have not added a veteran WR. Their top three WR are Nabers, Slayton, and Wan’Dale Robinson.
Their depth beyond that is just Hyatt (who Daboll hates and refuses to play) and undrafted rookie Beaux Collins. They also have Gunner Olszewski, but he is a punt/kick returner with like 15 catches in five years. Daboll must have changed his mind on Hyatt or they’re really high on Beaux Collins because they’re extremely thin when it comes to depth. Nabers has barely practiced yet this preseason, Wan’Dale is frequently injured as well. Same thing as a few years ago when suddenly Richie James was their opening day starting WR after being a total afterthought in the preseason. Make it make sense.
Be careful what you wish for…the Giants could bring back OBJ 🙂