Several important offensive contributions were rendered as mere footnotes during the Giants’ historic fourth-quarter meltdown Sunday in Denver.
One of those was provided by Daniel Bellinger, who took the longest reception of his four-year NFL career to the end zone in the first quarter for the Giants’ first points of the game.
The backup tight end caught three passes from rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart for 88 yards altogether, including that 44-yard TD rumble barely eight minutes into a 33-32 Week 7 loss to the Broncos.
“It was important to me, just to help me understand that I’ve gotta be ready for any opportunities when they come, especially in that situation where we’re using both tight ends,” Bellinger said after limited participation, due to a neck issue, in Thursday’s practice in East Rutherford. “It was big for me to understand that this is an opportunity, and I have to make the most of it.”
The 25-year-old registered 30 receptions in 12 appearances as a rookie, which still represents his career-high total as his fourth NFL season approaches the midway point.
He slipped to 25 and 14 catches, respectively, despite dressing for all 17 games over each of the past two seasons.
Bellinger lost playing time to imported former Pro Bowler Darren Waller in ’23, and the Giants spent a fourth-round pick on tight end Theo Johnson last year. He had seized the starting job with four touchdowns among his 20 catches through the team’s 2-5 start.
“It was tough on a personal level, but I stuck to the fact that the opportunities were going to come, and I just have to be ready for them when they do,” Bellinger said. “I feel like [Johnson and I] complement each other really well.
“We can both do the run and the pass game. So having that versatility helps us as an offense, and helps keep the defense on their toes and guessing what we’re going to do.”
Giants coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka have employed more two-TE sets since top receiver Malik Nabers went down with a torn ACL in Week 4. Veteran wideout Darius Slayton also missed last week’s game, but he could return to the lineup Sunday in Philadelphia.
“When that stuff happens, other guys have to step up and make plays when they have that opportunity,” Bellinger said. “We’ve had that opportunity and need to capitalize on it. I feel like we’ve done that, but have to keep doing it.”
Kafka added that he was not surprised by Bellinger’s contributions in recent weeks.
“Since Belly has been here as a rookie, he’s done nothing but just been consistent in his approach, consistent with his play,” Kafka said. “Each week will be a little bit different in how we want to attack a defense.
“But over the course of the last couple weeks, [Bellinger] was part of that plan. And no surprise to me, he came up big in making plays, and doing the right things in both the run and the pass game. He’s a guy that we’re going to lean on and is one of the leaders of the group, and a guy that I have full confidence in.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
