New York Giants Training Camp Preview - FB Eli Penny

Can Eli Penny survive the challenge posed by Cullen Gillaspia for the fullback spot on the team?

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jul 6, 2021 8:00 AM EDT

Giants fullback Eli Penny is one of those people who always seems to have a smile on his face and be in a good mood.

But lest anyone mistake his happy-go-lucky demeanor the wrong way, Penny can flip the switch and turn into that laser-focused football player whose smile disappears as he looks to inflict punishment on the opponent.

Last season, Penny saw a stretch of games in which he received an uptick in his snaps on offense. He was instrumental in helping the Saquon Barkley-less Giants find success on inside runs up the middle, which also helped the team in converting on short-yardage situations.

So why hasn't Penny seen more snaps in the offense? And is his hold on a roster spot in danger?

Let's try to figure that out.

What He Brings

Penny is an interesting player in that he does enough little things well that one would think would have him playing a much more significant role on the offense. Yet, for whatever reason, the highest number of offensive snaps he's received since joining the team in 2018 is 127, which he received in 2019.

Last year, Penny only earned 73 snaps on offense, the fullback/lead blocking duties either going to an offensive lineman or a tight end. But with those snaps Penny did get, he made the most of them by delivering some solid lead-blocking (though not to be confused with the road-grade variety).

He carried the ball six times for 15 yards, 10 yards coming after contact (he was primarily deployed in the running game on short-yardage situations). But where Penny made as much of an impact as his limited snaps allowed was in the passing game.

He caught two out of three targets for 20 yards, with 17 yards after the catch. Penny has caught 16 out of 19 pass targets in his career for 117 yards (7.3 average) and 133 yards after the catch. Last season, he even broke a tackle on one of his receptions, showing some nice power in the process.

And in terms of mobility, although Penny won't win any awards for fastest or shiftiest runner out there, he has enough mobility to contribute once the ball is in his hands.

So why doesn't he? Again, perhaps the coaches like the flexibility a tight end gives them. If that's the case, then why they even bother to carry a fullback on the roster at all is a headscratcher, though, in Penny's case, he mainly made his living was on special teams, where he posted seven total tackles (two solos, five assists).

Penny served on both the return and coverage units and was considered by Pro Football Focus as the fourth-best special teams player the Giants had last season.

His Contract

Penny is in the final year of his contract and is due to count for $1.04 million against the salary cap. He has presumably already received a $50,000 workout bonus, so if he doesn't make the 53-man roster, the Giants will save $990,000 in cap space.

Roster Projection/Expectations

After not receiving any competition for his roster spot the last two seasons, this year, Penny will be pushed by Cullen Gillaspia, a fullback by trade who, like Penny, is a core special teams player and more of an H-back type.

Will Penny prevail? Again, he does many little things good enough to warrant a spot on the roster, but as the offense evolves into Year 2, perhaps the Giants are looking for an upgrade at the position that brings a little more punch to the running game.

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