New York Giants Training Camp Preview - WR Dante Pettis

Dante Pettis was one of the best punt return specialists in college football. But is that enough to give him an edge in remaining on the Giants' 53-man roster?

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

In case you might have missed it during Giants head coach Joe Judge's first year, there's no such notion as having too many good special teams players.

Duh, right? So let me clarify a bit more.

Judge, whom we all know by now is a former special teams coordinator, was not afraid to carry multiple guys on the roster whose sole purpose was to play special teams.

Last year at least five such players--safety Nate Ebner; linebackers Cam Brown, Devante Downs, and David Mayo; and fullback Eli Penny--all played more snaps on specials than they did at their respective positions.

While this isn't a new concept introduced by Judge, it's worth noting when doing any roster projections because what looks like a logjam at a specific position group might not matter if special teams are involved.

Take the case of receiver Dante Pettis. The Giants wasted little time in scooping up Pettis, one of the best return specialists in college football in recent years when he was put on waivers by the 49ers.

Unfortunately, the Giants never got a chance to uncork Pettis on the opponent as he contracted COVID-19, which he would later admit threw him for a bit of a loop after he recovered.

Now, however, Pettis has a chance to crack into what's a very crowded Giants receivers room. Can he pull it off? Let's see.

What He Brings

Pettis is the son of former MLB centerfielder Gary Pettis, who won five Gold Gloves during his 11-year career. Pettis's athleticism helped him earn playing time as a true freshman at Washington as both a punt returner and as a part-time receiver, but it was his special teams play that drew attention.

Pettis led both the Pac-12 and the NCAA in punt return yards (428) and returns or a touchdown (4) in 2017 while finishing as the NCAA all-time leader in punt returns for a touchdown with nine.

Here is what NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote about Pettis as a receiver in his pre-draft scouting report:

Solid secondary receiving option who has spent time on his craft and has the ability to attack and uncover on all three levels. Pettis lacks physicality and could struggle to handle in-your-face press corners, so he may see snaps from the slot. While his punt return talent solidifies his draft standing, his ability as a route-runner combined with his smooth pass-catching should give him a long, solid career.

His Contract

Pettis is in the final year of his contract and will count for $1,352,805 against the cap, a rather steep figure for a guy who could end up being just a return specialist. But if he shows the explosiveness he did in college, he'll make carrying that cap hit a little more palatable.

Roster Projection/Expectations

The Giants punt return unit (mostly steered by safety Jabrill Peppers) finished 11th in the league with a 9.3 yards per return average.

The unit also tied for 16th in the league for most fair catches called (16, with New England).

On kickoffs, the Giants finished 16th in the league with a 21.9 average.

Simply put, these rankings and averages were middle of the road, and for a team looking to be a playoff contender, improvements are necessary.

Can Pettis make the difference on punt returns? So far, his college production--90 punt returns for 1,274 yards (14.2 yards/return) and nine touchdowns--hasn't translated to his 11 NFL snaps. But perhaps in coming to a team where the head coach isn't reluctant to give a gameday uniform to a guy whose sole purpose is to help special teams will finally enable Pettis to prove his college prowess as a punt returner wasn't a fluke.

One of Pettis's main competitors for a roster spot will be fellow receiver C.J. Board, who was a solid punt gunner last year.

Pettis, per PFF, only has played one snap as a punt gunner in the NFL, so it might be hard to envision both him and Board making the team, especially with the Giants having other return options.

Then again, this is a Joe Judge team we're talking about where all options are on the table.

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