New York Giants Training Camp Profile: WR Alex Bachman
Among the New York Giants position groups expected to have some intense competition, wide receiver certainly ranks at or near the top.
That’s because, barring injury, Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, and John Ross all project as locks for the 53-man roster.
If the Giants plan to carry a sixth receiver, they’ll have at least five guys—C.J. Board, Derek Dillon, Austin Mack, Dante Pettis, and David Sills V competing for potentially one open spot.
Let’s take a closer look at Bachman, one of those competitors for what could be the final roster spot at receiver on the Giants’ 53-man roster.
Background
Bachman, 6-foot, 190 pounds, was a four-year player at Wake Forest, where he recorded 1,162 receiving yards on 82 receptions (14.2 yards per catch) and ten touchdowns.
He was also a return specialist on both punts and kickoff returns, averaging 6.9 yards per punt return (seven returns for 48 yards) and 17.6 yards per kickoff return (123 yards on seven returns).
Despite being a feisty player, Bachman went undrafted. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams in April 2019 but suffered an undisclosed injury that landed him on injured reserve.
He was later released with an injury settlement on September 5, 2019, and was signed to the Giants’ practice squad on November 12, 2019, where he sat for the rest of the year.
Bachman came up short in his quest to make the Giants last season but again was added to the team’s practice squad. On September 15, 2020, the Giants released Bachman but re-signed him nearly a month later, on October 5, 2020.
Bachman was a practice squad elevation for the Giants Week 7 game against the Philadelphia Eagles as insurance since C.J. Board (concussion) was inactive, and Sterling Shepard (turf toe) was a game-time decision that week.
Bachman played in one snap in that game and then spent the rest of the season on the Giants’ practice squad. After signing yet another reserve/future contract with the Giants, he will again try to earn a spot somewhere with the organization.
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What He Brings
Bachman’s playstyle can best be described as “aggressive.” He attacks defenses with the vigor of a much bigger player, and he doesn’t shy away from contact.
He has experience running the entire route tree, though he showed some early signs of excelling as an outside route runner.
He’s also shown an ability to generate yards after the catch, recording 246 of his 1,162 college receiving yards after snaring the ball.
Bachman, who garnered a 99.2 rating when targeted throughout his college career, but his aggressive play to good use when it came to contested balls, catching 55% of those passes.
While not known for breaking tackles—he was credited with just forcing only four missed tackles in his college career—Bachman was a solid enough route runner. He was on the receiving end of just two interceptions (out of 146 targets), and he also exhibited solid ball security, fumbling just once in four seasons.
Bachman also has some punt return ability, an underrated skill, and one that the Giants are certainly going to consider highly given that the job is currently wide open.
His Contract
Bachman signed a reserve/futures contract that runs through the end of this year. He’ll be owed a $660,000 base salary in addition to a $6,500 signing bonus.
Bachman, whose contract doesn’t count against the team’s Top 51 cap figures at the moment, would cost the Giants $6,500 in dead money if he doesn’t make the 53-man roster.
Roster Projection/Expectations
The Giants finally have themselves an abundance of talent at receiver, which is a good thing for the team, but a bad thing for guys like Bachman, who are likely to get swept up in the numbers game yet again.
Given his style of game and his return ability, at worst, he’ll land on the practice squad again if another team does not pick him up.
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