Draft or Free Agency? How Should Giants Address Need at Tight End?

With the New York Giants receiving corps largely ineffective and impacted by injuries this past season, they quickly found out how important the tight ends room would become to ensure they could compete with the rest of the league in the passing game.

After Malik Nabers went down with an ACL tear in Week 4, the Giants had to turn to the rest of the players in their offensive huddle to get the job done. Most of those pieces struggled to be difference-makers, but the team’s pair of tight ends in Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger were a surprise duo to carry their load of the overall production.

Johnson and Bellinger finished in the Giants' top five pass catchers with their receiving work, combining for 64 catches for 814 yards and seven touchdowns in 31 total games played last season.

The former player led the entire team with five scores and was second with eight big plays of 20+ yards, capitalizing on his ability to stretch his routes across the middle of the field to become a reliable target for rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.

Bellinger was also able to contribute good efforts in a handful of the Giants’ contests, picking up serviceable yardage when the team just needed it to convert big downs and keep the offense moving.

The Giants were not a team that ran concepts out of 22-personnel at one of the highest rates in the NFL last year, but the effectiveness of having solid tight ends is something they’ll aim to maintain into the 2026 season.

While Johnson will be back in his capacity, Bellinger is set to hit the free agent market, leaving the Giants with a potential roster spot to fill if he walks away. Chris Manhertz, a 10-year veteran whose penchant comes from his blocking prowess, will also be an open guy as free agency nears.

Whether they expect their tight ends to serve as additional protectors or get involved downfield, the depth of the position group needs some attention this offseason to ensure it stays strong for next season.

The question is whether the Giants attack it via free agency or by calling upon another rookie in the draft.

Potential Draft Option

Baylor tight end Michael Trig — Nov 22, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Baylor Bears tight end Michael Trigg (1) against the Arizona Wildcats at Casino Del Sol Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Since any expectation for the Giants to address tight end on draft night won’t happen in the first round, one name that has a lot of intrigue for them is Baylor’s Michael Trigg.

Trigg, PFF's fifth-ranked tight end prospect and the No. 78 overall player in this year’s class, is one of the more athletic and versatile names among the few top targets at the position. He had to transfer a couple of times to find the right home with the Bears, but got himself into the draft discussion amid his redshirt senior season.

In 11 games played this past season, Trigg recorded a career-high 50 receptions for 694 yards (13.9 average) and six touchdowns that finished second on the school’s leaderboard. He nearly surpassed his production from the first four years (58 catches, 725 yards, 8 TD’s) as he took advantage of finally earning the most time in his position group.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Trigg has the ideal mix of size and length to be a threat at all three levels of the field and haul in the most difficult targets.

Those elements don’t slow him down, though, as he has the speed to shift directions, slip away from the defender in man, and create space for downfield looks in the seam. He also excels at running many different routes and can control his body to high-point the football and make defenders miss for extra yardage.

Along with his receiving capabilities, the Giants could also throw Trigg into several spots with their offensive packages and utilize his strength in the blocking effort. He has experience serving in a fullback role, leading the way for the ball carrier, or serving as an outside guy blocking for screen plays.

It’s very likely that the Giants will look to retain their current blocking tight end, Chris Manhertz, on a cheap veteran deal, but tagging Trigg would give the franchise two solid options for that job or a nice compliment to Theo Johnson in the aerial game.

The Giants like to boast very athletic and tough players, and Trigg embodies all of that in a solid Day 2 prospect whom Jaxson Dart could turn to when his other targets are being covered up by the defense.

Potential Pending Free Agent Option

Nov 9, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Charlie Kolar (88) runs with the ball against the Minnesota Vikings in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The benefit of having John Harbaugh as head coach is his insight into several impending free agents from his former Baltimore Ravens locker room, and which of them could be great fits for what the Giants need this offseason.

The Giants are certainly doing their due diligence on the Ravens' free agents, hoping the Harbaugh factor will increase the desirability of coming to East Rutherford to fill major roster needs.

One of those associated names to watch for is Baltimore Ravens tight end Charlie Kolar, who spent four seasons in the Harbaugh regime before being let go at the end of the 2025 season.

In that time, Kolar has been more of a role player, buried on the Ravens’ depth chart behind Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. His receiving production has been minimal, yet he has improved each year, with 30 catches for 409 yards and four touchdowns.

This past fall, Kolar had his most impactful season at the NFL level, posting 10 receptions for 142 yards (14.2 average) and two touchdowns in his first year, during which he was active in all 17 games.

While those numbers don’t jump off the page, they could be more telling of the lack of opportunity for the former fourth-round pick out of Iowa State. Andrews has dominated the position as the starter, and Likely is an ascending piece in line to assume the role once he is re-signed in free agency.

Kolar could benefit from a change of scenery, and what better route than to follow his head coach from Baltimore to East Rutherford, where the ability to be a complementary piece in the Giants' rotation could be waiting for him if Daniel Bellinger does depart in free agency.

The Giants would also be adding a solid player to bolster their run protection. Kolar has built up a ton of reps working as an inline blocker for the Ravens and just posted his second-best 71.5 run blocking grade with two pressures allowed this past season.

Kolar’s retention would be extremely cheap for the Giants to achieve in free agency ($1.7 million estimated market value) and offer them a nice do-it-all type player who knows the Harbaugh culture and can help bring it to the rest of the offensive huddle for next season.

Best Route: Draft or Free Agency?

Given how poorly the Giants' wide receivers were outside of Wan’Dale Robinson, who is set to be a free agent with a ton of interest in the coming days, the team will definitely be looking to add more than one option to their arsenal this offseason.

Regarding the receiver position, we have argued that it is better to address that need via the draft and their No. 5 pick. Robinson is a slot weapon, and those are much easier to replace at a cheaper rate than an outside receiver, whom the Giants want to pair with Malik Nabers once he returns healthy.

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Conversely, the need at tight end should be addressed in the free agent market. There are a couple of intriguing prospects in this year’s draft class, but the chances of the Giants luring one of them to East Rutherford feel slim amid the bigger concerns on their roster that will demand the higher selections.

After the Giants make some internal moves to create some additional cap space, they should have enough to hand out a modest deal to an experienced name who can bring a reliable new target for Dart to throw the football to and further open up the offense.

That is one of the franchise’s biggest goals heading into the 2026 season, and they seem to believe that the tight ends room is capable of guiding them towards it.