Giants TE Depth Chart 2026: Why Isaiah Likely Changes Everything for Big Blue’s Offense

The New York Giants said goodbye to Daniel Bellinger, a tight end they drafted on Day 3 of the draft four seasons ago, who then followed Wan'Dale Robinson and former head coach Brian Daboll to Tennessee.

It seemed the team's intention was to upgrade the position's athleticism, as they signed former Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely.

Likely gives this Giants offense and tight end room something it hasn't had in quite some time: a big, dynamic, explosive element at the position who can operate in a similar capacity to Wan'Dale Robinson.

Mix that with another year of growth and development for Theo Johnson, and it's easy to see why someone would be excited about this unit going into 2026.

Giants TE Depth Chart: Starters

Tight end Isaiah Likely figures to have a large role in the Giants' offense this season. | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

John Harbaugh’s history in Baltimore revealed a lot of 12-personnel packages (one running back, two tight ends), so there is little reason to think that won’t carry over to the Giants.

Last season, the Ravens ran 350 plays in 12 personnel, the fifth-most in the league, just behind the Giants, who ran 353 plays. The Giants, remember, leaned more heavily into 12-personnel thanks to the early-season loss of receiver Malik Nabers to an ACL injury.

With Nabers a question mark to be ready for the start of the season, plus with the Giants believed to be looking at beefing up the running game, it’s not unreasonable to expect them to be planning to run a lot of 12-personnel again this year, especially thanks to the addition of Likely.

To that end, we’re listing two tight ends as potential starters for this team.

Isaiah Likely: Likely was one of the prizes of the NFL free agency period this year. He was signed away from Baltimore after spending the first four years of his career backing up Mark Andrews.

In that time, he proved to be a legitimate NFL receiving weapon who could be utilized as an elite perimeter blocker, as well as a receiving weapon who could be lethal at all three levels.

Theo Johnson: Johnson showed significant improvement in 2025 over his 2024 performance. He had a dramatic reduction in drops and continued to show he can be a legitimate red-zone threat.

He finished the season with 45 receptions for over 500 yards and five touchdowns. At 25 years old, he's a part of the young nucleus on offense that should lead the New York Giants into this next chapter.

Giants TE Depth Chart: Backups

New York Giants tight end Chris Manhertz | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Chris Manhertz: Manhertz served as the primary run-blocking option at tight end for the last two seasons, and he will likely have that role again in 2026. Since joining the team, he has proven to be a valuable asset in the rushing attack for Big Blue.

With a tight end room full of guys who want to catch passes, it's nice to have a guy who understands that's not his job and embraces blocking and being a valuable member of special teams.

Thomas Fidone II: Fidone showed a lot of promise as a rookie in 2025 during the preseason. He flashed skills that made the Giants want to keep him around.

Although the tight end room was crowded this season, with a year under his belt, he will look to take the next step in his development as an all-around tight end, getting better as a blocker and more consistent in his route running.

Fidone, for what it’s worth, was sidelined during OTA 6. Staying healthy has long been a major question mark with this player, so it remains to be seen if what kept him out of practice is a long-term issue or something minor.

Tanner Conner: Conner joined Big Blue after spending the first four years of his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins. He did not see much playing time on offense with Miami, as he was used sparingly and targeted very little. He did garner 50% of the special team snaps over his tenure there, and that will be where he tries to make his biggest mark on this team.

Giants Drafted: None

After taking a tight end in back-to-back seasons, the New York Giants did not address the position through the draft in 2026. There are two previous draft picks at the position: Theo Johnson and Thomas Fidone II. Both are looking to contribute to the team this season.

What We Know: Expect to see more multiple tight end sets.

Multi-tight-end sets have become in vogue in the NFL once again, and the New York Giants should be a team that leans heavily into this trend, despite so many capable pass catchers at receiver.

With Likely being an upgrade over any tight end that they've had in the building over the past five seasons, you can expect this group to be more active in the passing game.

The team not only lost Daniel Bellinger, who had been a quality tight end for them over the past four seasons, but it also lost Wan'Dale Robinson, who was their primary short and intermediate pass catcher from the slot.

That is almost 170 targets that need to be replaced, and many of the additions brought in do not operate the same way those guys operate.

Expect Likely and Johnson to see an increased role, with many more targets than in 2025.

Those two receiving talents, mixed with Manhertz as a primary blocker or even new fullback Patrick Ricard, will give the impression of a run-heavy package, but the dynamics still allow them to attack the field in the passing game from all levels.

What We Don’t Know: What will the personnel groupings look like?

It’s hard to see a world where Likely isn’t the starting tight end when the Giants open up training camp, and it’s a good bet that Johnson will be right behind him as the second tight end. Because of Likely's dynamic physical gifts, he can be an every-down part of this offense.

After him, the unknowns in how the rest of the group will be utilized are intriguing. The organization still has high hopes for Johnson as a valuable pass receiver, but his inline blocking needs to get more consistent.

Manhertz is primarily a blocking tight end who offers little value in the passing game. Will their two tight end sets feature more Likely and Johnson or Likely and Manhertz?

Fidone is going into his second year and has yet to receive an NFL target. Conner is primarily a special teams addition, and there is also the unknown of how this team will utilize new fullback Patrick Ricard in the offense. Will we ever see three tight-end sets? Will it be two tight ends and Ricard on the field?

If they do employ a three-tight-end set, can Fidone earn reps in that role, or will that simply be the three tight ends previously mentioned?

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