Giants Country

TE Jack Stoll: The Good, the Great, and the Ugly

What does tight end Jack Stoll bring to the New York Giants offense? Coach Gene Clemons has your answers.

Gene Clemons

Nov 26, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tight end Jack Stoll (89)
Nov 26, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tight end Jack Stoll (89) / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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The New York Giants added tight end depth this offseason, with one of the newcomers being former Philadelphia Eagles tight end Jack Stoll.

While the Giants have good options for pass-receiving ends, they lacked guys who were solid blockers. In steps Stoll, who spent the past three seasons as the number two tight end and the more consistent blocking end for the Eagles.

Grabbing talent in the division means that New York had a lot of film in-house on Stoll, and clearly, he fills a need that the team deemed important to their offensive success in 2024. Let’s look at the good, the great, and the ugly of one of the Giant's new blocking ends. 

The Good: Cut-Off Blocking

Stoll operated well on cut-off blocks in Philadelphia. One of the things he was asked to do a lot with the Eagles was cut off the backside pursuit against their zone runs. He was tasked with working up to the second level and cutting off the backside linebackers chasing the play.

The key to success in these plays is predicting where the linebacker will be, not where they are aligned. Sometimes, the goal is simply to get a hand on the backer and give them something to think about. He could execute these blocks regularly but was a nuisance for linebackers.

He was also good at cutting off backers on the play side and giving his running backs a lane to cut, as this clip demonstrates.

The Great: Nuanced Understanding of Run Concepts

One of the things that separates the NFL from every other level of football is the number of in-play adjustments players must make. Whether it is a route adjustment based on post-snap coverage or a run lane adjustment due to defenders in gaps, these are essential to the play's success. Blocking is no different, and it is made even more tricky when the scheme is built for reading defenders.

In the Eagles' split zone read look, Stoll was tasked with being the cross-blocker. However, because of the read element provided, thanks to Hurts’ ability, Stoll has to decide what to do based on what the backside “read” defender does.

If the defender goes upfield, he goes underneath and works to the second level. If the defender chases the back, he goes around him to lead block for the quarterback. If the defender runs for the mesh, he blocks him. It takes awareness and calm during chaos, as seen in this clip:

The Ugly: Pass Receiving

In his three seasons in the NFL playing for Philly, Stoll only has 20 receptions. That says a lot when considering that the Eagles starting tight end, Dallas Goedert, has missed time over the last few years with injuries.

Stoll is not the most natural route runner. He does not possess a lot of wiggle in his game to get in and out of breaks, so most of his routes are shallow crossers, flat routes, and sit routes. There will be times when Stoll is open, and Hurts still chooses not to throw him the ball. It probably speaks to his lack of trust as a pass receiver.

Here are a few clips of him on routes. He had less than ten receptions last season.

Coach’s Counsel

The team needs a legitimate blocker at the tight end position. Bringing extra offensive linemen limits the offense's unpredictability.

While Stoll does not provide a pass-receiving threat, operating as a TE2 or TE3 can bring that dynamic to the offense. Ideally, you still want one guy who can do both, and that is what you hope Bellinger turns into, which will allow Stoll to be more effective in his dimension. 

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Gene Clemons

GENE CLEMONS

Gene "Coach" Clemons has been involved with the game of football for 30 years as a player, coach, evaluator, and journalist.  Clemons has spent time writing for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Bridgton News, Urbana Daily Citizen, Macon Telegraph and footballgameplan.com.  He has a YouTube channel called "Coach Gene Clemons" where you can find his popular "X&O The Joes" series as well as other football related content.