Giants Named as Best Landing Spot for This Pending Free Agent Wide Receiver
If there’s one thing the New York Giants' previous free-agent signings have taught us, it is that the Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll regime likes to have some familiarity within its ranks.
That preference has been seen in several of their offseason transactions, starting with the signing of running back Devin Singletary after Saquon Barkley left the franchise to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles in what has become an unforgettable mishap for the organization. The former holds ties to the two leaders from their days in Buffalo.
The Giants also went that route by constructing their starting offensive line by bringing in two veterans connected to offensive line Carmen Bricillo: right guard Greg Van Roten, who became the team’s second-best pass blocker, and left guard Jermaine Eluemenor. Both of whom learned under the coach’s tutelage and followed him from the Las Vegas Raiders.
So why not extend that comfort zone to the wide receiver corps? That is what Pro Football Focus thinks, as they connected another familiar face to Schoen and Daboll by naming the Giants the perfect offseason landing spot for Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
PFF's Mason Cameron wrote on Diggs and his potential fit: “Diggs' torn ACL in Week 8 will make for an interesting free-agency period between the 31-year-old receiver and teams this offseason. Before going down, Diggs showed no signs of slowing, on pace to produce his 10th straight campaign with a 77.0-plus PFF receiving grade.”
“With the Giants holding a top-three draft pick, expectations are that they will make a play for one of the top quarterbacks in the class. Pairing Diggs’ experience with Malik Nabers would provide a young passer with quality weapons in the receiving game and ample opportunity to produce quickly.”
While it may not stand out as the most glaring need on the roster next to bigger question marks like the quarterback position and the secondary, the Giants receiver room isn’t entirely solid for next season and could use some upgrading.
Of course, they have Malik Nabers at the forefront of the future, and he was a major reason for the offense not completely sputtering to the darkest depths this season, but his presence isn’t enough. The Giants have their veteran Darius Slayton set to test free agency, where he may not return if he lands a more lucrative deal. One could argue that Wan’Dale Robinson is the only player with a true role in the offense as a slot weapon.
Beyond those three, the Giants had a lackluster pass-catching unit that didn’t have one other player cross 350 yards of production. A lot of that was due to injuries, but they can change that by pairing Diggs into the equation to juice the offense and possibly give its gunslinger two No. 1 level options with Nabers.
Diggs, a 2015 fifth-round pick by the Vikings and former Buffalo Bill from 2020-2024, is still undergoing a long ACL rehab that only started in late October. This could be a concern for teams wanting to pursue him, but his career production has still been one of the most consistent of any wide receiver in the NFL.
In just eight games in his Texans debut, Diggs finished with 47 catches on 64 targets for 496 yards (an average of 10.3 yards per play) and three touchdowns to finish fourth on the Houston leaderboard. His efforts were one of the most active on Sundays, averaging 62.0 yards per contest, which only trailed standout receiver Nico Collins, who played in four more games.
Before arriving in Houston, Diggs was putting himself in the category of one of the best pass catchers in the league year-over-year. He posted six straight campaigns of 1,000+ receiving yards and six touchdowns, four of which came in Buffalo and two with Brian Daboll as his offensive coordinator on playoff-caliber teams.
While his 2024 season was mostly a wash due to his injury, a deeper look at Diggs’ numbers from the 2023 season shows how he could be almost an improved hybrid between Nabers and Robinson, who can create big plays in several different ways for the Giants’ bereft offensive unit, which ranked near the basement in several main receiving categories.
In his first 10 pro seasons, Diggs has played over 1,672 snaps in both the slot and wideout spots, albeit the latter takes the huge majority of his reps. He can display various route combos, develops separation with a good blend of vertical speed, and gains the edge in press-man concepts.
Diggs has an average target distance higher than 10.8 yards in seven seasons and averaged a contested catch rate of 54.1 percent while dropping less than four balls in six seasons.
He is one of the best at creating yardage out of nothing, notching at least 300 yards after the catch in eight years while forcing over 120 missed tackles since he was welcomed into the league.
Diggs also finished in the top 15 receivers last season in targets with 20+ aid yards, with 24 while catching six for 189 yards and an average of 31.5 yards per catch. The key is for him to have good quarterback play to complement his skill set, though, as shaky throws have tainted his work and led to interceptions tacked onto his resume.
That is where things could go with the Giants if they land the prospect they want in the NFL Draft this April, tagging one of Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, who have respective abilities that trump what they’ve had. That rookie could immediately partner and gain confidence with a duo of elite skill players like Nabers and Diggs, who’ve learned to make something out of nothing in their journeys.
The only other concern with recruiting Diggs could be his locker room character, which has shown some questionable stripes in recent seasons. Still, perhaps a reunion with a former regime where he has experienced some success will change the tune with the opportunity to become a big piece of what the Giants are trying to build for 2025 and way beyond that.
It’s highly unlikely that the Giants will find a gem for their wide receiver position via the draft short of a day 2 or 3 selection with so many other pressing roster matters on their plate. This would be one of the best and most comfortable ways to achieve the need, and their expanded cap space could help absorb the median-level contract that Diggs could command on the market this offseason.
The Giants could have a much more efficient offense than the one they had this season, with a Rolodex featuring a talented rookie arm, promising back Tyrone Tracy, and two dangerous and versatile receivers. At the same time, they build up the other pieces to flash the offense that they thought would come through in the last two campaigns.