New York Giants 2024 Training Camp Preview: DL/FB Elijah Chatman

Can Elijah Chatman eke out a spot as a two-way, short-yardage blocker for the Giants?

Oct 30, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs defensive tackle Elijah Chatman (40) reacts after making a tackle during the third quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Elijah Chatman is quite a story so far. The former SMU product not only went undrafted, but no team expressed an interest in signing him as an undrafted free agent until he showed up at the New York Giants rookie minicamp as a tryout player.

Chatman, whose lack of size probably turned teams off from making any kind of major investment in him, so impressed the Giants coaching staff, and in particular assistant defensive line coach Bryan Cox, who was spotted hovering around the young man during defensive line drills and offering continuous praise, that the Giants made him their lone signing from among the tryouts at the camp.

Chatman has been flying under the radar. He was not invited to the combine, but if you were to stack up his numbers from his pro day, his test results would have been right up there with his competition, according to Jordan Hofeditz of On3.com’s On the Pony Express: 

"His  4.81-second 40-yard dash would have been second, along with those 32 reps on the bench. His 4.59-second shuttle would have been third, his 9-foot, 4-inch broad jump would have been sixth, and his 31-inch vertical would have been ninth.”

Chatman was named to Bruce Feldman’s (The Athletic) “Freak List,” with Feldman writing of Chatman, “Not only is he pound for pound one of the strongest people in college football, Chatman is one of the strongest period.”

Although Chatman was primarily a defensive lineman in college, he also played 44 snaps at fullback, 17 coming in 2019 and 27 coming in 2023.  

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ELIJAH CHATMAN, DL/FB 

Height: 6-0
Weight: 272 lbs.
Exp.: R
School: SMU
How Acquired: UDFA-24

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2023 in Review

In five seasons for SMU, Chatman, whose 60 games played are the second most in SMU program history, primarily played defensive tackle. He racked up 148 tackles (98 solos) in 56 games, including 33 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks over his tenure. 

His 33 tackles last season were good for eighth overall on the team and second on the defensive line. His nine tackles for loss were second-best on the team, as were his 5.5 sacks.

His small sample size at fullback last year is particularly impressive. Twenty-seven of the Shreveport, Louisiana native’s snaps were spent at fullback. Per Pro Football Focus, he posted a perfect pass-block efficiency rating and graded out with an 85.4 mark as a run blocker.

Chatman also contributed on special teams, where last season, he blocked a kick and recovered a fumble for a touchdown. 

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Contract/Cap Info

Chatman signed a three-year UDFA contract worth $2.831 million, including a $1,000 signing bonus. His 2024 cap number is $795,333; if he doesn’t make the roster, he will yield a $795,000 savings with $333 in dead money this year and $667 in dead money next year, making him a low-cost, high-reward type of option.

2024 Preview

Chatman’s story and roster chances remind one of Nikita Whitlock, a smallish but powerfully built player who was primarily with the Giants from 2014 to 2016 as their fullback but who, like Chatman, was a college defensive tackle by trade. 

Chatman’s size doesn’t bode well for any regular role as a defensive lineman unless it’s for goal-line or short-yardage situations, where his quick first step and violent hands could serve him well.  

If he’s to have any chance at making this roster, we think it will be at fullback, a position the Giants have yet to have under Daboll, yet one Daboll had as an offensive coordinator in Buffalo. As a defensive lineman, Chatman benefitted by getting lower than his opposition, which he could probably easily do while playing on the other side of the ball.

The Giants sure could use some added strength in their short-yardage offense. Last season, New York had an average success rate on third-down short yardage (needing three yards or less) of 24.10 percent, 31st in the league, and a 35 percent success rate on fourth down, also 31st. Although there is hope that the offensive line will be better this season, having a squatty, strong fullback to help pave the way for the running backs sure can’t hurt.  

The challenge for Chatman will be the numbers. If the Giants end up having to keep three quarterbacks, which is a likely scenario, they might not be able to keep Chatman on the 53-man roster. 

That’s why if Chatman has a decent enough training camp, the most likely scenario for him will be to land on the team’s practice squad, where he would be on call to help in games where the Giants plan for a run-heavy offense or face an offense with a strong short-yardage conversion rate (see Philadelphia).

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