New York Giants 2024 Training Camp Preview: TE Daniel Bellinger

Rumors have been swirling all off-season about the future of the tight end Darren Waller of the New York Giants. At this point in the cycle, Waller retiring is a legitimate possibility and even the most likely scenario to expect.

That would leave the Giants tight end room with Daniel Bellinger, Lawrence Cager, Tyree Jackson, Theo Johnson, Chris Manhertz, Tyree Jackson, and Jack Stoll. Should Waller retire, there would now be an easy path to a starting role for Bellinger in 2024.

It’s no secret that I believe in Bellinger’s skillset as an all-around tight end who might not become the 1,000-yard receiver but who can become a legitimate TE. As a blocker, Bellinger is one of the more reliable options among young tight ends.

The NFL is increasingly shifting toward lighter boxes defensively, so having a tight end that can be enough of a threat of a pass-catcher to still entice defenses to stay in nickel or dime while being able to win as a blocker is a great advantage for the Giants. Bellinger’s skill set should help lead to a more effective run game.

Daniel Bellinger, TE

Height: 6-6
Weight: 255 lbs.
EXP: 3 Years
School: San Diego State
How Acquired: D4-22

2023 in Review

Before the 2023 season, Giants general manager Joe Schoen traded for Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller to give the team a top pass-catching tight end. Adding Waller was meant to set the Giants up to run 12-personnel as effectively as possible with Waller and Bellinger.

The Giants still ran 12 personnel on 25.65 percent of their offensive snaps last season, even while missing Waller for five games. Bellinger was healthy for all 17 games and ended up with the sixth-highest snap count on the Giants offense with 689 snaps.

Bellinger’s overall receiving production took a hit in 2023 compared to 2022, as he saw fewer targets, catches, and yards and had zero touchdowns in 2023 after having three receiving scores in 2022.

In my opinion, there are three main factors for this drop-off as a pass-catcher: the addition of Waller, the drop in quarterback play, and Bellinger's increased use in pass protection.

Bellinger spent 22.6 percent of his passing down snaps as a blocker, the fifth-highest rate for tight ends who played 200 passing down snaps in 2023. From an efficiency perspective, Bellinger caught 89.3 percent of passes he was targeted on, up from 86.8 percent last season.

Bellinger added more run-after-catch ability to his skillset from 2022, picking up 5.6 yards after the catch per catch and forcing three missed tackles—both numbers increased from his rookie year.

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Contract/Cap Info

Daniel Bellinger's initial rookie contract, which he signed after being drafted in 2022, has two seasons remaining. The contract's total value was $4,453,112, .

Bellinger’s guarantee is spread evenly throughout the length of the contract at $198,278 guaranteed annually. If the Giants were to get rid of Bellinger this year, they would save $786,722 while eating a dead cap penalty of $396,556.

Considering some of the contracts currently on the Giants’ roster and the potential incoming loss of Darren Waller, it wouldn’t make much sense on either the financial or talent side of things to release Bellinger. A player worth .46 percent of the total salary cap that will potentially play starting-caliber snaps shouldn’t even be considered at risk of release.

2024 Preview

I think a few players will see a productivity increase to the level Bellinger could see this year, especially if Waller decides to retire.

Realistically, even if Waller does retire, Bellinger wouldn’t move up the pecking order of target share due to the addition of Malik Nabers. However, the Giants will likely throw the ball considerably more in 2024 than in 2023 or even 2022.

So, while target share may not increase considerably, the increased frequency with which the Giants throw the ball should lead to more opportunities for Bellinger.

Another major factor in a likely Bellinger productivity jump is that the Giants emphasized improving their offensive line this past offseason, hopefully opening the door for more five-man protections that allow Bellinger to be used less as a pass-blocker.

Quarterback play should help Bellinger see an uptick in productivity as well. I’m not talking about improved quarterback play here–just different quarterback play.

Tommy DeVito tended to throw the majority of his passes to slot receivers and running backs. Daniel Jones has shown that he likes to target tight ends, specifically Bellinger. Drew Lock has had a relatively even split by position of who he targets.

If either Jones or Lock is named the starting quarterback this season, I expect Bellinger to be targeted more often on a per-dropback basis.

While I wasn’t talking about the quality of quarterback play before, it is worth noting that last season's play was subpar at best, and improved play this year should lead to fewer negative play situations for the Giants and more consistent, sustained drives.

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