Kenny Golladay Hoping to Make Good with Second Chance

Kenny Golladay has a chance to be a part of a winning program for the first time in his NFL career. Can he make the most of it?

Author:
Andrew Parsaud
Publish date:
Nov 10, 2022 8:00 AM EST

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New York Giants

The Giants wide receivers have been disappointing this year, including Kenny Golladay, the team's $72 million man, who has just two catches for 22 yards on six targets.

Golladay has been out with an MCL sprain since Week 5 and is on track to return this week against the Texans. After some questions regarding his desire to be a part of the Giants' rebuild under head coach Brian Daboll, Golladay seems to have a new outlook on what's ahead.

“Excited. Definitely a smile on my face when I’m out there with the guys,” he said Wednesday. “I feel pretty good. Stacked two good days on top of each other, a little break tomorrow, get a little treatment done, then come back Friday and put another one on top of another.”

Golladay, who joined the Giants after four years in Detroit, has been a disappointment. He's yet to catch a touchdown pass as a Giant, and last year caught a career-low 49 percent of his pass targets for 521 yards in a season that saw him fight through assorted injuries.

One of the most glaring negative stats was his contested catch rate. Known for his ability to win the jump ball, Golladay came up with just 15 of 31 contested catches, another career-low percentage (48.8 percent)

Golladay has been reduced to a downfield blocker, which is how he hurt his knee in Week 4, and has done well in that regard. And there have been questions about whether he's a fit for the type of offense the Giants run.

Despite missing the last few weeks and seemingly not a main part of the game plan when he was on the field, Golladay is ready to hit the ground running and hopefully contribute to more wins.

“Definitely. That’s my main goal, to hit the ground running. I don’t want to come into the game and act like I lost a step as far as playbook-wise like I’m not mentally prepared. So, even when I wasn’t playing, I was making sure I was mentally prepared the entire time as if I was playing. That’s my main goal; when I get in there, it’s not like a fall off.”

Golladay appears to have had an epiphany since the Giants traded Kadarius Toney to the Chiefs before the bye. The veteran receiver spoke then of his hopes of returning post-bye to contribute, and he made sure to work at it to be ready.

Golladay is simply trying to contribute to a potential playoff team, but he’s made it clear he’s not trying to prove anything to anybody. In his four years with Detroit, Golladay had never been on a playoff team, let alone a winning team. This is uncharted waters for the veteran receiver, and he is hoping to help this offense produce more going forward.

“I’m playing for my guys and these people in the locker room. Of course, I’ve got to show up on the practice field to the coaches, but at the same time, I’m playing for the guys in this locker room.

“At the end of the day, I’m a competitor. I’m a winner. Even if I haven’t been a part of a team that’s 6-2, my mindset is still a dog mentality.”

How does Golladay feel about returning to a team on the verge of its first playoff berth in six years?

“That’s why I said when I got on the field earlier, I’ve got a smile on my face. It’s just a lot of energy going around this facility, period, and you can’t beat that,” he said.

Fans were distraught after general manager Joe Schoen elected not to trade for a receiver at the deadline, leaving quarterback Daniel Jones with little to work with. The Giants simply could not have pulled off a trade, mostly because of their cap situation.

Golladay, who fans have completely turned on, can gain some fans back if he can produce and help the Giants to the playoffs.

“I haven’t played in what, four weeks? Like I said, I’m just trying to stack these days on one another. You never know when my number is called, a deep shot down the field, or a slant that can go somewhere. Whenever the ball comes to me, I’ve just got to make it.”

What does Golladay think he can be when he returns to the field?

“Just another weapon I feel like I can be for (Quarterback Daniel) Danny (Jones) (and) be for this team.”

Whatever his role may be going forward, the Giants and their fans can only hope that Golladay can at least provide a spark that the passing offense has been missing this season.

The Giants only have nine passing plays of 20+ yards which is last in the league by a wide margin, with the next best being 18 (Ravens and Texans). Golladay does best when the ball is thrown to him deep, especially when making contested catches, so it will be interesting to see how the coaching staff plans to deploy him to help jumpstart the deep passing game over the rest of the way.