How Will Kenny Golladay Help The Giants?

Coming into the 2021 season, the New York Giants are looking to be a much-improved team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Adding more weapons to the offense was a clear focal point in the off-season and the receiving corps looks like it could be one of the best in the division. 

The biggest addition to the New York offense is offseason free-agent signing Kenny Golladay, who signed a four-year, $72,000,000 contract. The 6-foot-4 receiver is entering his fifth season and will be looking to make a major impact for the Giants. 

Last season, New York ranked 29th in receiving yards with 3,336, which was about 208 yards per game. Also, the Giants were tied for the least amount of receiving touchdowns in the league with 12. In addition to team statistics, the Giants have also struggled to get any impressive individual performances from the wide receiver position. Since trading Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants haven’t had a receiver total over 800 yards in a season. Now in 2021, New York is hoping that Golladay will be a true number one receiver. 

In 2020, Golladay played in just five games recording 20 catches for 338 yards and two touchdowns. But in the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Golladay totaled back-to-back 1,000 yard receiving seasons. The Giants will hope that Golladay can replicate his 2019 success where he caught 65 passes for 1,190 yards and a league-high 11 touchdowns. 

Kenny Golladay joins an offense with solid pass-catchers including Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, Kadarius Toney, Evan Engram, and John Ross. However, Golladay separates himself from the bunch because he is a physical receiver that has big-play potential. Between the Giants top three options from last season, Slayton, Shepard, and Engram, they had a combined 24 receptions of 20+ yards, which are classified as “big plays”. In the 2019 season, Golladay had 22 “big plays” on his own. 

By using his size, speed and athleticism, Golladay has shown that he has the ability to be a number one receiver that always has big-play potential. Since Golladay has this ability, it will open the field up for the Giants’ other offensive weapons. But another aspect of his game that will be beneficial is his redzone productivity. 

In the 2020 season, the Giants had totaled just 19 red zone touchdowns, which was the second least in the NFL. During Golladay’s impressive 2019 season, he racked up six touchdowns inside 10 yards, which was tied for the most in the NFL. 

The combination of Golladay’s skills and attributes as a receiver should be incredibly helpful for the New York Giants. His ability on the field will make the Giants’ offense more dynamic and it should make New York’s offense respectable.