The Giants added free agent wide receiver Cole Beasley in a move that shows New York is throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks in the slot.
To say that the Giants are covering all their bases in the slot for 2023 would be an understatement.
On Friday, New York added to their already crowded receiver room by picking Cole Beasley out of free agency.
Beasley played for Giants head coach Brian Daboll when he was the offensive coordiantor in Buffalo, so the connection there is obvious. According to Ralph Vacchiano, the team had attempted to sign Beasley last season as well. Now Daboll has his man.
Cole Beasley adds to an already crowded Giants WR room
But the Giants have a bunch of others also vying for touches out of the slot including Parris Campbell, Sterling Shepard, Wan’Dale Robinson and Jamison Crowder. And that’s just for the slot, with Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins and third-round draft pick Jalin Hyatt covering the outside.
Signing Beasley also means New York has six receivers on the roster standing 5-foot-10 or shorter — Beasley, Crowder and Robinson are all 5-foot-8. Campbell is a relative giant at 6-foot.
Darren Waller lining up for the team photo with Cole Beasley, Sterling Shepard, Jamison Crowder and Wan'Dale Robinson. pic.twitter.com/oRRquuZNMb
— Dwain McFarland (@dwainmcfarland) July 21, 2023
This feels like scattergun approach; Sign a bunch of short slot receivers and see which ones hit.
It may just be a tactic to contend with injuries. Shepard, Robinson and Crowder were each limited to six games or fewer last year while Campbell didn’t manage to play more than seven games in the first three years of his career before finally participating in 17 in 2022.
The depth may be necessary.
Beasley wasn’t the only signing the Giants made on Friday. They also added former Jaguards and Jets running back James Robinson to bolster depth behind Saquon Barkley, assuming he’s the one leading the rushers this year.