The New York Giants saw an improvement to their special teams unit under Thomas McGaughey in 2019, which is why it should come as little surprise that first-year head coach Joe Judge, a long-time special teams coach, opted to have him return.
Judge places a heavy emphasis on the importance of special teams, so don’t think for a second the Giants will slack in that area.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that there will be several major changes and a little uncertainty as the team enters training camp.
Kicker
Chandler Catanzaro is the kicker right now, but how long that lasts is anyone’s guess. The bottom line is that the Giants had to add someone to kick the ball following the release of Aldrick Rosas, and with no tryouts to be had, Catanzaro was the best immediate option.
Catanzaro initially signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent out of Clemson following the 2014 NFL Draft. He stayed with the team through the 2016 season.
In 2017, Catanzaro spent a season with the Jets before spending time with both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers in 2018.
Catanzaro returned to Gang Green briefly in 2019, but unexpectedly announced his retirement five months after signing. He remained on the team’s reserve/left squad until being released last week.
In 77 career games, Catanzaro has connected on 83.8% of his field-goal attempts and 92.9% of his point-after attempts.
Don’t expect Catanzaro to be the only kicker to stroll through East Rutherford this summer.
Punter
The Giants have only Riley Dixon on the roster as far as punters go and it doesn’t look like they’re going to add any competition for him, especially considering the new roster restrictions brought about by COVID-19.
The Giants signed Dixon to a three-year contract extension worth $8.7 million last December, which made him one of the highest-paid punters in the NFL.
That contract felt justified given that Dixon was among the Giants’ most consistent players in 2019 and we felt even warranted Pro Bowl consideration.
“He’s had a good year, he really has,” McGaughey told reporters in December. “I think he’s turned a corner. He’s enjoying punting. I think today he might have hit 3,000 balls. He’s enjoying it, he’s enjoying his craft. He’s feeling himself turn that corner. Everything is starting to click for him a little bit more now.”
Dixon punted the ball 69 times for 3,178 yards last season, including a long of 62 and a per punt average of 46.1, which represented a career high.
Long snapper
For the first time since 2007, the Giants will have someone other than Zak DeOssie sending back the long snaps.
With DeOssie no longer on the team, the role reverts to Casey Kreiter, who the team signed in April.
Kreiter, who originally signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Iowa following the 2014 NFL Draft, spent two seasons in Arlington before joining the Denver Broncos in 2016. In 2018, he earned his first-ever Pro Bowl appearance.
At the time of Kreiter’s signing, the Giants also had long snappers Colin Holba and Drew Scott, but both have since been cut.
Several other Giants offensive linemen may try their hand at long snapping in training camp, but Kreiter appears to be the shoo-in for the starting job.
Return men
A season ago, the Giants used seven different players to return kicks and punts, but three of those — Da’Mari Scott, Cody Latimer and T.J. Jones — are no longer with the team.
Second-year cornerback Corey Ballentine will likely have the opportunity to win the role of kick returner, but he certainly won’t be alone in the quest for that job.
Safety Jabrill Peppers and wide receiver Darius Slayton could also be considered an options, while Peppers may also get a look as a punt returner. Veteran wide receiver Golden Tate could also factor into that role after returning 10 punts for 97 yards a season ago.
Then there is wide receiver Corey Coleman, who is returning from a torn ACL. He led the team with 23 returns for 598 in 2018 and given his speed, is always considered a potential threat.
Other options include undrafted rookie running back Javon Leake, who returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in college, and veteran running back Dion Lewis, who had some special teams success under Judge in New England.
