The New York Giants will enter the 2021 regular season with Graham Gano as their kicker and Riley Dixon as their punter. That means the odd man out is the versatile Ryan Santoso.
Santoso, who is built like a linebacker at 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds, is a bit of a hidden gem. He can both punt and kick, and has a range in excess of 60 yards. In fact, he’s connected on several field goals from over 65 yards out during training camp.
“He can do whatever. Ryan can punt, kick — I’m serious, he’s very talented and he’s punted in NFL games before, he’s kicked off, he can kick field goals, so Ryan is a very talented young man,” special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said last week. “Ryan has great upside, he’s a good man, he works his tail off. That’s what this league is all about, it’s about competition and hopefully Ryan can do enough where he can get a job, whether it’s here or somewhere else.”
Barring injury, Santoso will not win either starting job for the Giants. They know that and they’ve actively worked to get him looks in an effort to not only boost his value, but help ensure he lands a starting job somewhere.
Mission accomplished?
Although nothing has materialized just yet, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Santoso is generating trade interest from around the league and could be dealt prior to final cuts later this month.
One player already drawing significant trade interest from around the league: #Giants K Ryan Santoso. Teams have been calling and he could be dealt as the season gets closer. His path is blocked by Graham Gano in NYG, but he’s shown himself to be starter caliber.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 22, 2021
Getting anything for a backup kicker would be a coup for the Giants and would also help fill the gap created by their trade for cornerback Keion Crossen. In that deal, the Giants sent a 2023 sixth-round draft pick to the Houston Texans.
