This is Week 5 in the NFL and that means that all of the players who received four-game suspensions to start the 2019 season are eligible to return to their teams. Such is the case of New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate, who re-joined the team on Monday after serving a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing materials.
Tate, who is entering his 10th NFL season, is an experienced wideout with a long record of production and success. Over his last five seasons, Tate has averaged 89.4 receptions and 1,003 yards, and since 2010 has led the NFL in YAC, or yards after the catch.
Tate signed as a free agent in March (a four-year, $37,500,000 contract, including a $10,000,000 signing bonus, $22,950,000 guaranteed), a day after the Giants traded Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns.
While Tate does not have the same skill set as Beckham, don’t write him off as a pedestrian receiver. He will add quite a bit to this Giants’ offense and become a huge help to rookie quarterback Daniel Jones.
“I just want to come in and be a spark, an addition to what we’re doing, just help everybody around me get better and just be myself,” Tate said. “There is no secret that in the slot I’m pretty dangerous once I get the ball in my hands. I feel like I’m pretty dangerous on third down. Hopefully, I am utilized that way. Whatever it takes to win. These four weeks have been very long for me. I have just been thinking about football, ready to get back out here and the time is now. We just want to get another win, go 1-0 this week and keep this thing rolling. As you can probably see in this locker room, the vibe is great. When you win, it’s all great, so we’ll see.”
It will be interesting to see where the Giants line Tate up on offense. He is predominantly a slot receiver and the Giants already have one of the league’s top slot guys in Sterling Shepard. During the preseason, they shuffled the wideouts around, so this could be huge advantage for the Giants who are seeing mismatches in the defense.
“He’s a tackle-breaking machine with the 11th-most PPR points among receivers over the last five years. The early missed games will hurt, but once he’s back he’ll produce.” – Daniel Kelley, PFF
With “Danny Dimes” Jones under center now, Tate’s abilities will be more pronounced. He is a savvy vet who will benefit from a quarterback who can move around in the pocket.
“I’m liking what I’m seeing, for sure,” Tate said of Jones. “He’s been handling the moment very well and hopefully he continues to improve each day and each game….He’s slippery. He finds his way out of some sticky situations and makes plays. Obviously, he’s helped us win. Watching from afar, his decision-making has been great, I think. I’m here to help him, helping his development, help make some plays and take some pressure off of him and just help us continue to win.”
