The homestretch of the Giants’ season might be seen as a good opportunity for Daniel Bellinger to prove himself … if he hadn’t already done so two years ago.
The third-year tight end logged 61 snaps last week (his previous season high was just 26) and tied for the team lead with five catches against the Saints.
He is expected to be heavily involved again Sunday as the Giants move forward without injured rookie Theo Johnson.
It’s the latest twist on an unusual career path for Bellinger, who started as a rookie fourth-round pick and finished fifth in receptions (30 in 12 games) on a playoff team in 2022.
Since then, the Giants have replaced him twice: By trading for Darren Waller in 2023 and drafting Johnson in the fourth round in 2024.
“It’s not really what anybody sees for themselves, but it’s football and you can’t bank on it going [upward] all the time,” Bellinger said. “Sometimes it looks like this [up and down]. I have to keep getting better. It’s unfortunate that it’s this type of injury situation that I get an opportunity, but you have to take what you can get in this league.”
Bellinger scored a fourth-quarter touchdown — his third in a five-game span — when the Giants beat the Ravens in 2022.
Sunday’s game against the Ravens will be his 37th since then without returning to the end zone.
“It’s above my pay grade. I just do what they ask me to do,” Bellinger said when asked about his de-emphasized role. “I feel like I have the ability to do whatever any tight end can do. My confidence hasn’t fluctuated. I’ve done a good job of staying focused on my details. The idea is, ‘How can we have the best tight end room?’”
When Johnson was healthy, Bellinger’s role was more blocking-centric.
With Johnson sidelined for the rest of the season, Bellinger should be able to flash his reliable hands more often as veteran Chris Manhertz adds to the blocking.
Bellinger credits his one year with the now-retired Waller, a former Pro Bowler, for teaching him how to handle adversity on and off the field.
“Belly is a guy we’ve leaned on here for the last couple years, so it was nothing new to us,” offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. “Whether it’s not getting a lot of touches, whether it’s getting a lot of touches and being a part of the pass game [or] the run game, he’s kind of a Swiss Army knife in that respect.”
DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (neck/shoulder), LB Bobby Okereke (back), CB Dru Phillips (shoulder) and RG Jon Runyan Jr. (ankle) will not play.
QB Drew Lock (heel/left elbow) and CB Cor’Dale Flott (quad) are considered doubtful.
CB Deonte Banks (rib), OT Chris Hubbard (knee), LB Dyontae Johnson (ankle) and C Austin Schlottman (fibula) are questionable. Johnson and Schlottman would need to be activated off of injured reserve.
QB Tim Boyle, who first joined the Giants on Nov. 19, is expected to be elevated from the practice squad to serve as the primary backup to Tommy DeVito, with Lock possibly available in case of emergency. Boyle dressed as Lock’s backup on Thanksgiving against the Cowboys.
“He’s catching up to speed as fast as he possibly can,” Kafka said. “But he’s a great worker.”
