Giants training camp battle takes a fascinating turn, and Jaxson Dart is the ultimate factor to determine how it all unfolds
Tight end Isaiah Likely is emerging as No. 2 pass-catching option behind wide receiver Malik Nabers.
The New York Giants are making their intentions clear at training camp. Connor J. Hughes, from SNYTV, reported that the Giants are intent on featuring tight end Isaiah Likely as the No. 2 pass-catching option behind wide receiver Malik Nabers.
That development is noteworthy because Likely hasn’t had the production in the NFL to justify that kind of role, but his circumstances have changed dramatically since leaving the Baltimore Ravens.
A different role in New York
In Baltimore, Likely played as the second tight end behind Mark Andrews. It wasn’t a normal TE2 role by any means because of the offense’s tight end-centric approach, but it still limited his production to a certain extent. Likely’s best season in terms of numbers was 2024, when he had 42 catches for 477 yards and six touchdowns. Last season, he posted 27 receptions, 307 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.
According to Hughes, Likely has moved throughout the formation during camp and displayed clear chemistry with quarterback Jaxson Dart. That’s a significant development for an offense searching for reliable weapons beyond Nabers.
The receiver room’s limitations
The Giants have obvious question marks at wide receiver beyond Nabers, who remains the primary weapon on offense. New York signed several veteran receivers this offseason, including Odell Beckham Jr., Calvin Austin, Braxton Berrios, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, and Isaiah Hodgins are also on the roster, and the team drafted Malachi Fields in the third round.
So the Giants have a collection of competent NFL players at the position. But beyond Nabers, the offense clearly lacks explosiveness and high-end talent at this stage of those players’ careers. That’s why investing in Likely makes sense, especially after the Giants signed him to a three-year, $40 million contract in free agency. The team should want to feed targets to him and evaluate what he can produce as a true feature of the offense rather than an afterthought.
Likely has the talent and the body to do that. He’s a 6-foot-4, 241-pound tight end whose ability to use his frame to win contested catches should translate well in a larger role. The early chemistry with Dart is a major step forward for the offense, even if it wasn’t necessarily what most observers expected this early in camp.
Another part of the equation worth considering is the presence of new Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. He brings a Kansas City Chiefs style of offense with him, and the Chiefs under Andy Reid built tight end-centric schemes around Travis Kelce, particularly after Kansas City traded Tyreek Hill. Nagy understands how to use tight ends as featured weapons in that system, and that knowledge is a meaningful asset for a Giants offense that needs Likely to step up.
