Giants pass-catchers ranked second-to-last in separation in 2021

The New York Giants had many issues in 2021 but perhaps one of the most significant was the lack of separation generated by their pass-catchers.

That problem was compounded by a multitude of injuries and, of course, drops. There were also spacing issues that crippled the Giants offensively and left quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Mike Glennon little to work with.

But just how bad were the team’s pass-catchers in terms of separation last season? Well, Quick Shot data analyst intern Ajay Patell crunched those numbers and only the Tennessee Titans were worse. Barely.

The numbers themselves aren’t shocking. Anyone who followed the Giants in 2021 knew that Joe Judge and Jason Garrett’s offensive system wasn’t structured for success. In fact, several receivers have already expressed a relief that they’ll be more “free” under new head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.

“You’re able to just win. You don’t have to run the pen-and-paper version of your route every time,” Kadarius Toney told Giants Huddle of Daboll’s new offense. “It’s not set in stone, like, no matter which way the cornerback is playing you have to run that route.

“A lot of offensive coaches have the pen-and-paper mentality like you have to run it exactly like that every time. But Dabes gives us a lot of freedom, a lot of leeway to win. That’s the object of playing football — to win. He just gives that option.”

Some Giants receivers, like Kenny Golladay, aren’t built to create separation. But most others are. The issue wasn’t the players, it was the system. Thankfully for Big Blue, things will change in 2022 and fans can expect to see much better spacing and far more separation.