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New York Giants: Don’t Forget About Rueben Randle

By Ryan Disdier

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Rueben Randle is the most underrated player on the New York Giants’ offense. The guy is arguably the best number-three receiver in the entire NFL, but still, nobody seems to respect Randle.

Randle can probably relate to Rodney Dangerfield, considering the late, great comedian once said: “I don’t get no respect!”

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So far this offseason, Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz – the two fan-favorites from the wide receiver position – have received most of the attention this offseason. It’s ironic, because Randle really hasn’t gotten a modicum of mainstream attention, but he’s the one whose been practicing every day.

Dec 14, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham (13) carries the ball against Washington Redskins strong safety Phillip Thomas (41) and cornerback David Amerson (39) during the fourth quarter of a game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

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The 24-year-old LSU product has improved each year he’s been in the NFL,and isn’t that what you want to see in a player who was taken in the second round?

Think about it like this: When Randle entered the league, he was joining a tandem of wide receivers — Cruz and the since-departed Hakeem Nicks — who had just won a Super Bowl. Because of that, he wasn’t necessarily an intricate part of the team’s game plan.

According to Sporting Charts, Randle caught 19 passes out of a mere 32 balls thrown his way. The team’s other role-playing receiver, Domenik Hixon, had more receptions (39) than Randle had passes thrown to him.

Even in his second year, Randle was never the focal point of the offense. Nicks was back in the fold, and Cruz was still viewed as a legitimate number-one guy.

Last year, Randle’s third as a pro, he entered the season as a starter, albeit the Robin to Cruz’s Batman. And for what Randle’s role was, he gave the Giants what was likely expected.

Randle finished the season with 71 receptions for 938 yards and three touchdowns. Randle had more yards than Mike Wallace, Michael Floyd, Andre Johnson, Roddy White, Keenan Allen, Mohamed Sanu, Pierre Garcon, Brandon Marshall and Larry Fitzgerald, among others.

Those receivers (disregarding Wallace, Allen and Floyd) are all pretty darn good number-two receivers, and Randle outperformed them all.

Of course, Randle did suffer some miscues over the course of the year. Two times in a three-game span, Randle was benched for a portion of the game. The first time was because he was late to a team meeting, while the reason behind the second time wasn’t disclosed, but it’s safe to assume he did something to irk Tom Coughlin.

As the season wore on, Randle became a somewhat forgotten part of the Giants’ offense, thanks largely in part to Beckham’s meteoric rise to superstardom.

Despite the nonchalant way fans talk about Randle, he’s still a very, very important part of New York’s offense. So far this offseason, both Cruz and Beckham have been sidelined with injuries.

Their absence has made Randle the number-one receiver at the moment, and it’s not completely outside the realm of possibility that he’ll be the starting receiver when the team travels to Dallas in Week 1.

Randle is certainly capable of being a primary target, especially since it seems as if the light has finally gone on for him. During the team’s final two games, Randle exploded, catching 12 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown.

He has decent, sometimes a bit too unreliable, hands. He drops some simple passes, but he also has a tendency to make big catches. Not including Beckham, Randle has the most big-play ability out of every other receiver on the team.

The former LSU Tiger has improved his route-running ability, and he’s good after the catch, despite not being the fastest receiver. Randle is good at creating separation, too.

He’s like a middle-class man’s A.J. Green.

I’ve seen some fans propose a Randle trade, but that scenario would be detrimental to the team. According to Over the Cap, Randle has a base salary of $813,899 and a cap number of $1,047,432. That’s an incredibly low price to pay for a tremendous number-three receiver.

While Cruz and Beckham continue to get healthy, expect Randle to continue to improve on the field, and keep quiet off the field. Randle won’t top the Giants in jersey sales, but he’s in a position to have his best year yet.

Next: New York Giants: Examining the Wide Receivers

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