New York Giants: Evan Engram should be No. 1 option during preseason

New York Giants rookie tight end Evan Engram is impressing during training camp, which is only one reason the Giants should test him often this preseason.

You won’t have to search among NFL season previews very long to read about how the offense of the New York Giants is expected to be a pass-heavy unit in 2017. Wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard are both back, the club signed veteran Brandon Marshall in the offseason, and New York added tight end Evan Engram to the mix in the NFL Draft. Quarterback Eli Manning should be in for an impressive campaign, statistically speaking, so long as all goes as planned.

One thing those within the Giants didn’t account for was the previously mentioned Shepard rolling his ankle during a practice on Aug. 2. While concerns about that knock have since been assuaged, logic suggests head coach Ben McAdoo should probably shut Shepard down for the team’s preseason opener versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday.

Shepard’s injury, however insignificant it may prove to be come Sept. 10, is unfortunate, but it also presents an interesting opportunity for Engram. By all accounts, the 22-year old athletic marvel is silencing any existing critics and impressing with his performances in training camp sessions. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Dan Duggan of NJ.com and Ed Valentine of Big Blue View all touched upon this over the past few days.

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In most cases, the first preseason game is a glorified walkthrough, and little more, for proven players. Manning and Marshall, who have seen it all during their careers, have little to gain by taking the field versus the Steelers. Beckham could also probably watch this exhibition contest from the sideline, if needed, but a dynamic 24-year old wide receiver catching a few passes during the first five minutes of a preseason affair shouldn’t be a big deal.

Engram’s rookie status combined with the fact the majority of New York starters will replace helmets for caps before halftime on Friday make the first-year pro an interesting player to watch on Friday. Other than much-maligned left tackle Ereck Flowers and his counterparts on the team’s front line, Engram should, theoretically, be New York’s top offensive player of the next four weeks.

We already know what Beckham is and could become, and he has nothing to prove to anybody this preseason. Manning and Marshall have some growing pains to work out, but neither man should play more than a half of football in any August exhibition. Shepard receiving a handful of reps between now and the night of Aug. 21 would’ve been nice, but his health is far more important at this inconsequential portion of the year.

Engram remains a question, if only because nobody has seen him do anything of note in the NFL. Yes, Engram seems to be grasping life in the pros more and more with each practice, and one cannot blame any fan for getting excited upon seeing him beat a teammate for a big play during a drill. McAdoo and his staff are clearly noticing, as Engram is reportedly receiving additional reps as the official start of preseason football approaches.

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To steal an infamous phase: We’re talking about practice, not a game. There is a long history of NFL players who “won” training camp only to go on to become flops and failures once September snaps and downs started. It was only back in 2014 when cornerback Justin Gilbert repeatedly shined as a rookie with the Cleveland Browns in training camp. Gilbert is now without a job and essentially out of the NFL.

The Giants placed a first-round value on Engram this past spring, but the club must test him throughout preseason as if he was a player fighting for a roster spot if only to see what he can, and cannot, do. In late July, John Healy of the New York Daily News wrote Engram is working on his blocking, probably the biggest gap in his game, ahead of facing the Steelers. Big Blue need the this supposed tight end in a wide receiver’s body to improve as a blocker quickly to benefit New York’s rushing and passing attacks.

Examine how Ingram blocks against Pittsburgh’s defensive starters. Feed him more and more after the likes of Beckham and Marshall sit. Play him deep into the third quarter, at least. Give him red-zone opportunities, and see if fatigue becomes a problem on an August evening. All of these should be priorities for the Giants on Friday and moving forward.

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Unlike many rookies around the NFL, Engram was acquired to become a key component for a team eying more than just a playoff berth this fall. Pushing and testing him every preseason game will, hopefully, only accelerate his progress and provide Manning with another reliable target once his passes start to count toward the pursuit of another Super Bowl ring.

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