TE Garrett Dickerson has the Giants intrigued

Garrett Dickerson was one of the dozens of tryout players in attendance last month when the New York Giants held their rookie mini-camp. They sent the tight end, a local product who attended nearby Bergen Catholic High School, away without a contract. This week, though, Dickerson was brought back as the Giants made a series of roster moves.

Does he have a legitimate chance to stick around? Let’s take a look at Dickerson as we continue our player-by-player profiles of the 90-man roster the Giants will bring to training camp.

2017 season in review

Dickerson caught 38 passes in 11 games for 410 yards (10.8 yards per catch) and 4 touchdowns last season. He had 34 receptions in 2016. Dickerson earned Honorable Mention All-Big 10 honors in 2017.

2018 outlook

A 6-foot-3, 248-pound player who is more of an H-Back than true tight end, Dickerson joins a crowded group. Evan Engram, Rhett Ellison, Jerell Adams, Kyle Carter and Ryan O’Malley are at tight end. Shane Smith is a pure fullback.

Why did the Giants sign Dickerson?

“We thought really in a short period of time [at the mini-camp] he showed us that he was smart and he had instincts, runs around well, he catches the ball,” said head coach Pat Shurmur. “We’re just trying to keep re-shaping the 90-man roster as we get ready for training camp. We liked what we saw in a short exposure, so we’re going to bring him in and try to learn more.”

Caleb Friedman of SB Nation’s Northwestern website, Inside NU, offered an encouraging report on Dickerson:

“Dickerson is a great blocker, and probably wasn’t involved in Northwestern’s offense enough as a receiver. While Dickerson was still productive in certain games, the superback position (as it’s called at NU) isn’t a weekly part of the game plan. He has good, but not great size for the position. He isn’t really much of a deep threat up the seam, but he has reliable hands and does a good job finding open pockets in the middle of the field, especially on third and fourth downs. I can’t emphasize his blocking enough; that’s something most casual viewers won’t notice, but it really helped allow Northwestern to run the effectively the past several seasons.”

Draft Analyst says:

Dickerson is not a top-flight athlete but is a solid football player who is well-versed in all areas of the game. He’s an H-back type with potential as a short-range target and as a blocker in motion.

It is impossible to know what kind of chance, if any, Dickerson actually has to stick around. The Giants are obviously intrigued enough to find out, so we will wait and see.