Is there still room for WR David Sills on the Giants?

It’s another year, and David Sills is still with the New York Giants. The guy has almost as many Big Blue View roster profiles as he does career starts.

Sills is one of the veterans of the Giants’ wide receiver room, along with Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton. But unlike those two players, he’s not guaranteed a spot on the team this year.

Let’s take a look at where Sills fits into New York’s offense.

By the numbers

Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 211
Age: 27
Position: Wide receiver
Experience: 5
Contract: One-year, $940,000 deal | 2023 cap hit: $940,000

Career to date

Sills enjoyed a standout career at West Virginia, where he was twice named to the All-Big 12 First Team and was a Third-Team All-American in 2018. He had 33 receiving touchdowns in his last two seasons — more than any other player in the country over that span — and was a finalist or semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award both years.

Sills went undrafted and signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2019. He joined the Giants’ practice squad that September, where he’s become something of a permanent fixture.

Sills has basically spent his entire career on the Giants’ roster bubble: always good enough to stick around, but rarely impressive enough to be on the Week 1 roster. He’s played for three head coaches; he’s followed Daniel Jones around the country for offseason workouts; and in all that time, he has just 13 career receptions.

Sills made his first regular season appearance in 2021, playing in four games with one start. Last year, he was part of the Giants’ initial 53-man roster. He started five games and finished with 106 receiving yards.

2023 outlook

General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have known Sills since they were all part of the Bills in 2019. They also liked him enough to give him more playing time last year than any previous Giants coach (though that might be more of a testament to the state of the Giants’ wide receivers).

It’s unlikely that Sills makes the opening day roster, even if both Sterling Shepard and Wan’Dale Robinson are still on the PUP list. The Giants are deep at receiver this year, and Sills doesn’t have the special teams ability of someone like Jamison Crowder or Collin Johnson.

Even sticking around on the practice squad could pose more of a challenge than usual for Sills. His height and impressive catch radius are probably his best assets in terms of standing out from the crowd, since the Giants’ receivers are mostly on the smaller side. He’s the team’s tallest wide receiver besides the 6-foot-6 Johnson.

However, it’s possible the Giants might instead opt to stash a younger receiver on their practice squad, such as rookie undrafted free agent Bryce Ford-Wheaton. It all depends on how many wideouts the Giants want to keep around. The coaching staff will also have to decide whether they place more importance on upside, or if they want a more proven commodity like Sills who already knows the team’s offense. With all the injuries that seem to plague New York’s receivers, a safer bet like Sills could be the best choice.