Getty A key New York Giants rookie is struggling in an "expanded role."
There isn’t a lot the 1-4 New York Giants are doing right on offense. Not when quarterback Daniel Jones is beset by pressure and lacking the support of Pro-Bowl running back Saquon Barkley, who continues to deal with an ankle injury.
Those issues have meant Jones has been unable to connect with Jalin Hyatt often enough. The rookie wide receiver is also showing his “limitations” in an “expanded role.”
Hyatt was selected 73rd overall in the 2023 NFL draft to add some big-play potential to the Giants’ air attack, but there’s been precious little of that. Instead, Dan Duggan of The Athletic believes Hyatt’s “exclusively a deep threat at this stage, and this offense isn’t equipped to launch the ball downfield.”
Jones doesn’t have time to launch the deep passes, but Hyatt hasn’t adapted to the short game. He’s also not getting many targets, a problem obvious during Week 5’s 31-16 defeat to the Miami Dolphins. As Duggan noted, “Hyatt didn’t have a target Sunday, and he has been held without a catch in three of five games this season.”
Just being able to stretch the field has been a common criticism of Hyatt, even before he was drafted. Yet the Giants didn’t trade up for the wideout simply to be a passenger in a still pedestrian offense.
Giants Unable to Play to Rookie’s Strengths
Taking 16 sacks in his last two games shows how little time Jones has to wait for vertical routes to develop. Big Blue’s QB1 has taken almost as many sacks in five games as the most sacked quarterbacks since the merger, according to Associated Press reporter Josh Dubow.
Most sacks taken in first 5 games of season since merger:
David Carr 31 in 2002
David Carr 30 in 2005
Sam Howell 29 in 2023
Daniel Jones 28 in 2023
The relentless pressure facing Jones demands Giants’ receivers get open underneath to receive short, quick throws. That’s hardly Hyatt’s game after a collegiate career at Tennessee defined by a talent for taking the top off of defenses.
Hyatt averaged 16.4 yards per reception during three seasons with the Volunteers. Those numbers led many to view him as nothing more than a vertical target.
The perception played itself out during an interaction that became viral after Dallas Cowboys’ wide receivers coach Robert Prince tried to describe Hyatt’s skill-set to the player himself at Tennessee’s pro day back in March.
“Do you not see me coach?”
@JalinHyatt is confident in his route running ability 😤
Ironically, Hyatt’s reputation as a field-stretcher would have been welcomed by the Giants. Especially after the Jones-led offense mustered a league-low 28 completions of 20-plus yards last season.
Unfortunately, there have only been brief glimpses of Hyatt getting deep. The most notable was for the game-changing 58-yard reception that sparked a 31-28 comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2.
OKAY HYATT 🔥
📺: FOX
Hyatt’s barely been seen since, but that hasn’t stopped calls from many observers, including a Hall of Fame quarterback, to get the first-year pass-catcher more involved.
Peyton Manning Wants Hyatt More Involved
Among those unimpressed by how the Giants are using Hyatt is Peyton Manning. The two-time Super Bowl winner expressed his disappointment on an episode of the “ManningCast” for ESPN during the Giants’ 24-3 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football in Week 4.
In a clip highlighted by reporter Jordan Schultz, 47-year-old Manning mocked how the Giants were using Hyatt, saying, “Now we’re taking Hyatt out, nice job. Come in for a two-yard completion, take him out.”
Peyton Manning is not happy with Jalin Hyatt’s lack of usage and the #Giants’ going back to huddle.
Manning’s derision echoed the desire of SNY.tv’s Connor Hughes to see Hyatt “more involved.”
#Giants must get Jalin Hyatt more involved
Hughes didn’t get his wish against the Seahawks, and nor did it happen against the Dolphins. Instead, the underlying numbers reveal how little the Giants and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka are doing to put Hyatt in positions to make plays.
He’s had only two deep targets, played a mere 18 snaps in the slot and run just 76 routes, according to Player Profiler. Kafka needs to find ways to get Hyatt the ball at any area of the field and turn what is considered a weakness into an asset for Jones and his struggling O-line.
That can mean using bubble screens to get the ball out Jones’ hands quickly so Hyatt can use his speed in the open field. Another option would be to release tight end Darren Waller vertically and have Hyatt run crossing patterns underneath, giving him another chance to get the ball quickly and amass yards after the catch.
Waller was also not receiving enough targets before the game in Miami, but Kafka called the 31-year-old’s number 11 times at Hard Rock Stadium. Waller responded with eight catches for 86 yards.
Kafka needs a similar commitment to feature Hyatt against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6.