Giants’ John Harbaugh raves about ‘playmaking’ newcomer: ‘He’s going to be big’
· Yahoo Sports
New Giants coach John Harbaugh feels certain that tight end Isaiah Likely is ready to take on a more prominent role.
Harbaugh on Monday raved about Likely — one of his old Baltimore pals — while speaking with reporters at the NFL’s Annual Meeting in Phoenix.
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Likely just got what is essentially a two-year, $28 million contract from the Giants in free agency. They will lean heavily on him, especially with slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson leaving for the Titans.
Likely, who is about to turn 26, spent his first four NFL seasons with Harbaugh in Baltimore as the Ravens’ second tight end option, behind Mark Andrews. Now, in East Rutherford, Harbaugh will ask more of Likely, who is expected to bump Theo Johnson down the depth chart.
Likely’s best season came in 2024 — 42 catches, 477 yards and six touchdowns. Can he put up bigger numbers? Harbaugh thinks so.
“He’s a playmaking football player,” Harbaugh said. “I think Jaxson is going to really like him running the routes and being in his line of vision. He’s got a big catch radius. He can make plays after he makes the catch.
“He can get upfield. He can make people miss. He can run people over. He’s a very good perimeter blocker. You’ll see that. That’ll be good for our run game. All those things he brings to the table.”
As for why Harbaugh thinks Likely is ready to be the Giants’ top tight end, he said, “I’ve seen him every day in practice [in Baltimore]. I’ve seen him make plays. I know how he plays the game. You try to create a vision for a player.
“When you see a player do it every day, you’ve got a pretty good idea of what he’s capable of. I’m certain he’s going to be able to put up the numbers. That wasn’t part of the thing in Baltimore, just because of the supporting cast [with Andrews]. He’s going to be big here.”
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