Elijah Chatman signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent earlier this year. As an undrafted rookie, he has to show the coaching staff what he brings to the table early and often in order to secure a spot on the team.
Chatman has taken full advantage of the time he’s been given on the field, and he caught the attention of the NFL with his play against the Houston Texans on Saturday.
On Monday, Chatman spoke with reporters about playing with the studs this defensive line boasts. He has previously said that he’s always known he would get to the NFL and that he feels like he belongs in this league.
When asked if he feels like he belongs with guys like Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, Chatman remained humble.
“I wouldn’t say I belong with those guys specifically,” he said. “They obviously accomplished a lot more than I have. But it feels normal to me, rushing alongside of them. So I love that feeling and, like I said before, it gives me a lot of confidence because I know I have other unique people alongside of me.”
To that end, someone wondered if the focus being on his teammates means he can do what he needs to do with more ease. Chatman laughed.
“It’s not even that, if I can take some hands off of Dex then that’s a win for us as well. But I just try to look at how I can make the whole defense better,” he said.
When you find a player whose sole focus is on making the team better, you have to keep that player around. Not only does Chatman have the right attitude, but he didn’t hesitate to give 100 percent on the field on Saturday. And during preseason, that matters.
