The New York Giants are third in the NFL in dropped passes (26) this season, behind only the Cleveland Browns (31) and Green Bay Packers (28).
The Browns have resolved their issue by trading Amari Cooper to Buffalo at the trade deadline. He leads the league in drops with 11. Tight end David Njoku and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy have five drops apiece.
Two of the Packers’ young wideouts are in the top five — Dontayvion Wicks (8) and Jayden Reed (7). Romeo Doubs, another talented young wideout, has six drops.
That explains those two teams’ issues with drops. What’s the Giants’ deal?
Earlier this season, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka addressed the drops with the media.
“It’s a combination of things. It could be separation. It could be protection. It could be ball placement. It could just be lack of concentration,” he said. “So, there’s a bunch of things that go into it. Each play is just a little bit different. But we always go back to our fundamentals and how can we improve that in an individual drill, in a group setting, in a team drill, in a live drill, in a fast drill. So, we go through that process.”
Star rookie wideout Malik Nabers leads the team with seven drops, followed by another rookie, tight end Theo Johnson (5).
Nabers has told the media that drops aren’t a major concern of his, even though his fourth-down drop against Washington earlier this season virtually cost the team a probable victory.
“I don’t care about drops,” Nabers said after the Giants’ 27-20 loss to Dallas on Thanksgiving. “I mean, it’s just part of football. I don’t care if I drop the ball six times. Keep throwing me the ball.”
“I think it comes from the right place,” teammate Darius Slayton said this week of Nabers’ attitude towards drops.
And Slayton would know. Drops were a knock on him for a while around here, too.
“Obviously, at the same time, that is our job, is to catch the ball when it comes our way. So, he obviously knows he has to make some of these plays,” he said.
Slayton did his best to capture his young teammate’s demeanor and intentions. Nabers has been outspoken about his usage of late, questioning his coaches and airing his frustrations in the media.
Still, he has a job to do and Slayton took the high road chalking Nabers’ comments up to youth and inexperience.
“I think it comes from the right place. But, at the same time, you have to also do your best to not drop the ball, which obviously, I would know,” he said.
