The loss of Kevin Boss to the Raiders and the sudden retirement of his replacement Ben Patrick left the Giants with a huge void at tight end.
The Giants took steps to fill that Sunday, signing the former Bengals and Broncos tight end Daniel Coats.
Coats started 18 games and caught 30 passes in three and a half seasons with the Bengals. The Bengals released Coats last October. He was signed by the Broncos and appeared in four games. He has not caught a pass since 2009.
Coats joined the Bengals as an undrafted free agent from Brigham Young in 2007. He caught 86 passes in his collegiate career.
Coats will compete for a roster spot with the incumbents Bear Pascoe, Travis Beckum and Jake Ballard. His acquisition became a priority after the loss of Patrick, who announced his retirement Saturday night to attend to “personal issues and family issues.”
Eli Manning did not sound concerned about the tight end situation, despite the loss of Boss.
“The guys who are here have all played in games,” Manning said. “They all know what they are doing.”
Even with Coats providing reinforcement, the tight ends already on the Giants roster know replacing Boss will be a formidable task.
“Kevin set a level in the last couple of years as far as how a tight end should play,” said Beckum.
