NFL
New York Giants 2024 Training Camp Preview: WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton
New York Giants wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton has had a chip on his shoulder from the moment he arrived in East Rutherford.
An undrafted free agent out of West Virginia who was projected to go within the league’s seven rounds, Ford-Wheaton signed with the Giants on May 5, 2023, with the chance to make the roster as a big, lengthy downfield threat.
That aspiration was quickly marred by the worst possible news of an ACL tear sustained in Week 3 of the preseason against the New York Jets.
Ford-Wheaton spent his entire rookie year away from the team as he rehabbed from his injury and is now returning with a hunger to make the active roster for the first time at the NFL level.
It won’t be easy given the number of players the Giants have at the wideout position, but a player of his caliber is what the team has lacked in recent seasons, and that could benefit him.
Height: 6-3
Weight: 220 lbs
Exp.: 2 Years
College: West Virginia
How Acquired: UDFA-23
The Giants might have had one of the biggest steals of the 2023 undrafted free-agent market when they signed Ford-Wheaton after he slipped out of the draft board untouched.
In his four collegiate seasons with the Mountaineers, the 24-year-old flashed a nice combination of strong hands and size that could win 50/50 throws in the deep field. This helped him rally three years of at least 416 yards receiving and an average catch of 13.7 yards.
However, the Giants never had a real opportunity to see that flourish within their offense after Ford-Wheaton sustained his ACL tear in late August. He would earn just 94 snaps and grab two balls for 24 yards in three preseason appearances before being placed on the injured reserve list for the rest of the year.
When he was on the field, the Giants sent him out in a number of different looks from the perimeter and slot receiver positions. That could have been an early clue to what they wanted to do with the young speedster, especially at a time when they didn’t know how the similar talents of guys like Jalin Hyatt would fit into the new offensive system.
Ford-Wheaton signed a three-year, $2.715 million contract with the Giants on May 5, 2023. The deal included $236,000 guaranteed at signing and a $20,000 signing bonus, making his contract the 333rd most lucrative out of 388 active wide receivers in the NFL.
If Ford-Wheaton makes the 53-man roster at the end of camp, he’ll count for $801,666 against the Giants’ salary cap. That is a fairly inexpensive number for a guy who at minimum could be a practice squad receiver, but who, with a strong showing on special teams this summer, could sneak onto the bottom of the depth chart at his position.
On the other hand, if he gets cut before the end of the offseason, the Giants would get hit with a small $6,666 dead money charge but save $795,000 toward their cap space for the 2024 season.
Over the past few seasons, the New York Giants have consistently run out one of the worst offensive operations in the entire NFL.
The passing game has certainly not been spared from that mediocrity, as the Giants finished the 2023 season ranked 26th or lower in four major passing statistics.
Some of the blame can be credited to the sheer lack of a good offensive line that has yet to be figured out and the injury train that ran its course through the wide receivers room last year.
After making a handful of moves to boost the position group in the offseason, the Giants will enter the summer with a loaded group full of talented playmakers.
This depth could pose a challenge to Ford-Wheaton, who appears fully recovered from his injury and has participated in the OTAs this spring (including the 11-on-11 drills) in his quest to make the 53-man roster.
With guys like Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt already contributing to the vertical game and the addition of rookie Malik Nabers in the draft, Ford-Wheaton may have to fight his way into limited snaps to see the field in 2024, his ticket, again, being special teams.
So what does Ford-Wheaton have to show to make his case? He can start with showing he can handle press coverage defenders and getting the right details and separation into his routes, both issues when he transitioned to an NFL training camp.
He has all the speed needed to test the deep field against NFL-level corners, but it’s that element of doing the right things off the snap to free himself that’ll need to improve if he wants to make an impact on the Giants offense this summer.
Aside from any offensive contributions, Ford-Wheaton could earn some playing time as a special teams role player given his size and speed. He holds minor experience in that department from his West Virginia days, but an undrafted free agent will look for any way to make their mark.
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