Pro Football Focus released its preseason tight end rankings for the 2026 NFL season, and the New York Giants landed two players among the top 32.
Isaiah Likely checked in at No. 22 after following head coach John Harbaugh from Baltimore. The former Ravens tight end spent four seasons primarily as the No. 2 option behind Mark Andrews. He joins the Giants on a three-year, $40 million contract and is expected to step into a larger role as the primary receiving tight end.
Following an impressive four seasons as essentially the Ravens’ No. 2 tight end behind Mark Andrews, Likely followed head coach John Harbaugh to the Giants and will get his first real chance at being a starter.
It was a rough 2025 season for Likely, as he missed three games due to a broken foot and registered a career-low 56.4 PFF grade. But in 2024, he placed seventh among all tight ends with 10 forced missed tackles, and his 75.6 PFF grade was sixth.
Theo Johnson ranked No. 32. The 2024 fourth-round pick out of Penn State recorded 45 catches for 528 yards and five touchdowns last season, finishing 19th in receiving yards among tight ends.
With Isaiah Likely joining the Giants, Johnson will likely get demoted to being New York’s No. 2 tight end. He was a worthy pass-catcher when he did start for the Giants last year, placing 19th with 528 receiving yards. Johnson’s five touchdown catches tied for 13th in the NFL, too.
With Likely in the fold, Johnson is projected to operate as the No. 2 option but retains versatility to play both in-line and in the slot. He has already expressed confidence that the tight end group will play a significant role in the passing game under new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
The presence of both players gives the Giants a young, athletic tandem that could become a focal point for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart. Training camp will offer the first extended look at how Nagy deploys the group in multiple tight end sets.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: 2 New York Giants ranked among NFL’s top 32 tight ends
Reporting by Dan Benton, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dan Benton, Giants Wire | USA TODAY Network
