Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard are staples in the Giants' passing game. But, this season, the No. 3 receiver for Big Blue has been the next guy up.
Cody Latimer was supposed to be that man when the season kicked off, but he hasn't been able to stay on the field as he currently sits on the IR. Russell Shepard and Jawill Davis have seen their fair share of snaps, but both players have been banged up as well. While Davis will be out Sunday with a concussion, Shepard returns to the sideline after dealing with a neck injury.
The Giants, though, still brought in reinforcements to sure up their third receiver position. One of them is former Bronco Bennie Fowler, who saw time on Monday Night Football against the Falcons. He hauled in just one catch, but he became a Giant only a few days before donning the white and red away jersey.
Wide receiver coach Tyke Tolbert, who worked with Fowler in Denver, said the 27-year-old receiver was a bookworm the second he landed in East Rutherford.
"Bennie in three days learned our whole offense, studying day and night," Tolbert said. "He studies by concepts as well. Like to teach my receivers to study by concepts so he learned the whole offense. He has size, he has speed, he has good press techniques, a lot of versatility. He's a really good guy on special teams as well, so he brings a lot of versatility to our offense and to our football team as a whole and I was happy we were able to get him."
The Giants also took a chance on former first-rounder Corey Coleman, who has bounced around the league this year between the Browns, Bills, and Patriots. He hasn't seen a game yet, but that could change after he was promoted from the practice squad earlier this week.
There's no guarantee, of course, but Coleman is another new player trying to grasp the Giants' offense. Tolbert says he's coming along nicely.
"Corey is a baptism by fire kind of guy as well," Tolbert said. "He's giong in, he's studying and we have a couple of guys coming back off injuries so as far as having guys up and available, I'm not sure who's going to be up, who's going to be down right now, but Corey's learning."
The Giants are hoping Coleman can find his niche in New York, given his draft status and overall skill level. Tolbert said he was high on his radar coming out of Baylor, and now gets to see his blazing speed and reliable hands up in person.
"He has really good speed, he's got really good hands making plays on the ball, he's a tough guy," Tolbert said. "I remember watching him in college, he can catch the ball and he's not one of these guys that kind of shies away from contact. He'll go and try to punish you as a ball carrier. He can make you miss, he's fast. He does a lot of good things.
"We got him, he has a very good talent and I'm hopeful that him being here is for the long haul."
It will certainly be receiver-by-committee on Sunday, and no matter who is out there running routes, Tolbert wants to see production. And that production is expected not only from the third option, but the mainstays in Beckham and Shepard as well.
"I think whoever we put on the field at that point in time, we need him to be that guy whoever he is," Tolbert said. "Whether it's Odell and Shep and you say whoever the number three guy is -- any one of those guys on the field, we're going to have the confidence that they're going to go in there and make plays and help us win."