Brandon Marshall was brought in by the New York Giants to be a difference maker.
It isn’t too much of an ask considering the veteran wide receiver has had plenty of big moments during his career.
The former New York Jets wide receiver is already making an impression in his first training camp with his new team.
Just a year removed from a standout 1,000-yard season with the Jets in 2015, Marshall’s addition to the Giants via free agency adds yet another dimension to a potentially potent offense. He’s a possession receiver with a big body that brings a vertical threat down the field.
With a receiving corps that already includes Odell Beckham Jr., second-year standout Sterling Shepard and first round pick Evan Engram at tight end, the Giants have some lethal targets to stretch the field and in the red zone.
Along with the aforementioned Beckham, it is Marshall who will be expected to take this offense to the next level.
“He’s a big man. When there’s a lot of noise around him, he doesn’t seem to flinch. We’re not in a live environment at this point in time, but he’s a guy that’s made a living,” Giants head coach Ben McAdoo said. “It seems the more traffic around him, the better he gets.”
McAdoo won’t make any bold statements about Marshall’s impact on the offense to date, that just isn’t in his nature. But he sees certain things in the player that have him feeling good about his proposed impact on the team.
He’ll be counted on to help them score some points this year, something they struggled with last year.
Last year the Giants were very average, ranked No. 16 in the NFL in quarterback rating in the red zone. A major part of the reason was the lack of targets and big bodies for quarterback Eli Manning to hit.
And while it is just training camp, McAdoo has a good idea what Marshall can bring to his offense.
“Yeah. Again, we’re just out here practicing right now. He’s not live, he hasn’t been tackled yet in practice,” McAdoo said. “The film shows, the evidence shows year after year that the more traffic he’s in, it seems like the better he plays.”
