Brian Daboll knows New York Giants best chance of winning games this season is to furnish rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart with weapons, so it makes sense Big Blue have signed a veteran wide receiver familiar with their head coach.
Daboll was offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills when Ray-Ray McCloud plied his trade in the AFC East, and now the pass-catcher recently released by the Atlanta Falcons is joining the Giants’s practice squad.
The move was confirmed on Wednesday, October 22 by D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He referenced Daboll’s familiarity with the player, who snagged five catches for 36 yards back in 2018.
McCloud also spent time on the practice squad for the Bills a year later, when he took up an interesting role. His fit with the Giants should be more expansive and might even free a fellow receiver to attack coverage vertically more often.
Ray-Ray McCloud III Signing Has Interesting Possibilities for Giants
There’s a fine line between optimism and negativity about how to view the Giants acquiring McCloud. The negative view would focus on Ledbetter revealing the Falcons cut the receiver loose because of “performance based concerns” (h/t the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy).
McCloud tallying just 64 yards from six receptions helps explain concerns about his production. Just like the player being “sent home from the team facility last week and has been a healthy scratch the past two weeks” before his release. Yet, a look beyond the numbers reveals why McCloud could help the Giants.
As 106.7 The Fan’s Grant Paulsen put it, McCloud is “a legit talented slot receiver who can route people up. Was a huge man-to-man asset on 3rd down to Kirk Cousins when the Atlanta offense was humming last year.”
There’s room for McCloud to line up as an inside receiver, but he can also be useful on the scout team. McCloud helped the Bills by being able to “simulate” Baltimore Ravens dual-threat QB1 Lamar Jackson in practice back in 2019, per Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic.
Perhaps McCloud and his returner-type skill-set can also simulate mobile signal-callers the Giants will encounter in the coming weeks. Starting with emulating Jalen Hurts, ahead of the Giants facing the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 8.
Ultimately though, the Giants have a need for any able-bodied receiver who can help Dart. Especially if it means a boost for another playmaker.
Giants Still Reshaping Wide Receiver Rotation
Losing Malik Nabers for the season because of a torn ACL took the star receiver off the depth chart, so the Giants are still reshaping the rotation. It hasn’t helped to also lose Darius Slayton to a hamstring injury, but another wideout is quickly forging a rapport with Dart.
Fourth-year pro Wan’Dale Robinson has amassed 19 receptions for 179 yards in his last two games. The 24-year-old averaged at least 14 yards per catch in both matchups, per Pro Football Reference, proof of his development as a credible deep threat.
Robinson has earned more opportunities to take the top off coverage, so letting McCloud assume his workload in the slot would be a smart move.
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