Giants agree to deal with veteran tight end Levine Toilolo, source says
Levine Toilolo #83 of the San Francisco 49ers runs after catching a short pass against the Los Angeles Rams in the third quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Credit: Getty Images/John McCoy
Rhett Ellison had just 18 receptions last season, but when he announced his retirement from the NFL last week he drained the Giants of much more than statistical production. Ellison was a veteran leader in a room filled with mostly young players, a strong blocker who helped the running game, and a technically-sound example for the others at his position.
Without Ellison, to whom would young tight ends Kaden Smith and Evan Engram turn this season?
Enter Levine Toilolo, a 6-8 and 268-pound veteran about to enter his eighth season. Toilolo reached an agreement to sign with the Giants as a free agent, a source confirmed. ESPN first reported the agreement. The deal will not be official until after the start of the league year on Wednesday and whenever Toilolo can have a physical.
Like Ellison, Toilolo’s value comes not from pass receptions but blocking. In his six NFL seasons he has caught just 97 receptions for 996 yards and eight touchdowns. But he has been part of two Super Bowl teams, once with Atlanta and last year with the 49ers, producing in more unheralded ways.
Toilolo and Smith – who both started last season with the 49ers before Smith was waived and both played at Stanford -- could allow the Giants to use Engram in ways they have yet to truly explore. Engram, entering his fourth NFL season, is an athletic pass-catcher. His blocking has improved during his career, but he might be best suited lined up off the line of scrimmage where he can present matchup problems for linebackers and safeties. New head coach Joe Judge declared early in his tenure that he wanted to focus on what players could do well rather than force them to try to do things they struggled with.
Engram was seen to be among the biggest potential beneficiaries of that thinking. The Giants just needed someone who could handle the blocking while he was doing other, flashier things.
Toilolo may be their man for that job.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
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