Former 2018 fourth-round pick, Kyle Lauletta, is suddenly on the New York Giants roster bubble entering 2019.
New York Giants quarterback Kyle Lauletta will enter the 2019 season with competition from four other quarterbacks. The Giants currently employ Eli Manning, Daniel Jones, Alex Tanney and Eric Dungey on their 90-man offseason roster.
Kyle Lauletta was acquired by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. He was valued as an under-the-radar prospect due to the fact that he came from a small school. The kid was thought to be a sleeper pick that could turn out to be the heir to Eli Manning.
Lauletta put up promising numbers (10,357 passing yards, 71 touchdowns, and a 63.26 percent completion percentage) during his college career leading the Giants to have hope in him.
However, the Richmond product did not live up to the hype. Lauletta did not push for a starting job all season even though the Giants started off the season 1-7. He underwhelmed in practice and never showed the coaches that he was NFL ready.
Barring his lackluster talents, Lauletta managed to see the field in week 14. The Giants were winning in a defining fashion, 40-0. The staff thought that they should give the rookie a shot. This turned out to be the wrong decision. Lauletta was a disaster on the field. He came on to the field as a nervous wreck and his game reflected this. The rookie showcased a 0-5, one interception debut. This was an awful start to his career, to say the least, and resulted in Lauletta not seeing the field again that season.
After the 2018 season, Lauletta underwent knee surgery and has not been cleared to resume football activities. This significantly hurts Lauletta’s chances of making the 53-man roster come August. Lauletta was valued as a semi-mobile quarterback which helped his case. Now that Lauletta underwent surgery, his ability to move in the pocket will be up for question. Even if he does come back the same, it may be too late because the Giants could be sold on another guy.
Pat Shurmur and the Giants are known to take three quarterbacks onto the roster which slightly helps the Richmond product’s situation. If the Giants were to only take two quarterbacks, it would be clear that Daniel Jones and Eli Manning would be those two. Given the extra spot, Lauletta still has a chance.
Lauletta is currently competing with Eric Dungey and Alex Tanney for the quarterback-three position. This will be an uphill battle for Lauletta as Giants’ management is fond of both of these guys.
Dungey was acquired by the Giants as an undrafted free agent out of Syracuse. He is an athletic player who played the role of a runner and a passer at Syracuse. In his senior season, Dungey had almost as many rushing touchdowns (15) as passing touchdowns. This is why he is currently listed as a QB/TE on the Giants depth chart.
Dungey is valued as a versatile player who may be deployed as Taysom Hill was for the New Orleans Saints, who played in various different positions for the Saints and Pat Shurmur and the Giants think that they could deploy Dungey in a similar way. He seems to be the favorite for the third quarterback spot as he has already earned high praise from Pat Shurmur.
“He is a very accomplished quarterback and made a lot of plays with his feet,” Shurmur said at their minicamp. “He made some good throws out there, as well. He is one of those guys we had our eyes on at the draft. We will see. I think he is a good football player. Usually, there is a place on the field for good football players. We will see what happens.”
Furthermore, Alex Tanney is considered to be in the running for the last quarterback spot. In his lone NFL appearance, Tanney threw one touchdown with a passer rating of about 115. While this is not an amazing career from a 31-year-old veteran, the Monmouth product is thought to be a veteran quarterback that can help Eli Manning mentor a younger quarterback like Jones. However, the Giants may believe that Manning will be able to do the job as a mentor which would make Tanney have no place on the team.
Similarly to Tanney, Lauletta’s chances of making the Giants’ roster seem slim. Through the adversity, the second year quarterback keeps his optimism.
“In this league, there are always going to be guys behind you, and guys are always going to be competing for jobs. We just bring another piece into it. Another great quarterback in the room. We’ll grow together, and do the best we can to compete and put a winning team out on the field.” Kyle Lauletta plans to show the Giants what he is capable once his knee heals: “All I can do right now is control me and get my knee back and work hard. I know the player I can be. I’ve just got to get to work and reach my full potential, and when I get an opportunity on the field, show them what I can do.”
Kyle Lauletta is currently rehabbing his knee. Once he is given clearance, he will have less than three months to prove his worth to the New York Giants.
