Who Should I Start? Daniel Bellinger or Stone Smartt

Saturday, November 15, 9:15 AM

New York Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger (groin) has been cleared from the injury report and is good to go for Sunday's matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Bellinger opened the week with limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday, but was upgraded to a full participant on Friday. The 25-year-old had his highest snap share of the season in the Giants' Week 10 loss at the Chicago Bears at 72.6%, and added one catch for eight yards on two targets. Bellinger has been more involved in the offense of late, playing at least 50% of the snaps in all but one game since Week 5, totaling nine catches for 169 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. His 18.8 yards per reception during that span is the highest among tight ends with at least 50 routes run. In Weeks 1-4, he played over 30% of the snaps just once with three total receptions. Bellinger will be without rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart (concussion) for this game, but backup Jameis Winston has proven capable over the years. Bellinger is only relevant as a deep league option for Week 11 against the Packers.

Thursday, March 13, 4:21 PM

The New York Jets signed former Los Angeles Chargers tight end Stone Smartt to an undisclosed one-year deal on Thursday, a source tells NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Smartt was a restricted free agent this offseason but was not tendered by the Bolts, making him available to all teams. The 26-year-old former undrafted free agent came on strong late last year for L.A. and finished with career-highs in catches (16) and receiving yards (208) on 19 targets in 15 regular-season games (two starts), although he didn't find the end zone at all. Smartt could have an opportunity to build on his 2024 season in his new home in New York in 2025, as Tyler Conklin and Kenny Yeboah are currently unrestricted free agents. The only other TE on the Jets' current roster is Jeremy Ruckert. The Jets could still add to the position in free agency and the draft, but Smartt will be one to watch heading into training camp this summer.