Who Should I Start? Giovanni Ricci or Daniel Bellinger

Monday, February 3, 7:02 PM

The New England Patriots signed free-agent tight end Giovanni Ricci (knee) to a Reserve/Futures deal on Monday. Ricci was on the Cleveland Browns' practice squad in 2024 but never was active for a regular-season game and was cut in August due to a knee injury. The 28-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan made his NFL debut in 2021 with the Carolina Panthers, with all 36 of his career games coming with Carolina. In three NFL seasons, Ricci has caught only nine of 12 targets for 102 yards and no touchdowns with the Panthers. Ricci is more of a blocker than a pass-catcher and will now represent tight end depth for the Patriots throughout the offseason and into training camp this summer. The most likely scenario is that he'll effective serve as a fullback for new Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Monday, January 6, 10:27 AM

New York Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger caught two passes for nine yards during Sunday's Week 18 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Bellinger has stepped up as the Giants' primary tight end with Theo Johnson (foot) on injured reserve, but he played just 58.5 percent of the offensive snaps on Sunday and hasn't been a dependable contributor despite his increased role. Moving forward, the 24-year-old will drop back down to second on the depth chart once Johnson is healthy again. He's off the radar heading into 2025 fantasy football drafts.