There are reports that Marques Colston will be released by the New Orleans Saints, and plenty of people think he would be a good fit with the New York Giants. That would be a bad idea.
Certainly, Colston brings some things to the table that the Giants need, most notably his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame and wealth of experience. However, he is coming off of his worst season as a pro, catching just 45 passes for 520 yards and four touchdowns. He has been in decline for a few seasons now, compiling 902 yards and five touchdowns on 59 catches in 2014 and 943 yards and five touchdowns on 75 catches in 2013. The 11-year pro does have six 1,000-yard campaigns, but it looks like those days are well behind him.
The Giants don’t need an aging veteran who will almost surely fall short of expectations. They need youth and athleticism at the position, and if they are going to move on from Rueben Randle they need to at least replace the production. Randle has been one of the most frustrating players to watch on the Giants in recent years. The talent is obviously there, but the consistency has been missing. Some in the Giants’ front office have questioned his work ethic. Still, Randle did compile 797 yards on 57 catches and eight touchdowns last season and 938 yards and three touchdowns on 71 catches in 2014.
The passing game runs through Odell Beckham Jr., but the Giants do need a second wide receiver for quarterback Eli Manning to rely on. That isn’t Colston who coincidentally had his only 100-yard game against the Giants last season.
The Giants would be much better off looking at Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Jermaine Kearse, Travis Benjamin or even Anquan Boldin to fill that second wide receiver position. Colston looked like his tank was empty too many times last year, and there is no reason for the Giants to see if he has anything left.
