Technically an undrafted signee in 2023, Dante Miller made his NFL debut last year for Big Blue in two games off the practice squad. According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, there’s a chance he could work his way on to the active roster in 2025.
Miller was an interesting case study in last year’s offseason. Starting as an Ivy League running back at Columbia, Miller was one of the common cases we see of Ivy Leaguers transferring for their fifth year of play — Ivy League schools don’t allow players to remain longer than four years. Miller’s 2019 season had been forfeited to COVID-19, so transferring to South Carolina, the school and student believed that he had two years of eligibility remaining.
The Gamecocks played him infrequently, as a result, letting him get garbage time snaps while prepping for a larger role in Year 2. Six games into the season, though, they learned that they had misunderstood his eligibility status and that he didn’t have two years of eligibility, he had two years to play one season. Two games past the four-game limit for redshirting, South Carolina halted Miller’s participation and immediately filed an appeal with the NCAA. Not only did the NCAA deny the appeal, but they also waited to announce their decision until after the deadline to declare for the 2023 draft, forcing Miller to continue sitting out for no reason and preventing him from getting to the NFL in 2023.
Regardless, he signed with the Giants and saw game action as a rookie in 2024. Now, in 2025, he could have more of an impact for New York. Part of the reason Miller drew NFL interest after barely participating in his final year of play was a 4.27-second 40-yard dash at his South Carolina pro day that would’ve bested any back that ran at the combine that year. Duggan predicts that, with kickoffs being moved to the 35-yard line in the offseason, Miller could make a significant impact as a return man. The running backs group is loaded in New York, with Tyrone Tracy, Devin Singletary, and Eric Gray being joined by rookie Cam Skattebo, but Miller may be able to stand out with his explosive speed on special teams.
Here are a couple other rumors from the G-Men’s offseason:
- Despite seeing the 12th-most targets in the NFL last year, wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson expressed dissatisfaction with his role. Playing mostly in the slot in 2024, Robinson’s yards per catch was only 7.5, as most of his targets came on short routes. Duggan says that Robinson wants more opportunities to make plays downfield in 2025, and he expects to get more snaps on the outside. The Giants didn’t indicate that move with his usage in spring, but with Robinson playing on a contract year, they may want to appease him if they hope to retain him long-term.
- The Giants did an interesting thing when signing three undrafted receivers this offseason. All of Beaux Collins, Da’Quan Felton, and Juice Wells received a $234K salary guarantee when they signed as undrafted free agents. Per Duggan, that number was by design, as it’s the full-season salary a rookie makes on the practice squad. By guaranteeing that portion of the contract, New York was saying that even if they don’t make the 53-man roster, they’re essentially certain to earn a practice squad spot, or at least get paid like it. That being said, Collins earned first-team reps in the spring and could have the opportunity to make his full salary of $840K. Wells was a teammate of rookie first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart, but the expected connection between the two didn’t materialize in the spring. Felton, on the other hand, likely needs development and could benefit from a year on the practice squad.