By James Kratch | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Giants fans have been critical of the team's apparent ambivalence to the tight end position in recent years. But general manager Jerry Reese undoubtedly invested at the spot this offseason.

First-round pick Evan Engram has gotten most of the headlines, but the Giants made a move before the NFL Draft when they signed blocking end Rhett Ellison on the first day of free agency. Here's what fans need to know:

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Roster status

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Bruce Kluckhohn | USA TODAY Sports

Ellison was the Giants' second-biggest free agent move after re-signing defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. The Giants brought Ellison in after five years with the Vikings to shore up their need for a blocking presence at tight end. Ellison also gives them the versatility to line up with a fullback or H-back, and he should assist the tackles in pass protection and run blocking on the edge when needed.

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Contract status

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Brace Hemmelgarn | USA TODAY Sports

Ellison signed a four-year, $18 million deal, $8 million of which is guaranteed. He is scheduled to make $975,000 in base salary this season, plus a $5 million signing bonus.

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What happened in 2016

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Ellison's most immediate impact on the Giants' offense will likely come in the run game. He played mostly as a blocking tight end for the Vikings in 2016, albeit on limited snaps. Ellison did not see enough playing time to qualify for Pro Football Focus' tight end rankings, but his run blocking grade in his limited snaps was 15 points higher than Jerell Adams had for the Giants as a rookie, and nearly double Will Tye's run blocking grade.

Ellison has 51 catches for 515 yards and three touchdowns in his career, so he's never been much of a weapon in the passing game. He's never had more than 26 targets in a single season. Giants tight ends did account for 18.9 percent of the team's targets in 2016, though (113 of 597).

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What to expect in 2017

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Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Ellison was limited with a sore calf during the offseason program, but the Giants indicated he will be ready for training camp. The summer will go a long way toward signaling how rookie Evan Engram and Ellison will be used together, as well as apart. The Giants may run significantly more two tight end sets this year with Engram serving as a pass catcher split out wide and Ellison in-line to block and muscle out short catches. Ellison could also end up functioning as the team's fullback, although his overall experience there is scarce.

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THE FULL COUNTDOWN

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Nos. 86-90

NO. 86: RB Khalid Abdullah

NO. 87: DT Josh Banks

NO. 88: CB Nigel Tribune

NO. 89: WR Keeon Johnson

NO. 90: S Trey Robinson

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Nos. 81-85

NO. 81: OT Michael Bowie

NO. 82: DE Evan Schwan

NO. 83: WR Jerome Lane

NO. 84: WR Kevin Snead

NO. 85: FB Shane Smith

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Nos. 76-80

NO. 76: LB Calvin Munson

NO. 77: LB Curtis Grant

NO. 78: OL Jessamen Dunker

NO. 79: OL Jarron Jones

NO. 80: WR Kevin Norwood

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Nos. 71-75

NO. 71: OT Chad Wheeler

NO. 72: WR Travis Rudolph

NO. 73: S Jadar Johnson

NO. 74: CB DaShaun Amos

NO. 75: S Ryan Murphy

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Nos. 66-70

NO. 66: TE Colin Thompson

NO. 67: DE Jordan Williams

NO. 68: FB Jacob Huesman

NO. 69: OL Jon Halapio

NO. 70: DB Mykkele Thompson

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Nos. 61-65

NO. 61: LB Deontae Skinner

NO. 62: DE Owa Odighizuwa

NO. 63: K Aldrick Rosas

NO. 64: CB Donte Deayon

NO. 65: LB Stansly Maponga

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Nos. 56-60

NO. 56: CB Valentino Blake

NO. 57: TE Matt LaCosse

NO. 58: RB Shaun Draughn

NO. 59: OL Adam Gettis

NO. 60: WR Darius Powe

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Nos. 51-55

NO. 51: DE Avery Moss

NO. 52: LB Mark Herzlich

NO. 53: C Brett Jones

NO. 54: CB Michael Hunter

NO. 55: S Eric Pinkins

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Nos. 46-50

NO. 46: QB Geno Smith

NO. 47: QB Josh Johnson

NO. 48: QB Davis Webb

NO. 49: RB Wayne Gallman

NO. 50: OL Adam Bisnowaty

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Nos. 41-45

NO. 41: S Duke Ihenacho

NO. 42: LB J.T. Thomas

NO. 43: OL D.J. Fluker

NO. 44: DE Devin Taylor

NO. 45: DT Corbin Bryant

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Nos. 36-40

NO. 36: DT Robert Thomas

NO. 37: DT Dalvin Tomlinson

NO. 38: DT Jay Bromley

NO. 39: LS Zak DeOssie

NO. 40: WR Roger Lewis

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Nos. 31-35

NO. 31: RB Orleans Darkwa

NO. 32: S Nat Berhe

NO. 33: DE Kerry Wynn

NO. 34: WR Tavarres King

NO. 35: TE Jerell Adams

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Nos. 26-30

NO. 26: TE Will Tye

NO. 27: LB B.J. Goodson

NO. 28: WR/KR Dwayne Harris

NO. 29: RT Bobby Hart

NO. 30: DE Romeo Okwara

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Nos. 21-25

NO. 21: P Brad Wing

NO. 22: TE Rhett Ellison

NO. 23: FS Darian Thompson

NO. 24: S Andrew Adams

NO. 25: LT Ereck Flowers

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James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.