NASHVILLE – When Daniel Bellinger first started taking part in Tight End University here in Nashville, he had no idea how much it would prepare him for what would come next in his career.
Bellinger, signed by the Titans earlier this month after spending four seasons with the New York Giants, is not only a better player, but he's also familiar with his new NFL city, and one of the teammates he'll be working closely with on the team.
And, as things turned out, he's now on a team with an offensive coordinator and several other teammates he's very familiar with as well.
"Things worked out pretty well," Bellinger said with a smile. "And with all the good vibes going on around the team, I feel like there's a lot of energy here that hopefully we can carry into the season and moving forward."
After four years with the Giants, Bellinger was signed to help the Titans offense, from quarterback Cam Ward to the team's running backs.
The 6-foot-6, 255-pounder said he's ready to do his part, however the team needs him.
"How I think about the game of football, at least from a tight end's perspective, is the tight end has to be able to do it all," Bellinger said. "So, as important as it is to catch the game-winning touchdown, it is just as important to make that key block for the running back, and be an outlet and also be that comfort level for the quarterback, kind of like, "I'm here when you need me."
"And, at the same time, you have to move the line of scrimmage to help the running game because it opens up everything in the game. It opens up play-action – having a good run game opens up a lot of things. So, I am ready to do it all."
A fourth-round pick of the Giants in the 2022 NFL Draft, Dellinger has recorded 88 catches for 934 yards and four touchdowns in his first four NFL seasons while playing in 62 career games, with 42 starts.
Bellinger tallied 19 catches for 286 yards and two touchdowns last season in New York.
During the course of his career, Bellinger said he's improved as a blocker, which he takes a lot of pride in.
In Tennessee, Bellinger has been reunited with Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, his head coach with the Giants. On the field, he'll also rejoin receiver Wan'Dale Robinson, cornerback Cor'Dale Flott and offensive lineman Austin Schlottman, all former Giants who signed with Tennessee in free agency.
Bellinger said he's already buddies with Titans tight end Gunnar Helm, as the two got to know each other at Tight End University, the annual three-day offseason summit founded in 2021 by NFL stars George Kittle, Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen. The camp has annually brought over 60 NFL tight ends to Nashville to enhance their skills.
Bellinger said he's been coming for years, and he's grown to love the city, prompting him to spend some of his offseasons training at Lipscomb Academy while living in the 12th South neighborhood. He's already forged a friendship with Helm, drafted in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Titans.
"Great kid, obviously still young and still learning," Bellinger said of Helm. "My goal is to help him, just as much as it is to help the team. I think we could be a pretty dynamic duo."
Bellinger said he's happy to be in Tennessee. His father, in fact, also plans to move to the city after retiring recently.
"It's a great fit for me,'" said Bellinger, who was born and raised in Las Vegas and played in college at San Diego State. "It fits me kind of perfectly because I am from the West Coast, got drafted to the East Coast to New York, and now I am more in the middle (of the United States), in a great city."
Bellinger said he's fired up about playing for head coach Robert Saleh, in Daboll's offense.
"He is very creative, one of the most creative minds I have ever been around," Bellinger said of Daboll, who served four seasons as head coach of the Giants and has served eight seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator with the Browns (2009-10), Dolphins (2011), Chiefs (2012) and Bills (2018-21). "He is going to bring a lot of energy, bring a lot of toughness, bring this dawg mentality, as he likes to call it, to the offense.
"I consider myself tough. Whatever it is, injuries, grinding in the trenches, whatever it is that is kind of my play style for sure."
With the Titans, Bellinger hopes to take things to another level, as the team does the same.
"My hope is to keep ascending into a better player, and hopefully turn into a Pro Bowl caliber player with Gunnar," he said. "And just help us be a dynamic duo, and help this offense be as successful as possible."
