Kenny Golladay believes he can be for the Giants what he once was for Detroit

Kenny Golladay smiled.

It has been an expression rarely seen in view of reporters or fans this season from the Giants wide receiver, but there it was after practice Thursday.

The occasion was a question about whether he recalled the feeling of leading the league with 11 touchdown receptions as a Lion in 2019.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you could say that,” Golladay said, beaming, during what otherwise was another in a series of interview sessions full of terse, glum answers.

The follow-up was more pertinent: Does he still think of himself as that caliber of player?

“Yeah, definitely,” he said. “I never think less of myself at all. I still feel I can do those types of things.”

The Giants have not seen that since signing Golladay to a four-year, $72 million contract before last season.

After 21 touchdown catches in four seasons as a Lion, he has zero with the Giants. He has two receptions for 22 yards this season and was benched Sunday after an egregious drop against the Texans.

Golladay is teetering on the brink of irrelevance, but not quite this week, owing mostly to the fact that the Giants are playing his old team, again making him a story line.

He was limited in practice all week because of a hamstring injury but said he is good to go. That does not mean he will have a significant role. Brian Daboll has been noncommittal, even as he consistently has praised Golladay for his professionalism. “I’m ready for whatever,” Golladay said.

Asked what it would be like to face his former teammates, Golladay said, “I don’t really think too much about it.”

There won’t be some extra motivation? “Nah, nah,” he said.

After a 2020 season in which injuries limited Golladay to five games and 20 catches, Detroit let him go in free agency. “If they do want to re-sign you, great, but if you do everything right and do get a chance to hit the market, I feel like that should be almost any player’s wish,” he said. “It’s like you’re getting recruited [for college] again. So hey, they didn’t want me back, which is cool, and I signed here.”

Still, no added motivation at all? “It’s just like a regular game to me,” he said. “I don’t really get involved too much with that.”

Back to 2019: Golladay called it “probably” his best season and added, “Got a lot of opportunities down there.”

When asked if he believes he has lacked opportunities with the Giants, he bristled: “[The reporter] asked me about the year when I scored 11 touchdowns. I ain’t talking about this year or last year.”

Golladay did acknowledge being eager to bounce back from his two-drop game, saying, “Yeah, you always want to go out there and make up for the mistake you had last time.”

After one of Golladay’s drops last weekend, Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley seemed to try to console him.

“We’ve got his back,” Barkley said. “We’re his brothers, and sometimes you’re going to make mistakes .  .  . It’s part of the game. It’s the nature of it. No one’s out there trying to drop balls. No one’s out there trying to miss blocks. No one’s out there trying to miss a run. It’s part of the game. It happens.”

Notes & quotes: G Shane Lemieux (toe) seems poised to join the lineup .  .  . WR Wan’Dale Robinson (hamstring) practiced on a limited basis and is listed as questionable, as is DT Dexter Lawrence (back).

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.