Biggest Remaining Questions for New York Giants Ahead of Preseason Finale

Giants head coach Brian Daboll might have a good idea of how the roster is going to look, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few more questions that need to be answered.

The New York Giants wrap up their 2022 preseason slate Sunday afternoon in a “road” game against the Jets. This will be the final opportunity for the coaching staff to look at the 80-man roster and figure out how the bottom of the roster will fill out ahead of Tuesday’s mandatory cutdown date when all NFL teams must reduce their rosters from 80 to 53.

On Monday morning, I will have a 53-man roster projection on the site; ahead of that, here is a look at the biggest questions to be answered as the team wraps up the preseason slate.

Quarterbacks

Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor, Davis Webb

How many make the roster?

Jones and Taylor are roster locks, but the same can’t be said of Webb, who, despite having a solid preseason, might be headed to the practice squad if the Giants need the roster spot to fill in some depth at positions that are dealing with injuries.

Running Backs

Saquon Barkley, Matt Breida, Antonio Williams, Jashaun Corbin, Gary Brightwell, Sandro Platzgummer

Who is RB3?

Barkley is locked in as RB1. Breida, despite missing over a week of practice time with an undisclosed injury, is presumably RB2. As for RB3, the thinking is that Williams, who, like Breida has experience in this offense, is the odds-on favorite, but it’s been hard to dismiss the explosiveness shown by Corbin, the undrafted rookie free agent.

Brightwell has special teams value, but that might not be enough to get him ahead of Williams and Corbin, even for a practice squad spot. And the plucky Platzgummer has cashed in every time he gets an opportunity, even though those opportunities have mostly come at the end of the games. Still, could the Austrian native continue his NFL journey on the Giants’ practice squad?

Tight Ends

Daniel Bellinger, Chris Myarick, Tanner Hudson, Austin Allen

Is the lack of experience a concern?

The current Giants tight ends group has played in a combined 33 NFL games. That’s probably not what the Giants were initially planning to do with the position considering they had signed veteran Ricky Seals-Jones to the roster to have him play while the kids developed, only to lose him to a season-ending toe ailment. 

Adding Hudson to the relatively inexperienced group gives the Giants a player who has appeared in 22 games. Still, this might be a case in which the Giants will likely have to suck it up and let the youngsters continue to gain experience at this level.

Wide Receivers

Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Wan’Dale Robinson, Sterling Shepard, David Sills, Alex Bachman, Richie James, C.J. Board, Darius Slayton, Keelan Doss, Jaylon Moore, Travis Toivanen

What about the depth?

Injuries have not been very kind to this position group—heck, to the entire Giants roster, for that matter. But just when you think the Giants are deep at a position, the injury bug comes along to muck things up. 

Despite having limited practice reps this summer because of a medical issue, Toney and Shepard are locks for the roster. Robinson, the second-round draft pick, and Golladay, the big money guy, are also locked. After that, it’s a question of how many receivers the Giants plan to carry.

A reasonable guess is they’ll carry at least six. So, who gets those other two openings with the first four spots likely filled? The injury to Collin Johnson might have opened the door wider for David Sills to hang around if he can hold off Slayton and Board. 

Doss was initially cut, but the Giants rescinded that move to keep him around; Doss is a receiver that can play inside or outside, which increases his value. And what about the smaller slot guys like Bachman and James, who sit behind Toney, Shepard, and Robinson?

Offensive Line

Andrew Thomas, Shane Lemieux, Jon Feliciano, Mark Glowinski, Evan Neal, Joshua Ezeudu, Ben Bredeson, Garrett McGhin, Will Holden, Eric Smith, Josh Rivas, Jamil Douglas, Max Garcia, Roy Mbaeteka, Devery Hamilton

How will injuries sway the depth?

This might be a good place to mention that to recall a player off injured reserve during the season, he has to be on the initial 53-man roster. I mention this because guard Shane Lemieux (foot/toe), whom head coach Brian Daboll said he's not anticipating being ready any time soon, could be a candidate for IR.  

We also don’t know the severity of guard/center Ben Bredeson’s elbow injury or if it’s potentially season-ending. The answers to these questions will largely influence whether some new faces are added to this all-important unit once roster cuts are made.

Defensive Line

Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, Justin Ellis, D.J. Davidson, David Moa, Jalyn Holmes, Nick Williams, Ryder Anderson

How many?

The Giants seem pretty much set on this unit, as they should have a healthy Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence leading the charge. Beyond those two, how many more will the Giants keep? Has rookie Davidson done enough to earn a spot? What about veteran Ellis, signed to contribute at the nose guard? Is there a place for Nick Williams? 

And will their numbers at this spot change if you consider that the Titans are a run-heavy team that necessitates more beef in the trenches, whereas the opponents that follow the Titans aren’t as run-dependent? What about the influence of the sub-packages on the numbers? This summer, the Giants have rarely been in their base defense, so will they put more of an emphasis on edge ushers and the back end?

Outside Linebacker

Azeez Ojulari, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Jihad Ward, Elerson Smith, Oshane Ximines, Quincy Roche, Tomon Fox

How will injuries affect the numbers?

Coming into training camp, this position looked at its deepest in quite some time. Ah, but the injury bug took care of that, didn’t it? Ojulari opened camp on NFI with a hamstring strain. He eventually was able to pass his physical, but unfortunately, he didn’t last more than a week before injuring his calf during Thursday’s joint practice with the Jets while running wind sprints. Ojulari’s injury is ill-timed but not believed to be long-term. 

Thibodeaux could miss the opening game as he recovers from an MCL sprain suffered on a low block last week. Smith is believed to be dealing with a foot injury and hasn’t been able to practice lately, leaving his status up in the air. Ward has also been sidelined with an undisclosed injury, his status a question mark. 

Thus the Giants are potentially facing a dilemma where if, for example, Smith is going to be a while, he’ll have to be on the initial 53-man roster if they want to move him to IR. That means taking away a spot from someone else, at least temporarily, which if they do, they’ll have to hope another team doesn’t swoop in and grab him.

Inside Linebacker

Blake Martinez, Tae Crowder, Carter Coughlin, Micah McFadden, Austin Calitro, Cam Brown

Who fills Darrian Beavers’ spot?

Thanks to his play, rookie sixth-rounder Darrian Beavers was on his way toward locking up a roster spot. However, an unfortunate knee injury changed everything, and now the Giants will look to fill that spot among others behind projected starters Martinez and Crowder. 

Brown should be a lock based on his special teams play alone. That means Coughlin, McFadden, and Calitro are up for what should be the last spot on this unit. McFadden is a draft pick of this regime and has had a solid summer. 

Coughlin has missed time with injuries. Calitro is intriguing, but one wonders if he’s someone they’d like to add to the practice squad. This final preseason game should help sort out the answers to all those questions.

Cornerback

Adoree’ Jackson, Aaron Robinson, Darnay Holmes, Rodarius Williams, Darren Evans, Olaijah Griffin, Zyon Gilbert, Cor’Dale Flott, Khalil Dorsey, Harrison Hand

Do they have what they need at this position on the roster?

Beyond the projected starters of Jackson, Robinson, and Holmes, this position is the biggest concern of the lot. Flott, the rookie, has been slowed down by a groin injury, but he’s projected to make the roster. Williams, recovering from an ACL, hasn’t been able to practice much this summer due to an undisclosed issue, so his roster spot is looking precarious. 

Evans has flashed, but is it enough to warrant a roster spot? Griffin, who had a fumble recovery in last week’s game, didn’t have a smooth showing last week, finishing tied with Carter Coughlin for the team lead in missed tackles. 

The Giants claimed Hand off waivers from the Vikings, so we’ll see what he can bring to the table, but it’s probably not a stretch to suggest that this position group is likely to have some new faces on it once the season starts.

Safety

Xavier McKinney, Julian Love, Dane Belton, Yusuf Corker, Trenton Thompson, Nate Meadors

Corker or Thompson?

Belton is on track to a full recovery from his broken collarbone, but it’s unknown if he will be ready for Week 1. If he’s not and isn’t too far from being ready, if the Giants need to fill in at this position, they can always elevate a safety from the practice squad for a game or two. 

The big decision comes down to who of Corker and Thompson gets a roster spot and who gets the practice squad nod. Corker has been getting some experience calling the plays with the reserves, but Thompson, who has ideal size and speed and who plays with an aggressive demeanor, has been making a late-summer push for a roster spot.

Specialists

Punter: Jamie Gillan; Kicker: Graham Gano, Ryan Santoso; Long-snapper: Casey Kreiter

Are any changes coming?

If you had asked me earlier in camp if I thought this would be the trio the Giants would go into the season with, I probably would have said no, considering Gillan’s inconsistency earlier in the off-season. But let’s give credit where it’s due: Gillian is not only on the right track, he was clutch in last weekend’s game when Gano went down with a concussion. Santoso was signed to kick in the preseason finale as it’s obvious that Gano isn’t cleared from the protocol just yet, but when the dust settles, Gano will be the guy. 

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