New York Giants Initial 53-man Roster Projection
When it comes to making roster decisions, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll said it best.
"Cutdown day sucks," he said. "It really does because you develop relationships with players, you see how hard they work, and to bring a player up to your office and let them know that we’re going in a different direction or they didn’t make the team, you get a lot of different reactions and I completely understand it.
"They’ve laid everything they have on the line, and it’s a sports business, but it’s a people business. If you have relationships with people, that’s not easy. It’s not easy for me."
No, it's not, and not just for the coaches who have to make the decisions but also for those of us who attempt to project a 53-man roster. But here we are anyway with our second-to-last initial 53-man roster projection.
We will revisit this projection after the Giants conclude their preseason schedule Saturday night against the Jets.
Quarterbacks (2)
- In: Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor
- Out: Tommy DeVito
DeVito has played well this summer to show he belongs. Out of 22 quarterbacks with at least 40 dropbacks, his 68.6 completion percentage ranks sixth in the league this preseason. That aside, I still think he goes to the practice squad, despite the new rule that allows teams to dress a third quarterback that doesn't count against the active gameday roster.
With injuries at other spots on the roster, carrying a third quarterback when you have two healthy bodies in front of him doesn't make sense.
Running backs (4)
- In: Saquon Barkley, Matt Breida, Eric Gray, Jashaun Corbin
- Out: James Robinson, Gary Brightwell
Brightwell's chances of staying on the roster suffered a significant dent when the team decided to have rookie Eric Gray handle all the returner duties. It also hasn't helped Brightwell that he's been sidelined by a lower-body injury that has cost him valuable practice time.
That's not a promising combination for a player who, despite being a core special teams guy last year, would have likely landed toward the bottom of the depth chart at his position.
Brightwell's chief competition is Corbin, the second-year man signed last year as an undrafted free agent. Corbin has good speed and has looked good coming out of the backfield. He's averaged 2.40 yards after contact and has a respectable 82.5 NFL rating coming out of the backfield as a receiver.
He's also shown patience when necessary, and last week against the Panthers, he broke three tackles (out of seven rushing attempts). Corbin probably wouldn't see many snaps on offense if he makes the team, but his production has been solid enough to where, barring injury, he deserves a spot on the initial 53-man roster.
Wide receivers (6)
- In: Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, Parris Campbell, Jalin Hyatt, Bryce Ford-Wheaton, Sterling Shepard
- Out: Collin Johnson, Jamison Crowder, David Sills V, Kalil Pimpleton, Jaydon Mickens, Wan’Dale Robinson (PUP), Cole Beasley,
Slayton, Hodgins, Campell, and Hyatt are locks. Ford-Wheaton likely gets a nod here for his special teams play--look for him to do gunner work on the punt coverage team.
I think Wan'Dale Robinson, despite being in the latter part of his rehab, starts the season on the inactive PUP list. Even if he were to be activated off PUP in the coming days, a ramp-up period would be necessary, which would all but mean he wouldn't be ready for Week 1.
There's no rush right now to get Robinson on the roster; it's best to let him continue rehab and ensure his surgically repaired knee is 100 percent.
I have Cole Beasley not making the initial 53-man roster, as I think a spot on the practice squad makes more sense considering the timing of when he signed (just before camp) and the injuries he's had that have forced him to miss practice time.
I'm giving the nod to Shepard, who continues to ramp up from his ACL injury, because he's been consistently at it, unlike Beasley, who remember was retired before Daboll and the Giants came calling just before the start of camp.
I also think the eventual seventh receiver spot will be kept for Robinson once he's ready to return, at which point carrying Shepard Robinson and Beasley on the 53-man roster makes little sense.
Tight ends (3)
- In: Darren Waller, Daniel Bellinger, Lawrence Cager
- Out: Tommy Sweeney, Chris Myarick, Ryan Jones
This position is pretty much cut-and-dried and has been since the spring, as Lawrence Cager will be the third tight end behind Darren Waller and Daniel Bellinger.
The only question is which tight end gets kept on the practice squad. The competition was primarily between Tommy Sweeney and Chris Myarick at the start of summer.
Sweeney, who was already dealing with an undisclosed medical issue that caused him to miss Friday's game against the Panthers, could now end up on injured reserve after suffering a "medical event" during Wednesday's practice which necessitated him being carted off the field after being attended to for several minutes.
Given his production this summer, I suspect that Myarick might have gotten a spot on the practice squad. In 39 pass-blocking snaps this preseason, Myarick has yet to give up a single pressure, joining Daniel Bellinger as the only other tight end on the team involved with blocking who can lay claim to that stat.
Myarick, who also offers more position versatility in that he can line up in the backfield, would appear to have the edge for a practice squad spot over his competition, which also includes Ryan Jones, a young player who's fairly new to the tight end spot after spending his first two years of college as a linebacker.
Offensive linemen (10)
- In: Andrew Thomas, Ben Bredeson, John Michael Schmitz, Mark Glowinski, Evan Neal, Josh Ezeudu, Tyre Phillips, Matt Peart, Jack Anderson, Marcus McKethan
- Out: Korey Cunningham, Wyatt Davis, Sean Harlow, Julién Davenport, Shane Lemieux
Andrew Thomas, Ben Bredeson, John Michael Schmitz, Mark Glowinski, Evan Neal, and Joshua Ezeudu are locks for the roster.
Tyre Phillips can give the Giants snaps at guard and tackle, but so too can Marcus McKethan, a guy that, despite coming off PUP recently, seems to be someone the Giants would like to develop.
I thought about not including McKethan on the initial 53, as I don't see him giving them any snaps right away, considering he only recently came off PUP. But the only way to develop a young player is to get him reps, and the Giants seem intent on helping McKethan develop into a guard/tackle prospect.
The big question is the identity of the backup center. Bredeson gained more experience at the role there, but if he's the starting left guard, I'm not sure if it makes sense to uproot him and affect two spots on the line if Schmitz is injured.
Of the remaining candidates, I'm rolling with Jack Anderson if he's healthy. He and Shane Lemieux are the only two interior offensive linemen not to allow pressure this summer in pass blocking, but where Anderson has an edge over Lemieux is that he's more mobile and can pull, whereas Lemieux hasn't shown that this summer.
Defensive linemen (6)
- In: Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, A’Shawn Robinson, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Jordon Riley, Ryder Anderson
- Out: DJ Davidson, Donovan Jeter, Kobe Smith, Kevin Atkins, Brandin Bryant
Six at this position might seem like a lot, but because A'Shawn Robinson, Ryder Anderson, and Rakeem Nunez-Roches have had some injury issues that have resulted in missed practice time, this necessitates keeping an extra player at this spot.
Anderson, a guy defensive coordinator Wink Martindale spoke glowingly about in the spring, is still nursing a triceps injury and could be one of those candidates who gets rolled to injured reserve once the season starts.
That leaves the door open for rookie Jordon Riley, who has looked so impressive in his opportunities, to grab that sixth roster spot. Riley still needs more snaps to grow into his comfort level, and it looks like he'll get them with the Giants, who are unlikely to expose him to waivers where another team might come swooping in to claim him.
Linebackers (9)
- In: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, Tomon Fox, Jihad Ward, Isaiah Simmons, Bobby Okereke, Darrian Beavers, Micah McFadden, Carter Coughlin
- Out: Oshane Ximines, Habakkuk Baldonado, Tashawn Bower, Ray Wilborn, Dyontae Johnson, Cam Brown
The only debatable spot here was whether to find a spot for Cam Brown, a special teams staple and captain last year, or Carter Coughlin.
I went with Coughlin for two reasons. One, he can give the Giants snaps at linebacker, something that Brown hasn't been able to deliver. But more importantly, Coughlin has simply been the more productive special teams player of the two, and it's not even close.
Last season, Coughlin finished with a team-leading eight special teams tackles (seven solos) to Brown's six (three solos). This summer, Coughlin has picked up where he left off, as he currently leads the Giants with two special teams tackles (to Brown's one), Coughlin playing in 20 snaps to Brown's nine.
That diminishing number of opportunities right there is a huge red flag that Brown's time as a Giant might just be ending, as is the fact that the Giants can deploy receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton's length and size as a gunner a role once held by Brown.
Cornerbacks (5)
- In: Adoree’ Jackson, Deonte Banks, Cor’Dale Flott, Tre Hawkins, Amani Oruwariye
- Out: Aaron Robinson (PUP), Zyon Gilbert, Gemon Green, Darren Evans, Darnay Holmes
I've said all along that Darnay Holmes could be one of the biggest names cut this summer, and I am not changing my mind, and not just because of his potential $2.7 million cap savings.
Holmes has seen 15 slot snaps this summer and has allowed one of three pass targets to be complete for 14 yards and minus 1 yard after the catch for a 49.3 NFL rating. That's not bad production, but the acquisition of Simmons also gives the Giants another option for the slot, where he has played 641 regular-season snaps.
Also, this new look they've rolled out with Adoree' Jackson in the slot is intriguing in that it now allows Martindale the flexibility to put Jackson on the opponent's best receiver, even when that receiver is their slot guy (see Dallas and CeeDee Lamb).
The last spot on this unit was tricky, as I wanted to go with Zyon Gilbert over Amani Oruwayriye. Gilbert has primarily played in the slot for the Giants this summer (33 out of 35 defensive snaps) and has been productive, but the Giants need more talent at the perimeter cornerback spot, which is why Oruwayriye likely makes the initial 53-man roster.
That said, I wouldn't be shocked if the Giants tweak this group after the initial cuts are made league-wide. Earlier this week, they worked out veteran William Jackson so that could be a precursor to when the cuts are made, having a plan in place to move swiftly rather than waiting until after cuts are made and then having to rush into any decisions.
Aaron Robinson seems no closer to being activated off PUP now than he did weeks ago and thus will start the regular season on the inactive/PUP list, where he must remain for four games. It's possible he could be the one who knocks someone off the roster at this position, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Safeties (5)
- In: Xavier McKinney, Jason Pinnock, Dane Belton, Nick McCloud, Gervarrius Owens
- Out: Bobby McCain, Alex Cook
Five safeties might seem like a lot to carry, but given the uncertainty around Nick McCloud's injury and if it's significant enough to warrant him starting the season on IR, I went with an extra one, that being draft pick Gervarrius Ownens, who I think will be instrumental on special teams as he continues his development.
Specialists (3)
- In: K Graham Gano, P Jamie Gillan, LS Casey Kreiter
- Out: LS Cam Lyons
There's nothing to see here unless an injury pops up.
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