Takeaways on New York Giants Initial 53-man Roster

The Giants have set their initial 53-man roster. Here are some thoughts about what they did to get there and where they still might have to go.

New York Giants bag of footballs / Patricia Traina | New York Giants On SI

NFL Roster Cutdown Day is in the books as NFL teams across the board trimmed their respective 90-man training camp rosters down to an initial 53-man roster. The moves made by the New York Giants to get to the initial 53 weren’t that surprising, though there were a few moves that are worth talking about.

First, here is the full 53-man roster as it stands right now (as in the cutdown deadline):

Quarterbacks (3)

• Starter: Daniel Jones
• Backups: Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito

With Drew Lock still working his way back from a hip issue and with Daniel Jones’s injury history, I believe the Giants would be taking a huge gamble getting rid of DeVito.

That said, I found it interesting that Daboll was coy when asked about keeping three quarterbacks beyond this, the initial 53-man roster, noting that it’s still fluid.

Could the Giants maybe be looking to let the waiver wire stuff settle down before attempting to slip DeVito, who was requested by the media to speak on Tuesday but was not made available, onto the practice squad, or are they eyeing another possibility?

Running Backs (3)

• Starter: Devin Singletary
• Backups: Tyrone Tracy, Eric Gray

I am not so much surprised that Dante Miller didn’t make the roster as I am that they didn’t keep fullback/tight end Jakob Johnson. I largely suspected the Giants would try to slip Miller through to the practice squad. Miller has speed, which can’t be taught, but his game still needs a little more polish.

Wide Receiver (6)

• Starters: Malik Nabers, Wan'Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt
• Backups: Darius Slayton, Bryce Ford-Wheaton, Gunner Olszewski

This position group’s initial outcome came as a surprise. Olszewski is still nursing a groin injury that Daboll describe as “week to week.” While the Giants didn’t use one of the two early IR-DTR designations on him, how close is he to being able to contribute in Week 1?, and if he’s not going to be ready, do the Giants make a move there.

The other “surprise” is that Bryce Ford-Wheaton made the roster over Miles Boykin, the latter having had a good summer on special teams. The coaches probably believe that Ford-Wheaton has more upside than Boykin.

Tight Ends (3)

• Starters: Daniel Bellinger, Theo Johnson
• Backups: Chris Manhertz

The only surprise here is that they might keep Jakob Johnson as a fullback/tight end. I should have known better, though, as Daboll hasn’t kept a fullback on the roster in two seasons as head coach, trusting the blocking to an extra offensive lineman.

But what I totally forgot to take into consideration is that defensive tackle Elijah Chatman, who made the initial 53-man roster, can also function as a fullback if need be.

Offensive Line (10)

• Starters: LT Andrew Thomas, LG Jon Runyan, C John Michael Schmitz, RG Greg Van Roten, RT Jermaine Eluemunor
• Backups: G Aaron Stinnie, T Evan Neal, T Josh Ezeudu, G Jake Kubas, C Aaron Schlottman

No surprises here. Very happy for Jake Kubas, an undrafted free agent, who made the initial 53 on an otherwise veteran unit.

Defensive Line (5)

• Starters: Dexter Lawrence, Rakeem Nunez-Roches
• Backups: Elijah Chatman, Jordon Riley, D.J. Davidson

The trade of Jordan Phillips to Dallas and the season-ending injuries to Ryder Anderson and Timmy Horne opened a spot for D.J. Davidson, who, earlier in the summer, I would have had as a potential cut. I don’t know if the Giants will look to add to this unit, but if they do, Davidson could be the odd man out.

Outside Linebackers (5)

• Starters: Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux
• Backups: Azeez Ojulari, Boogie Basham, Benton Whitley

It was surprising to see the Giants keep five outside linebackers. While I can see the logic of keeping Azeez Ojulari, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, if he’s not in the long-term plans, then I think it would make sense to move on from him and try to get a cornerback.

Inside Linebackers (5)

• Starters: Bobby Okereke, Micah McFadden
• Backups: Darius Muasau, Carter Coughlin, Dyontae Johnson

Six guys at this spot seems a bit much, but I think it concerns the injuries. Matthew Adams, Dyontae Johnson, Micah McFadden, and Carter Coughlin all have injuries of varying severity, so I wouldn’t be shocked if one or more of them land on IR to clear roster spots for incoming waiver wire acquisition.  

Cornerbacks (5)

• Starters: Deonte Banks, Nick McCloud, Dru Phillips (nickel)
• Backups: Cor'Dale Flott, Tre Hawkins

I would not be surprised if Flott (quad) lands on IR and as many as two new faces join this group.

Safeties (5)

• Starters: Jason Pinnock, Dane Belton
• Backups: Isaiah Simmons,Tyler Nubin, Gervarrius Owens

This group worked out to what I expected. The only thing I’m not 100 percent sure about is if Belton hung onto the starting job or if Nubin managed to wrestle it away from him.

Specialists (3)

• Kicker: Graham Gano
• Punter: Jamie Gillan
• Long Snapper: Casey Kreiter

This worked out as expected.

Dec 17, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; A detailed view of a New York Giants helmet before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Here are a few of my takeaways as we now wait for the waiver wire to churn and the practice squads to be set.

No Fullback

Like so many others, I thought Jakob Johnson, a fullback/tight end who came on board the day before the Giants’ second preseason game and went on to play reasonably well, might have a spot on the roster, especially given his connection to Giants offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, who probably cross trained Johnson in blocking techniques while the two were with the Raiders.

In the end, I probably shouldn’t have been that surprised. The Giants offense is going to run through the passing game, which meant there was a higher priority placed on receivers and making sure there was a good balance there.

That said, I could see Johnson being offered a spot on the practice squad. In the preseason finale against the Jets, Johnson played just about every snap on special teams, where he did have a personal foul that no doubt didn’t please the coaching staff. Still, Johnson is a physical player and a team can never have too many of those hanging around. 

Giants Cut Loose Some Draft Picks 

Cornerback Darnay Holmes, offensive lineman Marcus McKethan, and inside linebacker Darrian Beavers were among the roster cuts made. All three were one-time draft picks, Holmes (R4-2020) one the last remaining draft picks from the Dave Gettleman era, and McKethan (R5-2022) and Beavers (R6-2022) coming from general manager Joe Schoen’s first Giants draft class.

McKethan and Beavers were likely done in by ACL injuries that stunted their development.  McKethan initially offered some guard/tackle flexibility, but his lack of progress this summer was so alarming that the coaches held him out of the preseason finale,perhaps knowing they were going to be moving on from him.

Beavers was sort of in the same boat. Prior to suffering a devastating ACL tear as a rookie, he looked very much like a steal. Unfortunately his rehab took much longer than expected to where his once decent movement slowed him down to the point where he was missing tackles–he had five such missed tackles over the last two preseason games.

Waiver Wire Watch

There are several interesting names set to show up on the waiver wire, and we will be doing a separate piece on who we think makes the most sense for the Giants to pursue.

But one interesting name at a position of great need (cornerback) is former Titans first-round draft pick Caleb Farley, who of course, played for Shane Bowen in Tennessee. 

Farley has been cursed by the injury bug, a concern that followed him from his days at Virginia Tech. Since coming to the NFL, he’s dealt with a torn ACL in 2021, a herniated disc in his back in 2022 that required a microdiscectomy, and a hamstring issue this summer. In sum, Farley has appeared in 12 games over three seasons.

If claimed off waivers, Farley will cost his new team $2.5 million, a hefty sum for a player with his injury history. The Giants, who need to address cornerback, might want to stay away from adding a chronically injured player at the position, or if Farley’s medicals check out, maybe they look to add him after the first week of the season when the contracts of vested veterans (those with four or more years of experience) no longer receive the benefit of fully guaranteed salariesif they are on the Week 1 roster on game day.

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