Stock Report from New York Giants Preseason Finale vs New York Jets

Who helped themselves and who didn't in the Giants preseason finale against the Jets on Saturday night?

Aug 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants linebacker Benton Whitley (48) celebrates a sack of Detroit Lions quarterback Nate Sudfeld (8) at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rausenberger-USA TODAY Sports / Scott Rausenberger-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants 10-6 loss to the New York Jets in their preseason finale was one of the ugliest professional football games around.

The reasoning for that is that almost all of the players who participated in the game were players that are on the bottom of the roster, and the quality (or lack thereof in this case) certainly showed. That said, there were still a few player performances we want to highlight for one reason or another from this final preseason tuneup.

Stock up: OLB Benton Whitley

Whitley may have come into the preseason as someone that was on the outside looking in for a roster spot, but he’s certainly had a strong enough showing to make the best case possible for himself.

On Saturday night, Whitley lived in the backfield just about every time that the Jets dropped back to pass. He finished with four tackles, a team-leading 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, and three quarterback hits in what was a very active game for him.

He continued to display a live body every time he stepped on the field, flying around edges and hustling to the ball.  His nose for the ball is impressive.  He showed a nice combination of power at the point of attack and mobility in space.  He’s a well-rounded edge player who does a little bit of everything out there.  

Whitley drew a big holding call on the edge, while each one of his QB hits was a heavy one.  He plays on his feet, and always seems to be around the ball.   Another plus in Whitley’s cap is that he plays on every special team and legitimately contributes.   

Throughout his career, Whitley has been a strong preseason performer with little to no regular season production, but given the injury situation at linebacker, might he have finally done enough to earn a spot on the 53? 

Stock down: T Evan Neal

Prior to leaving the game, Neal, who was on a pitch count, was having a rough go of things on Saturday night.

Getting the start at right tackle, Neal got the opportunity to play for the first time this preseason but underwhelmed in his limited snaps.

On a third down in the first half, Neal got beat around the edge by Takkarist McKinley for a sack on Tommy DeVito. 

Neal would leave the game with what was initially reported as an ankle injury but he would say postgame was just a coincidence that he got rolled up on when he was supposed to exit the game anyway.

“I didn’t suffer an injury tonight, I got rolled up on. That’s a football play.”

The problem with NEal’s pass blocking is that he continues to move like he’s stuck in the mud,  not unlike he’s looked throughout his first two years in the league.  

Neal’s footwork was way off on several snaps.  He also took a couple of poor angles that opened up too much space around his edge.  After his awful failures, he rebounded with some better pass block efforts and seemed to be calming down when he was bent backwards in a scrum and had to leave the game with yet another ankle injury.    

If you’re looking for the good in Neal’s game, his run-blocking was stellar as was his combo-blocking efforts, his decision making and his finishing off his man.  

Aug 24, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants linebacker K.J. Cloyd celebrates after a defensive stop against the New York Jets during the second half at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Stock up: ILB KJ Cloyd

KJ Cloyd had a poor showing against the Houston Texans last week but bounced back with his hair on fire against the Jets.

Cloyd was consistently around the ball and looked much more fluid in coverage, like he actually knew where he was supposed to be this time.

Cloyd showed plenty of promise as the type of run-and-hit ILB that any team could use.  Cloyd was not only filling holes with relish throughout the game – these were his flash plays – but he also played with a level of discipline and self-containment that surprised after last week’s wild-eyed, late-arriving showing.  

After a slow start tonight, Cloyd began to pick it up midway through the first half and carried out his dominating performance till the very end.  His 16 total tackles were legit in every way.  He made tackles in space, he stuck his nose into traffic without hesitation, he threw his body into form tackle after form tackle.  

When he wasn’t shooting gaps Cloyd was playing with proper discipline and staying true to his contain.  We saw maybe one miss in middle coverage, but he made plays from sideline to sideline in coverage as well as flowing to the edge tracking down runs.  He played with enthusiasm, he played proper angles, he played smart.  He played like he knew that he belonged, like a light had gone on over his head.  

Cloyd may not be big and physical but he’s very fast and he knows how to play this defense’s ILB position.  We think the Giants have found another player at the ILB position.  Does he survive the cutdown date?  We doubt it, but that was one dominating performance out there to where maybe the practice squad beckons.   

Stock down: C Austin Schlottmann

We’d been impressed by Schlottmann’s reliable center play through the first two pre-season games, but boy did he throw a clunker out there this week.  

Once he stepped in for John Michael Schmitz, Schlottmann completely whiffed on at least three separate snaps, leading to one sack, one pressure that led to another sack, and one big loss in the backfield on a running play that was otherwise well-blocked.  

It wasn’t like he was a ball of fire on all his other snaps either.  Schlottmann looked consistently out-classed by the Jets’ second and third teamers, whose athleticism was too much for him.  

Rookie undrafted free agent Leonard Taylor III had a field day against Schlottman, posting three straight plays that saw him either get the sack or half sack with two of those three plays coming against Schlottmann.

We were projecting him to make the final roster and we think he still makes it, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants look for another option at backup center.

  Interestingly, Schlottmann stepped in at left guard late in the game due to injuries and acquitted himself adequately enough, showing some versatility.  He's certainly smart and reliable assignment-wise; but the execution is a problem.

Stock up: FB/TE Jakob Johnson

Jakob Johnson hasn’t been with the Giants long but he saw early snaps against the Houston Texans, in what was his first game with the Giants and then played significant snaps , most of them at tight end, on Saturday night against the Jets.

Johnson showed the size and physicality to line up in-line and thrive.  He also showed enough mobility to play off-set TE and execute in space.  Finally, he was also a lead-blocking force at fullback, which is likely his best position.  

But it’s Johnson’s size, experience, and physicality that make him rather valuable.  This offense is more physical every time he’s on the field.  Though there were no slobber-knockers out there, Johnson played a ton of snaps from start to finish, while also flashing on special teams where he is a reliable force.  It’s hard to see Johnson not making the final 53, with all he does.

Aug 24, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Ayir Asante (19) gains yards after catch during the second half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Stock down: WR Ayir Asante

It was a rough finale for Asante, who finished the preseason with one catch and dropped his first target on Saturday night on a screen pass. That one pass came on a short crossing pattern, after which he was met by two Jets defenders which limited his lone catch to no gain. 

The game started with Asante as the kick returner next to Dante Miller. Asante would fumble the return, meaning the Jets started both halves on offense. 

It’s been a quiet training camp and preseason for Asante, coupled with two errors on Saturday night isn’t a good look for someone who was already on the outside looking in.

Stock up: QB Tommy DeVito

This is more of a “stock up that you can’t measure” for Tommy DeVito.

DeVito was getting walloped left, right, and center all game long by Jets defensive linemen but never wavered. Multiple times throughout the game, DeVito took off running for chunk plays and converted first downs with his legs.

But truthfully, it wasn't a great performance. The passing game never found its footing for many reasons, including poor pass protection and a few drops by receivers. DeVito finished 14 of 27, 103 yards and was sacked eight times, maybe half of those as a result of his holding the ball too long, a problem last year. 

There were no big plays from the quarterback position, and plenty of missed open receivers, and the missed opportunities on plays that simply have to be made.  DeVito had two huge passes knocked down at the line of scrimmage, one of which would have been a walk-in touchdown.

DeVito’s lack of height and his inability to work around defenders to complete simple throws make his lack of stature, combined with his three-quarters throwing motion, an unreliable combination.  DeVito simply cannot be trusted to work the short game when all a defense needs to do is get their arms up.  

That said, it would be surprising if the Giants cut him. He knows the system and is a good fill-in if needed. But is he a long-term starter?  Right now no. 

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