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Takeaways from the New York Giants Preseason Game 1 Snap Counts

Notes and observations from the Giants' preseason game 2 snap counts.

Patricia Traina

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants made good on their pledge to get their backups and young players a lot of work in the preseason opener against the Jets. Here are a few takeaways from the snap count/play-time distribution.

WR David Sills V: 32 offensive snaps (67%)

I was surprised to see that David Sills V received no special teams snaps. As I noted in my takeaways, when you're talking about guys at the bottom of the depth chart at their position, those able to give quality special teams snaps are likely to be the ones who end up making the roster.

Head coach Joe Judge said that Sills's lack of special teams snaps was by design.

"Sills contributes on special teams for us, so again, everyone’s plan last night in the game was very unique and different to them," he said. "Some of it’s for the function and how to operate offensively and defensively throughout the game and the majority of it was really to see certain players and evaluate them for extended periods of play. In terms of Sills, we made a decision last night just to play him on offense."

CBs Madre Harper: 67 defensive snaps (87%) and Rodarius Williams 61 defensive snaps (79%)

With James Bradberry and Adoree' Jackson given the night off, Harper and Williams took the bulk of the defensive snaps at the outside cornerback spots.

Williams, primarily lining up at right cornerback, was targeted ten times in coverage, allowing eight pass completions for 99 yards, six first downs, and only one pass breakup.

Harper allowed three of five pass targets to be completed for 21 yards and one first down. He didn't have any pass breakups.

While the numbers don't look pretty, what's missing is that in each player's case, there were several throws on which the coverage was more than acceptable, but the throw was just better.

Speaking of Williams, 22 of his 61 defensive snaps came from the slot, a surprising development considering he has primarily worked outside during camp.

"There was a function of that that was due to where we were at in the game with who we wanted to play and keep on the field and evaluate," Judge said. "A lot of these younger guys, you want to see them through some extended play and see how they can handle the volume of the game and some of the things that come up.

"We’re always looking to build up a player’s versatility. He’s done a little bit of that in practice for us through spring, a little bit through training camp, but it was an opportunity to put him in there and see how he functioned. So, he showed some things he did well and some things we’ve got to keep on building with him."

LB Cam Brown: 13 special teams snaps (62%)

Last year Cam Brown, then a rookie, quietly ingrained himself as a core special teams player. Thus far, it looks as though that hasn't changed as his snap count was the most on special teams. Interestingly, there were no snaps for Brown on defense.

According to head coach Joe Judge, that was by design.

"The focus for him was going to be play special teams last night. He got in, did a good job for us. I saw what I needed to see," Judge said.

In terms of defense, we had some other guys we wanted to evaluate who have been doing a good job for us in practice. His not playing last night doesn’t reflect specifically anything on his status defensively." 

Offensive/Special Teams Snaps
Defensive/Special Teams Snaps
Special Teams Snaps Only

CB Sam Beal and RB Gary Brightwell: Did not play

In the past, I've always believed that the snap counts handed out to players in the final preseason game were a strong indicator of who had a legitimate chance of making the roster and who did not.

Well, we all know by now that despite this being the first of three preseason games, Judge treated it like the fourth preseason game.

And that cornerback Sam Beal, who is not thought to be dealing with any kind of injury (unless something popped up late in the week), didn't receive any snaps is just reinforces the belief that his roster status is on shaky ground.

Brightwell is another player who didn't play, though it's unclear if that was due to an injury or simply not enough snaps to go around. The Giants evenly divided the snaps among running backs Devontae Booker, Corey Clement, and Sandro Platzgummer, who got 11 snaps apiece.

Right from the start, I thought Brightwell might be destined for the practice squad given the depth in front of him, and nothing has changed my mind about that.

FB Eli Penny: 7 offensive snaps (15%)

The only reason why Penny's snap count deserves mention is that he lined up as a halfback on five of the seven snaps, which was a semi-interesting development.

Penny began to see an uptick in his offensive snap counts toward the end of last season, where, in Weeks 10, 12, and 13, he received at least ten snaps per game. Penny had one carry for two yards against the Jets and no pass receptions, the latter being more of a strength of his in terms of touching the ball.

Penny's competition, Cullen Gillaspia, only received six snaps, and three of those came with him lining up as a halfback. Gillaspia didn't receive any touches.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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