Giants Country

9 Giants on the Bubble Heading into the Final Preseason Game

As the Giants enter the final week of the preseason, several players are going to need a big push to make the initial 53-man roster. Nick Falato takes a look at those players who especially need a strong push to avoid being left on the outside looking in.

Nick Falato

9 Giants on the Bubble Heading into the Final Preseason Game
9 Giants on the Bubble Heading into the Final Preseason Game /

The Giants will make another round of cuts on Tuesday, dropping the roster from 85 to 80. The final 53-man roster is an elusive goal for many backend roster players. This next round of cuts delays the inevitable, for active rosters will need to be 27 less by Week 1 of the NFL season. This excludes the practice squad players.

The practice squad will consist of 16 players in 2021, with six of them being "veterans(players with more than two accrued seasons). Every NFL team will have the ability to protect at least four practice squad players per week.

Nevertheless, after this next round of cuts, two of which have already been made Tuesday morning, the Giants will still have several players who need a strong effort to crack the initial 53-man roster.

So as the Giants head into the final week of the preseason, starting with their joint practices against the Patriots, let's take a look at a few players who need to have a strong week in these joint practices with the Patriots if they want to have a shot at sticking around at 1925 Giants Drive.

WR Dante Pettis

It's unfortunate, to be honest. I like what Pettis brings to this New York Giants team, but none of his traits are elite, and he's competing in a very deep wide receiver room. 

(Yes, Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney haven't seen the field in a while, but signs suggest they should be ready for the regular season.)

Pettis played on 38 snaps, catching three of four passes for 25 yards. He is a good route runner with solid speed. The Giants currently have Golladay, Toney, Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, and John Ross, who are all ostensibly above Pettis on the depth chart--Ross may not be, but he has dynamic speed that can't go overlooked.

Furthermore, David Sills V is having another terrific training camp. Pettis has to compete with him at wide receiver. Pettis offers some value on special teams as a returner, but the Giants have several players who can execute that role. 

CJ Board, another receiver, is better on special teams as a gunner, so I wouldn't be shocked if Board makes the team over both Sills and Pettis for that reason alone. Pettis may end up being a solid player who is released due to circumstance, but there's no doubt that another team won't scoop him up and give him a chance.  

CB Sam Beal 

The ship for Beal may have already left the dock. He was targeted several times on a drive where receiver Matt Cole was playing cornerback opposite of him.

Beal missed three tackles and lacked discipline on some of the tackle attempts. He was also targeted four times and allowed a catch on all four. The Giants played him on 53 snaps, and I couldn't imagine that they were impressed.

Fellow backend roster cornerback Rodarius Williams, a rookie, has flashed well throughout camp. We have yet to see former Packers cornerback Josh Jackson on the field, but he is worth mentioning as is special teamer Keion Crossen, acquired via trade with the Texans.

Beal's time in New York seems to be running out; can he mount a last-ditch effort to stick around?

ILB Devante Downs

We know who Devante Downs is at this point. He's a backend roster linebacker who plays a decent amount of special teams snaps.

He played significant snaps in 2020--233 defensive snaps, to be exact--and that's way too many for a player like Downs.

That said, T.J. Brunson's injury made the already light inside linebackers room even lighter. Still, the ascension in confidence around Carter Coughlin's ability to play linebacker may force Downs off the active roster.

The secondary of the Giants has some solid run support contributors who can play the "Star" position. Jabrill Peppers, Xavier McKinney, Julian Love, and Aaron Robinson (once he gets healthy) profile well in those Big-Nickel, Big-Dime, types of defenses.

The Giants currently have Blake Martinez, Tae Crowder, Reggie Ragland, and Coughlin working at linebacker. There are also players like Cam Brown that have experience in the middle.

If this Giants coaching staff believes enough in Coughlin's linebacker ability, that makes Downs more expendable. That said, the lack of bodies at true linebacker may work in Downs favor, but better pure football players at other positions would have to be released to retain Downs.

He's on the bubble, and I wouldn't be shocked if the Giants added another linebacker from another team and released Downs just before the regular season.

DL Niko Lalos

The former star at Dartmouth played 22 defensive snaps against the Browns. He flashed in a few games down the season's stretch; he forced a big fumble, had an interception, and consistently found himself around the football.

Lalos is 6'5, 280 pounds. The Giants certainly value his length, effort, and his ability to play at different shades past the 3-technique position.

Lalos being on this list isn't a referendum on his skillset. I always thought he was destined to be a practice squad player again, only called up after injuries.

However, with the buzz and play of fellow defensive lineman David Moa, I have been wondering who the Giants value more. Both Moa and Lalos can coexist on the practice squad together, but if injuries do happen, who would get called up first?

I think Moa has earned his way into the discussion with Lalos. They're similar in size and can play similar roles, so I think the question is fair.

EDGE Ryan Anderson 

Anderson played 36 snaps against the Browns. He was credited with a sack and a pressure in the Giants' 17-13 preseason loss in Cleveland, but the film doesn't suggest a player executing his assignments well.

The Browns' rushing attack averaged 6.5 yards per carry on Sunday. That is not acceptable, especially considering it was the second team versus the second team.

Anderson's known as a run defender, but there were far too many times where he was out of position, and he fell for far too many misdirection plays. A veteran like Anderson shouldn't lack that much discipline in the run game.

The Giants' EDGE group is much deeper than it was in 2020. Anderson is competing with Ifeadi Odenigbo, Trent Harris, and Raymond Johnson III for a roster spot.

Johnson looked very solid on Sunday; Anderson not so much. He could use a good healthy week of practice against a Patriots team that runs the football. If Anderson plays with more discipline, continues to do well at the point of attack, and maintains the continuity of the defense with his run-setting ability, he can earn a roster spot. It, however, is not a lock.

CB Josh Jackson

Jackson is a 6'0, 196-pound cornerback selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. His career in Green Bay hasn't been great, so the Packers traded him to the Giants for cornerback Isaac Yiadom.

Jackson hasn't played yet for the Giants, but that could be just a matter of him getting up to speed on the playbook. That said, Jackson isn't a lock to make the team, though the injuries to Harper and Wilson, along with the struggles of Beal, could help him ingratiate himself with his new coaching staff.

If it's going to happen, it will have to happen quickly with time starting to run out on the preseason.

OL Kenny Wiggins, Chad Slade, and Ted Larsen

Locks for the rosters in 2021 at the offensive line are Andrew Thomas, Shane Lemieux, Will Hernandez, Matt Peart, and Nick Gates. That's five.

Then there are reserves Nate Solder, Jonotthan Harrison, and Jackson Barton, which brings the total to eight. Jake Burton and Brett Heggie could be early practice squad players. If the Giants keep nine offensive linemen, as they did last year in Week 1 against the Steelers, this means one of the three listed above should have a strong chance to make the roster.

Who's it going to be? If Solder's shoulder injury is significant or Barton doesn't get the nod, Wiggins could grab a spot even though he has been unimpressive in two preseason games (he was much better in the second preseason game).

Slade has positional versatility. Larsen's been with the Giants for less than a fortnight, but he brings a lot of experience to the position and might have a slight edge. Still, I don't believe any of these three have separated themselves, so a week of joint practices in New England could lead to the final JUDGEment on who's on the active roster against the Broncos. 

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Nick Falato
NICK FALATO

Nick Falato is co-host of the Big Blue Banter podcast. In addition to Giants Country, his work has appeared on SB Nation.

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