New York Giants 53-man Roster Projection

Who's in and who's out on the Giants' initial 53-man roster now that the preseason is over?

Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the Giants have put a bow on their 2021 training camp and preseason, the hard part comes: Trimming the roster from 80 to 53.

Before the preseason finale against the Patriots, head coach Joe Judge admitted that while he had a clear picture for the majority of the roster, "There's a number of positions that are still up for grabs."

Those decisions have undoubtedly been crystallized after the Giants-Patriots preseason finale, so before I present my initial 53-man roster projection, here are a few reminders about roster-building rules.

• This is not the final 53-man roster; instead, it is an initial 53-man roster. There will be moves that need to be made to satisfy certain conditions--I’ll address those as they come up.
• For salary cap purposes, adding any free agent acquisitions (veterans who had their contracts terminated) usually waits until Week 2 of the season because anyone on the initial 53-man roster by the end of Week 1 will have his entire salary guaranteed against the cap. This is worth noting because if the Giants bring in a veteran as a temporary “solution” with the intent of later wanting to drop the guy, they don’t want to have the full salary remain on their cap.
• Players who passed their initial training camp physical only to suffer an injury cannot be placed on the PUP list to start the season. Only those players currently on the PUP list can be rolled over from active PUP (counting against the roster limit) to inactive PUP (not counting against the limit).
• Players with less than four years of accrued service are subject to the waiver system, meaning they must pass through waivers before being added to IR or the practice squad.
• While I don’t think this will happen, there could always be a last-minute trade that shakes things up. I don't have a strong feeling either way about any potential trades, but I wouldn't discount the possibility.
• The roster rules are the same as last year; players who land on IR must stay there at least three weeks before they can be recalled (and there is no recall limit). Players on PUP must sit there for a minimum of six weeks.
• Anyone who lands on the Reserve/COVID list doesn't count against the roster. There is no limit to how long a guy must stay on the list as it depends on how he got there, e.g., was he a close contact, or did he test positive?
• There will be tweaks made to the bottom of the roster in the coming days.

And with that all out of the way, here is my 53-ma projection.

Quarterbacks (2)

In: Daniel Jones, Mike Glennon

Out: Brian Lewerke (PS)

Nothing to see here as other than this was the plan all along

Running Backs (3)

In: Saquon Barkley, Devontae Booker, Corey Clement

Out: Gary Brightwell (PS), Sandro Platzgummer (PS-roster exemption)

The only question mark with this group is whether Saquon Barkley will be ready for Week 1. Last week, head coach Joe Judge admitted that Barkley would need to get some contact to get him ready for the season.

However, Barkley was held out of the preseason finale against the Patriots, which means at some point in the next two weeks, the Giants will have to manufacture some hits for the running back to see how he responds to in-game action.

That said, I think the Giants roll with Devontae Booker and Corey Clement as the backups with Brightwell to the practice squad and the Giants taking advantage of the roster exemption they still have for Sandro Platzgummer.

Fullback (2)

In: Eli Penny, Cullen Gillaspia

Out: N/A

Two fullbacks? Yup, and you can point to the situation at tight end as being the reason.

Kyle Rudolph just recently came off the PUP list last week. I would be shocked if Rudolph is ready to take on a full workload in Week 1, so if I'm the Giants, I keep both Eli Penny, who by the way hasn’t looked bad in his limited snaps as a halfback to where maybe he's the fourth option and the reason that allows the Giants to keep just three “pure” running backs on the roster.

Tight Ends (3)

In: Evan Engram, Kyle Rudolph, Kaden Smith 

Out: Nakia Griffin-Stewart, Jake Hausmann (PS)

I thought about keeping an extra tight end on my initial 53-man roster because of how late Rudolph came off the PUP list. Just look at how long it’s taken the team to ramp up Saquon Barkley, Kadarius Toney, and other injured players who missed time. 

Are we to believe that Rudolph will be 100 percent ready to go with no restrictions in Week 1? I'm not so sure he will be, just as I'm not so sure the Giants will be deploying a lot of 12-personnel this year now that they have a better collection of receivers to deploy. 

I do think the Giants keep at least one tight end on the practice squad just to be safe--remember, teams can elevate two players every week as needed. But 

In the end I went with the two fullbacks instead because with an improved receiving corps and the return of Barkley, I have a feeling the Giants won't be deploying 12-personnel as much as they did last year when the pickings at the other positions were slim, to say the least.  

That said, I wouldn't be entirely shocked if the Giants scan the waiver wire for another tight end to have just in case Rudolph isn't ready for Week 1.

Wide Receiver (7)

In: Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Kadarius Toney, David Sills, C.J. Board, John Ross*

Out: Dante Pettis, Austin Mack (IR), Matt Cole (PS), Damion Willis, Alex Bachman (PS) 

I have a gut feeling Golladay will be fine by opening day. I think the Giants will have more than enough receiving options even if they don’t have Toney ready to go for a week or two (still to be determined, by the way).

Initially, I didn’t think David Sills V would make the final cut, even though he’s had a strong summer. Sills, to my thinking, has all the qualities of an -receiver, and if Golladay isn't able to take a full load in Week 1 (still to be determined), Sills would at the very least make for nice insurance.

I have an asterisk by John Ross's name because he's been dealing with some injury issues and I wouldn't be surprised if he lands on injured reserve to start the season, where there is a three-week minimum absence. 

For that to happen, Ross would have to be on the initial 53-man roster.  And once he goes to IR, I think the Giants carry six receivers for the majority of the year.

I had a tough time regarding Matt Cole, who has looked so good on special teams this summer. But I think the Giants might be able to take their chances with sliding Cole onto the practice squad then say Sills or Ross.

Offensive Line (9)

In: Andrew Thomas, Shane Lemieux, Nick Gates, Will Hernandez, Matt Peart, Nate Solder, Kenny Wiggins*, Ted Larsen, Jonotthan Harrison

Out: Chad Slade (PS), Jackson Barton, Brett Heggie (PS), Jake Burton (PS)

This is one position group where I see immediate churning at the bottom of the depth chart, particularly at tackle, where I think it might not be a bad idea to try to fortify that depth.

For now, I have Kenny Wiggins, whom you'll note has an asterisk by his name, making the roster. Considering his ho-hum performance this summer in games, I suspect his roster spot could be the one where the Giants swap players, either adding someone off the waiver wire or potentially waiting until Week 2 of the season to sign a vested veteran.

I was surprised that the Giants left Shane Lemieux at home when they went to practice with the Patriots last week. Lemieux went with the team to Cleveland the week before and did some limited drills, so to learn that he didn't make the trip to New England so he could stay behind to rehab raised a flag for me.

The Giants started Ted Larsen at left guard in the preseason finale against the Patriots. And the other noteworthy development was that Nate Solder to the start at right tackle, which likely means the Giants are planning a rotation at right tackle.

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Defensive Line (5)

In: Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence II, Raymond Johnson III, Austin Johnson, Danny Shelton,

Out: David Moa (PS), Willie Henry, Elijah Qualls, B.J. Hill   

Last year, no undrafted free agents made the initial 53-man roster. I think this year that changes and defensive lineman Raymond Johnson gets the nod given how well he's flashed throughout the summer.

I don't think the Giants are going to have room for David Moa, who has also flashed. Moa, to my thinking, is a bit undersized but I do think there will be a place for him on the practice squad if he clears waivers.

B.J. Hill's being a healthy scratch caught my eye as has his seemingly shrinking role this summer to where I suspect he might not make this roster.  

Edge (6)

In: Lorenzo Carter, Azeez Ojulari, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Oshane Ximines, Elerson Smith*, Cam Brown

Out: Ryan Anderson (suspended), Niko Lalos (PS), Trent Harris (PS)

With Elerson Smith having missed most of camp, I would not be surprised if he's placed to IR, which is why I have the asterisk by his name

However, if the Giants want to get him back later in the year, they'd have to add him to the initial 53-man roster and then move him to IR on September 1, the first day teams can move players to IR with the intent of recalling them later in the season.

If that's the way the Giants go, that should open up a spot for Trent Harris, who has had himself a good summer and who certainly deserves a roster spot once one becomes available. And once Harris moves up, I think I look to add Lalos to the roster.

Inside Linebacker (4)

In: Blake Martinez, Tae Crowder, Reggie Ragland, Carter Coughlin

Out: Devante Downs

I'm still not 100% convinced the Giants keep four at this position--I could see them only keeping three as some of their outside guys can move inside in certain sub packages--but I'm rolling with that number for now.

Cornerbacks (5)

In: James Bradberry, Adoree’ Jackson, Darnay Holmes, Keion Johnson, Rodarius Williams

Out: Josh Jackson (IR), Sam Beal (PS), Aaron Robinson (Inactive/PUP), Jordyn Peters, Madre Harper (PS)

The Giants will have numbers at this spot, but the depth concerns me a bit. Keion Johnson will make the roster for his special teams ability, and I think rookie Rodarius Williams will make it as well. But if the Giants suffer an injury to either James Bradberry or Adoree' Jackson, I think it might depend on the opponent if they have to roll with Johnson or Williams.

Rookie Aaron Robinson, who, as of this writing, has yet to pass his physical, will move from active/PUP to inactive/PUP, meaning he'll be gone for at least six weeks. Expect the Giants to have him working behind the scenes much like they did last year with safety Xavier McKinney.

Regardless if Josh Jackson lands on IR--and if he does, we're not talking a big deal in terms of cap space--or if he's cut, this was a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Lastly, I'm just not convinced the Giants sever ties with Sam Beal because this is a guy who has talent but who needs to catch up on all he's missed due to his stints on IR and his decision to opt-out last year before the Giants definitively conclude that it's time to cut the cord.

Safety (4)

In: Logan Ryan, Jabrill Peppers, Xavier McKinney, Julian Love

Out: Chris Johnson

I know there has been talk about re-signing Nate Ebner, but at this point, with the team having traded for Keion Crossen, I'm starting to think that doesn't happen. 

And even if it does, who from among the safeties are they going to drop? If there's an injury, that's one thing, but for now, no Ebner as the Giants likely carry the four I have listed.

Special Teams (3)

In: Graham Gano, Riley Dixon, Casey Kreiter

Out: N/A

With the Giants cutting Carson Tinker (who might be back on the practice squad if he doesn't land elsewhere) and trading Ryan Santoso, there are no further moves for the initial 53-man roster among the specialists. 

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