A Very Early New York Giants 53-man Roster Projection
You wanted a training camp competition, and the New York Giants are going to deliver.
A handful of starting jobs are open, including left guard, safety, slot cornerback, punt and kickoff returners, and the second linebacker in the base defense. Most of the position battles, though, are for depth roles, and given the quality of the 90-man training camp roster that general manager Joe Schoen has put together, this summer promises to be an intense one on the field.
Let's run down the various position units.
Quarterbacks: 2
- Stays: Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor
- Goes: Tommy DeVito
The Giants will carry a third quarterback on their practice squad rather than the 53-man roster. Will that be DeVito? He didn't wow in the spring practices that were open to the media, but that's just a small sample size, and he has been around now long enough to learn the system, which has to count for something in the eyes of the coaching staff.
Running backs: 4
- Stays: Saquon Barkley, Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell, Eric Gray
- Goes: Jashaun Corbin
Saquon Barkley will be on the field for opening kickoff despite any thinly veiled threats of a holdout if his contract situation isn't resolved by the July 17 deadline.
The competition that will be most interesting to watch is between Jashaun Corbin and Gary Brightwell. Brightwell was the team's kickoff returner last year, but he wasn't very effective, thanks in part to a lack of speed and his ordinary vision for the role. He also didn't make much of a difference in coverage.
With this new and ridiculous kickoff rule being tested this year, all a special teams coordinator needs to do is put someone back there who can catch the kickoff and call for the fair catch so that the drive starts at the 25-year line.
Special teams aside, the fourth guy on the depth chart at this position probably won't get many touches in a game--if he's even active. Still, if Corbin can outplay Brightwell on specials and at least flash with the ball in his hands this preseason, then he could have a chance of grabbing that last projected roster spot among the running backs.
Receivers: 6
- Stays: Parris Campbell, Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, Jalin Hyatt, Jamison Crowder, Bryce Ford-Wheaton
- Goes: Collin Johnson, Jeff Smith, David Sills, Kalil Pimpleton, Jaydon Mickens, Makai Polk, Wan’Dale Robinson, Sterling Shepard
In what is probably the first "Say what?" reaction to this too-early roster projection, I have Shepard and Robinson not making the initial 53-man roster for the simple reason that I believe both will not only start training camp on the PUP list, I think both will start the season on PUP as well.
Why? The Giants are so loaded at receiver that they can afford to let Shepard and Robinson take their time to fully get back to where they need to be. Having both start on the PUP list will allow them to inch closer to the one-year mark of their respective injuries.
There is another benefit. Having Shepard and Robinson come in around mid-year for any injured receivers means they'll have fresh legs. If the Giants are eyeing another postseason berth, the more fresh legs they can introduce along the way, the better.
In the meantime, I think Jamison Crowder, who, in the small sample size of practices open to the media, will be anointed as the primary slot receiver. (He can also serve as a return specialist.)
If the Giants go with six receivers, I could see them keeping Bryce Ford-Wheaton, an undrafted free agent in whom they made a significant financial investment on the roster to keep other teams from claiming him off waivers o the final cut-down date.
Ford-Wheaton might not necessarily have much of a role at first if he's kept on the roster, but sometimes such a step is necessary to keep other teams from grabbing guys off waivers, especially if they do well in the preseason.
Tight ends: 3
- Stays: Darren Waller, Daniel Bellinger, Lawrence Cager
- Goes: Tommy Sweeney, Chris Myarick, Ryan Jones
The third tight end is tricky to call because it depends on what the coaches are looking for--do they want more of a blocker or a receiver? (It also doesn't help that we couldn't gauge the players' blocking abilities because the spring practices were noncontact.) Ideally, they probably want a guy who can do both reasonably well so that opponents don't automatically eliminate possible plays when they put him on the field.
I went with Cager over Sweeney because I believe he is a better pass receiver (he's a former wide receiver). Cager still needs to show he's worked on his strength and physicality and can get the job done as a blocker if called upon, but he showed enough last year in a limited role to warrant strong consideration for the role.
Offensive linemen: 9
- Stays: Andrew Thomas, Ben Bredeson, John Michael Schmitz, Mark Glowinski, Evan Neal, Josh Ezeudu, Marcus McKethan, Tyre Phillips, Jack Anderson
- Goes: Matt Peart, Korey Cunningham, JC Hassenauer, Devery Hamilton, Wyatt Davis, Shane Lemieux,
I project there will be three spots open if the Giants go with nine offensive linemen, three of whom must be versatile backups that can fill multiple roles. Among those spots, the Giants will need a swing tackle, and for that role, I'm going with Phillips since he can also fill in at guard.
I was tempted to project Lemieux to the roster, but I left him off, not so much because he's had trouble staying on the field the last two seasons but also because it looks like the experiment with him playing center doesn't seem like it will continue.
That's why I gave the nod to Anderson, a guy who can play guard and center. Versatility is going to be an offensive lineman's best friend, and while I do think Lemieux can be a good guard in this league, with the team appearing to eye either Bredeson or Ezeudu as its starting left guard, keeping Lemieux might be a luxury the Giants won't be able to afford.
How much have the Giants closed the talent gap with the Cowboys and Eagles? Check out the video at the top of the page, as Giants broadcast team member and WFAN radio reporter Paul Dottino weighs in on the subject.
Defensive linemen: 6
- Stays: Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, A’Shawn Robinson, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Ryder Anderson, Jordon Riley
- Goes: Vernon Butler, Kobe Smith, D.J. Davidson
The Giants focused on adding a lot of depth to this unit after it was part of an abysmal run defense last season, but there are a few questions thanks to injury.
Assuming Robinson is cleared medically from the season-ending meniscus injury he suffered in November of last year, he'll be among the six the team keeps on this unit.
I question whether D.J. Davidson, a draft pick last year, will be physically ready to go at the start of camp, and I could see him starting on the PUP list. If he is ready, I wonder if perhaps a spot on the practice squad is in his future.
I have Riley making the roster, even though I think he's probably more of a practice squad project for the year ahead, but I am curious to see if Butler has a strong camp.
I'm also keeping Anderson because I got a rather positive vibe when I asked defensive line coach Andre Patterson about him. Anderson bulked up significantly in the off-season, so I'm curious to see what kind of role the team has in mind for him.
Outside linebackers: 5
- Stays: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, Jihad Ward, Oshane Ximines, Tomon Fox
- Goes: Elerson Smith, Habakkuk Baldonado
The Giants didn't get a chance to add to this group in free agency or the draft, which is a bit of a gamble. But the coaches will tell you they like what they have regarding depth behind projected starters Thibodeaux and Ojulari.
It won't be a surprise if they added another edge rusher to this group if Fox and/or Ximines (the latter of whom was added late in the spring after the Giants didn't secure a pass rusher in free agency or the draft) have a pedestrian type of summer.
With Smith having missed most of his first two seasons due to injury, it makes too much sense to put him on the practice squad, especially if you consider he hasn't played a full football season since 2019, thanks in part to the pandemic. Baldonado is intriguing, though, as a potential practice squad player if he can hold up against the run.
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Inside linebackers: 5
- Stays: Bobby Okereke, Jarrad Davis, Darrian Beavers, Micah McFadden, Carter Coughlin
- Goes: Dyontae Johnson, Troy Brown, Cam Brown
The final roster spot at this position will be one of Brown or Coughlin, who project more for special teams.
Brown, a special teams captain last year, has good length and can play the gunner role, a role that he didn't play much last year but is critical if the Giants want to improve their punt coverage teams.
Last year, Coughlin only played six defensive snaps last year despite the team's woes at inside linebacker, twice as many as Brown. On special teams, Coughlin was far more productive of the two, finishing with a team-leading eight tackles (seven solos) to Brown's six total tackles (three solos).
This battle right now is too close to call, but Coughlin gets the nod based on production.
Cornerbacks: 5
- Stays: Adoree’ Jackson, Deonte Banks, Cor’Dale Flott, Aaron Robinson, Tre Hawkins III
- Goes: Darnay Holmes, Amani Oruwariye, Rodarius Williams, Zyon Gilbert, Gemon Green, Leonard Johnson
The Giants appear loaded at cornerback, where the big competition to watch will be for the slot role. I think Holmes, who has held the job since being drafted, could be in trouble.
Between his inconsistency last year and his nearly $3 million cap hit, plus the fact that the Giants have other options for the slot, I could see them moving in a different direction, especially since they have other options who can play the role and allow the coaching staff to play better match-up football.
I also see them moving on from Williams, who was suddenly banned from receiving any notable playing snaps after a nice game last year on Thanksgiving against Dallas. The addition of Tre Hawkins III will also probably contribute to Williams' Giants' tenure ending.
Safeties: 5
- Stays: Xavier McKinney, Nick McCloud, Dane Belton, Bobby McCain, Gervarrius Owens
- Goes: Jason Pinnock, Trenton Thompson, Alex Cook
This was a tough call because I think Pinnock will have a place on the roster if he's healthy. That said, I don't know the nature of his injury that kept him out of the spring practices and if that will factor into whether he's ready to start training camp.
Owens' versatility is too hard to ignore. Granted, it was a noncontact spring, but I thought the youngster, the handful of practices I saw, held his own when challenged. If he makes the roster, I think, barring injury, it will come at Pinnock's expense.
Specialists: 3
Stays: K Graham Gano, P Jamie Gillan, LS Casey Kreiter
Goes: LS Cam Lyons
The Giants say that there is no competition between Cam Lyons and Casey Kreiter, but I'm not so sure of that because teams just don't add players to the training camp roster for the heck of it.
That said, I think Kreiter will prevail when the dust settles. But if Lyons has a good summer as he gets his on-the-job training, any plans the Giants might have of stashing him on the practice squad might end up in smoke.
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