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Early Roster Cuts That Might Interest the New York Giants

The 32 NFL teams will be making roster cuts to et to the league-mandated 53-man roster limit. With some teams already having started to trim players, Nick Falato is scouting potential depth players that might draw the Giants' interest.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Aug 31, 2021 9:33 AM EDT

The NFL's final cuts happen on Tuesday, but teams have gotten a head start on the affair. Every NFL pro scouting department will intently observe every release to see if any of the recently unemployed players can crack their team's 53-man roster.

New York acknowledged their offensive line woes by trading defensive lineman B.J. Hill and a conditional seventh-round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals for interior offensive lineman Billy Price.

The Giants may still look at other offensive linemen, but other position groups on this team lack depth. There were several players waived/terminated around the NFL. Here's a list of six that may pique the Giant's interest.

Michael Schofield III, OT

The 30-year-old tackle has over 4,500 career snaps. He is an experienced veteran who isn't spry in the legs anymore but has played a lot of effective football in his career. The Cardinals recently released Schofield, who has given up 174 pressures and 24 sacks in 2,862 pass-rushing snaps.

He's played most of his career for the Chargers and the Broncos. Schofield was only adequate last season with the Chargers but has had several solid seasons of play in the past. After the struggles displayed on Sunday by each of the three Giants' offensive tackles, adding a veteran like Schofield doesn't sound like a terrible move.

Temarrick Hemingway, TE

Depending on Evan Engram's injury severity, the Giants may have to add depth to their tight end room. There weren't many tight ends released before the Tuesday cutdown date, but Hemingway stood out. He was a sixth-round pick by the Rams in 2016 out of South Carolina State.

He's bounced around the league a bit, but he provides excellent size at 6'5, 250, and a solid athletic profile. He's not known for his blocking prowess, but he's still only 28-years-old, and the Giants are getting thin at tight end. Hemingway could be a player to investigate.

MORE: Giants Trade Defensive Lineman B.J. Hill to Bengals

Evan Weaver, LB

Weaver was an excellent linebacker for the University of Cal, but he was always athletically limited. His production was insane in college; Weaver had 407 tackles, 23.5 for a loss, 8.5 sacks, and 11 passes defended in four seasons. Weaver was all over the football field in college, which led him to be a sixth-round selection by the Arizona Cardinals. He's 6'2, 237 pounds, with marginal athletic testing.

Weaver would be a solid addition on early downs. A player that can bring solid physicality and great competitive toughness, but you wouldn't want in sub-packages due to athletic limitations.

RELATED: New York Giants 2021 Roster Transaction Tracker

Tim Harris, CB

The Buffalo Bills released the 6'2, 200-pound 26-year-old cornerback ahead of final cutdowns. Harris isn't an ideal option in man coverage, but he has zone experience and length. Harris was a 2019 sixth-round pick out of the University of Virginia, where he had 17 pass breakups in college, where he was in school for a Van Wilder type of tenure.

He's not going to solve the Giants' issues at boundary cornerback if something happened to James Bradberry or Adoree Jackson, but he would be depth behind Rodarius Williams.

Rasul Douglas, CB

The Las Vegas Raiders recently released the former Philadelphia Eagle. The Texans picked him up, and now they're reportedly releasing him as well. There could be some issue with Douglas, but he still makes this list with that uncertainty. Douglas, a key rookie for the Eagles' lone Super Bowl victory, is only 25-years-old.

He's a long physical cornerback whose skill-set translates to a more zone-heavy cover three scheme. He's not the most fluid cornerback, so man coverage might not be his strong suit. The Giants could look to Douglas for depth. He would join Logan Ryan and Jabrill Peppers as New Jersians in the Giants' secondary room; Douglas is a native of East Orange.

MORE: New York Giants Will Have to Navigate Through Several Injury Questions

Tyrell Crosby, OT

Crosby could be the most interesting on this list. He’s a 25-year-old with over 1,000 snaps in his short career. The fifth-round pick seemed like a solid player from everything I’ve seen. He reportedly missed a lot of training camp recovering from a hamstring injury, and he is just recently getting up to speed.

He has good size and length as well. Crosby has given up 45 pressures and seven sacks through 742 pass-blocking snaps. If his injury situation checks out, the Giants may want to look towards Crosby as possible depth with some upside.