Giants Set Initial 53-man Roster: Initial Reaction and Analysis
Giants head coach Joe Judge has a clear vision for the type of team he wants to put on the field in 2020, and the initial 53-man roster brings them one step closer to putting that team on the field.
Among the cuts are three draft picks, two from 2019 (defensive tackle Chris Slayton and inside linebacker Ryan Connelly) and one from this year (cornerback Chris Williamson).
They join quarterback Kyle Lauletta and offensive lineman George Asafo-Adjei as Giants draft picks from the Dave Gettleman era who did not finish their rookie contracts.
Some other quick thoughts before my breakdown of the individual units.
- Color me surprised that the Giants kept five receivers. Why? Golden Tate appeared to injure his hamstring and those injuries can be tricky, so I thought they might keep an extra one for good measure. But in having thought more about it, teams can bring up two players each week from the practice squad. If Tate isn’t ready to go when the Giant splay the Steelers, the Giants will promote one of the receivers from the practice squad they’re expected to add by Sunday.
- I was also surprised that Spencer Pulley made the final cut. I thought maybe the Giants would trim his $2.35 million salary from the books, a hefty total to keep around if the plan is to start Nick Gates. As of now, the Giants are thought to be planning to have Jon Halapio on their practice squad, so some churning on the offensive line could still happen.
- I honestly didn’t think the Giants would keep six edge rushers, but with David Mayo a likely candidate for IR, and Cam Brown thought to be able to play inside and outside, I can see the logic behind the move.
- On a first glance, I don't see any undrafted free agent rookies on the initial 53-man roster. Chalk that up to an unconventional off-season and summer punctuated with no preseason games.
Here are some more thoughts about the initial 53-man roster.
Quarterbacks (2): Daniel Jones, Colt McCoy
Analysis: The Giants will go with two quarterbacks for the time being, and neither is a surprise. Expect them to add Cooper Rush, who will count for $100,000 in dead money, to the practice quad by tomorrow if he clears waivers. Meanwhile, it looks as though the team is finally moving on from veteran Alex Tanney, who will yield a $950,000 cap savings.
Running Backs (4): Saquon Barkley, Dion Lewis, Wayne Gallman, Eli Penny (FB)
Analysis: Gallman save his roster spot with a strong showing in the summer, but with Dion Lewis expected to see a lot of snaps in the passing game and in certain rushing situations, Gallman could end up being just a depth player in the event of an injury.
Sandro Platzgummer, from the International Pathway program, won’t count against the practice squad, where he is projected to spend the 2020 season.
Tight Ends (3): Evan Engram, Levine Toilolo, Kaden Smith
Analysis: At one point, there was a question about whether the Giants would keep four at this position, but with them carrying more linebackers than expected, they had to steal a spot somewhere.
Still, don’t be surprised if the Giants add Eric Tomlinson, who offers a little more value as a blocker, receiver, and special teams player than New Jersey native Garrett Dickerson.
Receivers (5): Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Corey Coleman, CJ Board
Analysis: The Giants will go with five receivers to start, but expect them to carry at least two more on the practice squad. One of those two will likely be Alex Bachman, ideally, a slot receiver, and another could be Johnny Holton, added this week as a potential gunner to replace Cody Core, who is on injured reserve with a torn Achilles.
They could also look to add 6’4” Binjimen Victor, a perimeter guy who offers height, especially after losing David Sills V to injured reserve with a fractured foot. Board, who impressed as a punt returner. Will likely fill that role for the Giants to start the season.
Offensive Line (9): Andrew Thomas, Will Hernandez, Nick Gates, Kevin Zeitler, Cam Fleming, Shane Lemieux, Matt Peart, Chad Slade, Spencer Pulley
Analysis: I do this every year--I underestimated the number of offensive linemen the team will keep. This year I did so because, as I understand it, at least one of the two practice squad players who will be elevated every week will have to be an offensive lineman.
Spencer Pulley, who I thought might be the odd man out, made the cut. Jon Halapio, who I thought might be practice squad bound, did not, and I still think he lands on the practice squad.
It will be interesting to see if the Giants bring back the promising young center Tyler Haycraft or if someone else grabs him. With the Giants keeping Pulley and Halapio, there would appear to be no room for Haycraft, unless the team is planning to churn the bottom of the develop chart at that spot.
Defensive Line (6): Leonard Williams, Dalvin Tomlinson, B.J. Hill, Austin Johnson, Dexter Lawrence II, R.J. McIntosh
Analysis: I thought the Giants might go with five players at this spot, but they went with six. And the sixth guy, R.J. Mcintosh, a fifth-round draft pick from 2018, is a bit of a surprise as I thought they might go with Chris Slayton instead, who I thought showed more in camp. Again, the practice squad likely beckons for a couple of the guys to hang around, and Slayton could be one of them.
Edge Rushers (6): Markus Golden, Oshane Ximines, Lorenzo Carter, Carter Coughlin, Kyler Fackrell, Cam Brown
Analysis: The Giants keep all their edge rushers, which was a nice surprise. I wanted them to find a way to keep Carter Coughlin, but I didn't think there would be room for him. The Giants are liting CamBrown as an outside linebacker, but he can also play inside.
Inside Linebackers (5): Blake Martinez, David Mayo, Tae Crowder, Devante Downs, TJ Brunson
Analysis: Mayo is recovering from knee surgery, a procedure that is believed to be one that shouldn’t keep him out more than a month. But with teams now allowed to return at least three players from injured reserve and with the waiting period cut in half to three weeks, Mayo could be moved to injured reserve.
What is a surprise is that second-year linebacker Ryan Connelly didn’t make the cut. Connelly, who last year looked so impressive before suffering a torn ACL, missed a week of practice earlier this summer but looked to be rounding back into form.
With Devante Downs having overtaken him for a potential starting role and Brunson and Crowder flashing throughout camp, the Giants are going with the rookies instead, at least for now. But it will be interesting to see if maybe Connelly, who, remember, is coming off knee surgery, clears waivers and returns if Mayo goes to IR.
Safeties (5): Jabrill Peppers, Julian Love, Xavier McKinney, Nate Ebner, Sean Chandler
Analysis: Expect Xavier McKinney to be moved to injured reserve and to be designated for return once he's healed. Montre Hartage, whom the Giants brought over from Miami where he was with defensive coordinator Patrick Graham last season, was waived/injured with a hamstring strain and will likely land on injured reserve if he clears waivers.
Cornerbacks (5): James Bradberry, Logan Ryan, Corey Ballentine, Darnay Holmes, Isaac Yiadom
Analysis: This position pretty much fell as expected. Don’t be surprised if seventh-round pick Chris Williamson, the only draft pick from this year's class, lands on the practice squad.
Specialists (3): Graham Gano, Riley Dixon, Casey Kreiter
Analysis: No surprises here. Expect, however, long snapper Carson Tinker to likely resurface on the practice squad.
