Giants Country

New York Giants Mailbag: Roster Tweaks, Changes and More

We check in with the readers to see what's on their minds.
Patricia Traina|
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

In this story:

New York Giants

Want to get in on our weekly mailbag?You can do so here, or post your questions on X (formerly known as Twitter) to @Patricia_Traina, hashtag #askPTrain. Letters may be edited for clarity/length.

Mr. Lebitsch touts OBJ as the best Giant to wear number 13. As he is a young journalist, may I ask how he weighs and assesses those players he likely never saw play? By way of example, the overall impact of Dave Jennings on the Giants, and what it meant to be a NY Giants, far outweighs OBJ. In many lean years, Jennings was the best weapon the NY Giants had. – Peter L.

Peter, thanks for the letter. Not everyone is going to agree with the picks we make for this series, and that’s fine, but don’t bring the writer’s age into the mix, especially when the writer takes the time to consult with others who have been contributing to this series who DID see more of the players play. 

While it was admittedly a close call between OBJ and Dave Jennings, there were a couple of factors here. First, while Jenning was top of his profession, there were how many punters back during his day–28 total? 

Beckham was also once at the top of his profession and there were far more receivers during the height of his career than there were punters. 

Probably not this year, at least right away at any rate. I think any fullback snaps will be handled by a tight end, as has been the case in the past. Let Skattebo acclimate to like in the NFL as a runing back before potentially adding to his plate. He's already missed a chunk of developmental time.

Not necessarily. It could be a matter of teams not wanting to inherit contracts and instead wanting to rework deals.

When you claim a guy off waivers, you're claiming his contract as is. A lot of teams, particularly those who are cap-strapped, prefer to start from scratch. So we'll see if more former Giants end up elsewhere.

I thought they might keep Greg Dulcich over Chris Manhertz, and I was also disappointed Elijah Chatman didn't make it (though I understand why). But other than those two moves, nothing really made me say, "Wow!" when I learned about it.

As of right now and based on who’s on the practice squad at the moment, I’m going to say receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette, whom I envision the Giants elevating three times this season since as of this writing, I don’t think they have a really strong return man option on the 53-man roster. 

Pete, what I think doesn't matter. The bottom line is that Hyatt is a draft pick Schoen traded up to get, and there was no way Schoen was going to cut bait on the kid after two seasons.

I mean if they didn't cut bait on Evan Neal after all this time, doesn't that tell you all you need to know when it comes to their draft picks, particularly those selected on Day 1 and Day 2?

Ultimately, I’d say becoming an every-down back a la Saquon Barkley. I mean how much higher can a guy go on a roster than that? Pro Bowl? All Pro?

Now whether any of that happens for Skattebo is another story, at least for this year, as I still believe that given all the time he missed with his hamstring issue, he has some catching up to do.

Interesting question. Here's the thing. We can only go by what we know to be true, which can be gleaned from being in the building and talking to people. And even though we talk to people, it doesn’t mean they tell us everything.  

That said, factors such as injuries and classroom issues are things that we don't necessarily take into account when making our predictions. You saw how Brian Daboll protected injury information this spring and summer as though it were the key to his bank account.  

We also don’t have access to the boards that the personnel department has, which they use to anticipate who might become available around the league and which players would be upgrades over what they currently have. 

To a large degree, we will always be working with less than 100% of the necessary information to accurately make these predictions. And that doesn’t dilute the importance of being on-site to observe and report on the practices.

I would say the chances are low. Renfrow reportedly has several teams interested in him, and according to Over the Cap, which updated the cap space for all 32 teams, the Giants are one of four teams deep in the red, their projected cap space being minus $8,095,935.

Mark, let’s see how the defensive line looks once Dexter Lawrence is back on the field. 

Tim, "may-bees" don't fly in August. What's done is done. Let's focus on what is rather than spin our wheels about what could have been. This Giants team is the most promising-looking group yet under the Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll era. Let's see if that was all a mirage or if there is really something there.

They will have to restructure the contracts. The Giants have seven players with cap hits of $10 million or more. SEVEN! That's pretty top-heavy, IMO. 

I suspect Bobby Okereke and Jon Runyan Jr are going to have their deals restructured. I wouldn't touch Andrew Thomas's deal myself, but since he has guaranteed money owed in 2026, I wouldn't be shocked if they do something with that contract. 

And I'm sorry, but I don't see how they can continue to justify carrying Rakeem Nunez-Roches’s $3.56 million base salary or Daniel Bellinger's $3.406 million base if neither of those two is going to get significant starters' snaps. 

I'd also consider looking into ways to reduce Graham Gano's $4.415 million base.

Probably not yet. Hudson worked at left tackle all spring and summer with the ones. Mbow will eventually get there, but right now? No.

Kris, this is a great question. At the end of the day, the offense the Giants run is what Daboll brought with him from the Bills, so I don’t think there is that much of a glaring difference other than perhaps play call options in certain situations–and I’m not privy to that. Also,, oftentimes the offense is tailored to mask deficiencies that exist, whether it be the quarterback, receivers, or pass protection.

What I can tell you is that the Giants, at least based on the last three seasons, are big fans of the hitch route and inside zone runs, the 2x2 formation, and 11-personnel formations. My guess regarding the biggest change this year is that, since the team now has a quarterback capable of throwing the deep ball, we might see more vertical routes in the passing game than we have in the past, such as comeback routes. 

I think that will ultimately allow the offense to pick up more yards after the catch. With a hitch route, the receiver runs about 6-7 yards, stops, and then turns back to face the quarterback for the ball. 

I never liked those types of routes because the brief hesitation the receiver makes to catch the ball gives the defender time to close in and limit YAC. So again, that would be my best guess as to those things we’ll see differently with the offense this year.

Did I miss something, or are Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, Paulson Adebo, and Jevon Holland all no longer considered skill position players? Seriously, no offense, but I’m not sure where you’re coming from on this.

You draft and develop, and then you supplement through free agency. That’s what EVERY NFL general manager does. In fact, dare I say the fact that the Giants have had to lean more on free agency in recent years is a big reason why they always seem to be out of salary cap space when the season starts.

It seems like the New York Giants have accumulated a few quality, not superstar, tight ends.  Which one do you think will wind up statistically having the best season as a receiver?  It's been a long time since the team has had a quality TE.  Things are looking up for the future. – Pat L.

New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson
New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Pat, I think Theo Johnson would probably be the obvious choice here. That said, when you have a receiver such as Malik Nabers on your team, do you really want to see any potential pass targets taken away from him just so you can lay claim to having a tight end who finishes with eye-popping stats?

Supposedly, the coach and GM are on the hot seat this year. With the Giants having the hardest schedule in the NFL, what expectations would Mara have for wins this season to keep their jobs? Also, will they be pressured to play Dart sooner rather than later? – Ralph M.

Giants Co-owner, Steve Tisch, Giants General Manager, Joe Schoen Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll, and Giants Co-owner, John Ma
Giants Co-owner, Steve Tisch, Giants General Manager, Joe Schoen Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll, and Giants Co-owner, John Mara | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ralph, I’ve said this time and again. There is no magic number of wins that will save jobs. So long as it’s not another three-win season and so long as the Giants show they’re improved in Week 18 versus what they were in Week 1, I think that will appease John Mara and Steve Tisch. 

I think both men are smart enough to understand this isn’t a Super Bowl roster right now. Week over week improvement which includes not being blown out in games, not making the same basic mistakes, and just being overall competitive should get it done.

And no, I do not believe there will be pressure to play Dart before he’s ready. If they didn’t learn from the Daniel Jones fiasco which began when Pat Shurmur played him before he was ready, then I don’t know what to tell you.

Hi Bill. Can the Giants get by without Thomas for a game or two? Probably, especially given the developments in Washington and now Dallas. But I don’t think you’d want to be without him for the entire season.

As for the Dallas trade of Parsons, I’m not declaring a winner of that trade until I see what the Cowboys do with the picks they received.

What happens next with the NY Giants? Find out! Follow and like us on Facebook. Visit our YouTube channel for the latest videos. Want to send a question in for our mailbag? You can do so here.

More New York Giants Coverage

Published
Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

Share on XFollow Patricia_Traina
Home/Big Blue+