This Could Help Elijah Chatman's Quest for NY Giants Roster Spot

NY Giants DL Elijah Chatman is facing a crowded defensive line room this summer, but his ability to do this could be his ticket to a spot on this year's roster.

Jul 23, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Elijah Chatman (94) looks on during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

New York Giants defensive lineman Elijah Chatman probably should have been a late Day 3 draft pick last year.

But you know how the NFL goes. Teams often get obsessed with prototypes that focus on size, strengths, and speed, particularly in certain positions. 

So when it came to Chatman, who played his college ball at SMU, the fact that he is about three to four inches shorter than the ideal size desired for NFL defensive linemen could have very well been a factor in his going undrafted last year.

Not to be undefeated, Chatman came into Giants rookie camp last year as a tryout candidate. 

He then earned a free-agent contract and, through hard work and hustle, a spot on the 53-man roster, where the Shreveport, Louisiana native appeared in all 17 games as a rookie, notching 21 tackles (11 solos), two tackles for loss, one sack, three quarterback hits, and a fumble recovery.

But with the Giants having loaded up on defensive talent, a question has developed as to whether there will be a spot for Chatman on the 53-man roster. 

That’s where versatility comes in. Chatman, who played some fullback at SMU, has been getting a sprinkling of snaps at fullback this summer with the Giants and has been making quite the impression at that.

“Lovely, lovely,” said Giants running back Tyrone Tracy, Jr., who got to run behind Chatman during some of those running plays on Monday and Tuesday when the team was in pads. 

“You ever seen him in a squat room? Yeah, see him under a squat rack. Yeah, that's lovely. Just let me tell you that.” 

Sep 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II (97) congratulates defensive tackle Elijah Chatman (94) on his sack against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at Huntington Bank Field. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

If Chatman were to make the Giants’ 53-man roster again and get some fullback snaps, those would be his first in the NFL. At SMU, he played a smattering of snaps at that position–44 to be exact, with 27 coming in 2023, his final year at SMU. 

Chatman, whose 2023 snaps on offense broke down to 19 in the run game and four in the passing game, finished with an overall PFF grade of 82.7, 85.4 as a run blocker, and 74.7 as a pass blocker. 

The Giants haven’t carried a fullback on the team during head coach Brian Daboll’s era, the closest guy being Jakob Johnson, who last year was on and off the roster.

If Chatman can deliver in the role this preseason, that would help his chances of sticking around for a second season while also potentially allowing the Giants to keep one less defensive lineman from the collection they built up this past offseason, and devote the spot to another area, such as being able to comfortably keep three quarterbacks.

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