53-Man Giants Roster Tracker: News, Rumors, Transactions and Thoughts

Here's everything to know as New York trims its roster to 53 by Sunday's 6 p.m. deadline.

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

By contrast, training camp and the preseason were the easy part for New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh and the team.

Now comes the hard part: reducing the 90-man roster to an initial 53, which means Harbaugh will have to say goodbye, at least for now, to almost half of the roster he went to battle with during the dog days of summer.

Be sure to bookmark this page, as we will update it with all reported moves, analysis, and much more.

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1. Jump to a Section
2. Reports/Rumors
3. Saturday Roster Cuts: Waiver Wire, Contract Terminations
4. Sunday Roster Cuts: Waiver Wire, Contract Terminations

Reports/Rumors

Giants Reportedly Had Interest in Acquiring Bears DT Gervon Dexter

The Giants reportedly had interest in trading for Bears for DT Gervon Dexter Sr., who went to the Falcons. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When head coach John Harbaugh said they weren’t necessarily done with adding to their defensive tackle room, he apparently wasn’t kidding.

According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Giants were among the teams interested in trading for Bears defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, who ultimately was traded to Atlanta.

It’s unknown, though, if the Giants first tried to acquire Dexter and then pivoted to C.J. Okoye, whom they acquired from Baltimore in exchange for a 2028 seventh-round draft pick, or if Dexter was their initial choice.

Harbaugh said during his video call with reporters that the team will continue to look for potential upgrades across the roster.

Slayton on the Way Out?

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The New York Post reported that this could be the end of the line for wide receiver Darius Slayton, the longest-tenured member on the team.

Harbaugh refused to confirm the report but was complimentary of Slayton. “I thought he played well, had a heck of a camp,” he said. 

“He's a great guy, great player, hard worker, and did a heck of a job like he's always done here.”

But Harbaugh also agreed that it could be inferred that guys who didn’t play or who played very little in the preseason finale might be on their way out.

Slayton, for what it’s worth, played 33 snaps in the preseason finale, but didn’t have a pass target thrown his way. This summer, he caught four of six pass targets (all in the Week 2 win over Miami) for 58 yards.

He also had himself a relatively quiet camp after finally being cleared to return from offseason surgery for a sports hernia.

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Saturday Roster Cuts: Waiver Wire, Contract Terminations

Harbaugh told reporters that the team would announce some of its roster moves on Saturday, with the rest to come by Sunday’s 6 p.m. deadline.

The team, incidentally, changed its media availability schedule. Whereas there had initially been a media availability planned for Sunday, the Giants have removed it from the schedule; the next media availability is on Monday.

Here are the eight names as confirmed by the team on Saturday:

1. CB Ugo Amadi - Contract Terminated
2. RB Damon Bankston - Waived
3. TE Josiah Deguara - Contract Terminated
4. DL Leki Fotu - Contract Terminated
5. WR Isaiah Hodgins - Contract Terminated
6. OL Brenden Jaimes - Contract Terminated
7. LB Anfernee Orji - Waived
8. WR Kobe Prentice - Waived

No surprises here among this group. There wasn't going to be room for Damon Bankston and Isaiah Hodgins in the running back and receiver rooms, respectively.

Some might view Leki Fotu's release as a surprise, but Fotu, who was brought on board to help against the run, didn't make much headway in that area, finishing with the worst run defense grade (35.3) of the Giants' eight interior defensive linemen

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Sunday Roster Cuts: Waiver Wire, Contract Terminations

Here are the moves made on Sunday. Please note that moves listed here have not yet been confirmed by the Giants.

• FB Grant Finley - Waived (Aaron Wilson): Look for Finley to return to the Giants' practice squad if he clears waivers. Finley's lead blocking this summer was impressive, particularly when running between the tackles. While he needs more development to his game, his physicality bodes well for his future in the league.

• LB Darius Muasau - Waived (Matt Zenith): Any chance of Muasau sticking with the team to purely fill a special teams role vanished the moment Jack Kelly was drafted this year and when Zaire Barnes turned in a strong summer. Look for Muasau to be reunited with Michael Ghobrial, the Cardinals' special teams coordinator, who also has ties to the young linebacker from their days together at Hawaii and UCLA.

• DL Zacch Pickens - waived (Jordan Raanan): Pickens was a waiver wire pickup in the spring but as has been the case with most of the defensive linemen who played this summer, he hit some struggles with his run defense, finishing last among the Giants' defensive linemen in average depth of tackle (5.0 yards) against the run.

• TE Tannner Conner - waived (Connor Hughes): Given the numbers the Giants had at tight end, Conner's cracking the 53-man roster was a long shot. His real battle though, might be for a place on the Giants' practice squad, where his projected competition is Thomas Fidone II.

• QB Brandon Allen - Contract Terminated (NFL Network): No surprise here as Allen was shaky in the preseason. The Giants might not have room to keep Jake Haener, who showed more upside in his limited showing this preseason, but with several teams around the league needing backup quarterbacks, they might want to protect Haener for now.

• IOL Lucas Patrick - Contract Terminated (NFL Network): Patrick was in a battle for the backup center role, but his "old man knees," as Harbaugh once said, caused him to miss some practice time in the spring and early summer. This move would suggest that Bryan Hudson, a solid run blocker, has won the backup center job for now, though the Giants might look to upgrade that spot via waivers.

• IOL Jake Kubas - Waived (The Athletic): Kubas, an undrafted free agent who's been on the practice squad the last two years, had himself a fine preseason with the two’s and three’s, but the numbers weren't in his favor for the 53-man roster. If he clears waivers, he has a pretty good chance of landing back on the practice squad.

• QB Jake Haener - Waived (Jordan Raanan): In limited action, Haener had a solid showing, throwing a 37-yard touchdown in the preseason finale against the Jets. If he clears waivers, look for him to land back on the practice squad.

• WR Dalen Cambre - Waived (Art Stapleton): Cambre finished as the Giants leading receiver and was a strong special teams player for the team, so his not making the team is a bit of a surprise. But his departure from the roster could bode well for Odell Beckham Jr.'s chances of making the team. Will the Giants be able to get Cambre on the practice squad or will Michael Ghobrial and the Arizona Cardinals scoop him up?

• OLB Caleb Murphy - Waived (Jordan Raanan): Murphy, who was competing for a spot at outside linebacker with Trace Ford, who had the better preseason.

• WR Braxton Berrios - Contract Terminated (Adam Schefter): The long-time ESPN insider reports that the Giants are planning to bring Berrios back for the first game, which indicates that New York is engaging in some roster gymnastics at certain positions. Because Berrios is a vested veteran, he is not subject to waivers.

• RB Eric Gray - Waived (Jordan Raanan): Gray was already a longshot to stick on the roster entering camp, but once Najee Harris was signed, that pretty much sealed the deal on his getting the chance to finish the final year of his rookie contract.

• OLB Trace Ford - Waived (Jordan Raanan): Another mild surprise development as Ford had a solid summer and was one of the better young edge defenders in camp. Ford could end up back with the Giants on their practice squad.

• OL Ryan Schernecke - Waived (Jordan Raanan): Schernecke is a promising young player who came from small school program Kutztown. While he showed promise during the summer, he's not ready for the bright lights just yet and is instead a strong candidate for the practice squad.

• S Raheem Layne - Waived (The Athletic): Layne had a solid summer as well but was up against roster numbers at safety. Layne figures to be a practice squad candidate.

• S Beau Brade - Contract Terminated (Jordan Raanan) - Brade is another defensive back/specail teams player who got caught up in the numbers crunch. Given his connection to John Harbaugh from their time in Baltimore, Brade might find himself on the practice squad.

• CB Korie Black - IR (The Athletic): Promising young cornerback Korie Black suffered a groin injury in the preseason finale. Black is believed to be one of the two players every team is allowed to place on IR at cut-down day who can be designated to return.

• OL Evan Neal - Contract Terminated (Jordan Schultz): The Giants hoped to salvage the former first round draft pick as he attempted to convert to guard again this year, but Neal never did made the kind of progress expected, and now will get another chance elsewhere to continue his struggling career.

• WR Jalin Hyatt - Waived/Injured (Jordan Schultz): Hyatt ended up missing most of the summer with a leg/ankle injury. The Giants now move on from their failed third-round pick in the 2023 draft, his jersey No. 13 now available for Odell Beckham Jr., who has made the team.

• DL Josh Tupou - Waived (The Athletic): After a rocky start to his preseason, Tupou finished his summer as one of the Giants highest graded defenders, per PFF. A possible spot on the practice squad may await him.

• K Ben Sauls - Waived/Injured (Giants): I thought the Giants might be able to trade Ben Sauls, but apparently he was dealing with an injury as he received an injury settlement.

• CB Art Green - Waived/Injured (Giants): Green was injured in the preseason fianle against the Jets.

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