The picture of the Giants roster is clearer in Year 2 under general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll. The roster is now mostly comprised of players drafted or signed by this regime, so there were fewer spots up for grabs during the recently completed offseason program.
Training camp and the preseason could shake things up, but here’s an early projection of who will earn a spot on the Giants’ 53-man roster:
Quarterbacks: 2
In: Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor
Out: Tommy DeVito
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The Giants only kept two quarterbacks last season when they had a veteran third-stringer in Davis Webb. So there’s no chance they keep DeVito, an undrafted rookie, on the active roster this season. DeVito (or another quarterback) should land on the practice squad like Webb did last season.
Running backs: 4
In: Saquon Barkley, Matt Breida, Eric Gray, Gary Brightwell
Out: Jashaun Corbin
Yes, Barkley will be on the roster this season. But it may not be a smooth path to that point if he doesn’t get a long-term extension before the July 17 deadline. Breida returns as the top backup, while Gray was picked in the fifth round to enhance the depth. Brightwell will be on the roster bubble, but he’s a core special teamer who produced in limited offensive opportunities last season.
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Wide receivers: 6
In: Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, Parris Campbell, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, Sterling Shepard
Out: Collin Johnson, Jeff Smith, Jamison Crowder, David Sills, Kalil Pimpleton, Jaydon Mickens, Makai Polk, Bryce Ford-Wheaton
The Giants upgraded their wide receiver depth, which makes for tougher calls on the final spots. Slayton, Hodgins, Campbell and Hyatt are locks for the roster. Robinson is also a lock, but it’s not clear if he’ll be fully recovered by the start of the season from the torn ACL he suffered last November. Shepard tore his ACL two months earlier, so he’s further along in his recovery. The veteran looked sharp running routes in minicamp. If healthy, he’s easily one of the top six wide receivers on the roster.
The Giants carried seven wide receivers early last season. If they do that again, the door could be opened for Johnson, who has produced in practice in each of the past two offseasons, but missed last season with a torn Achilles. One issue among the top six receivers is they provide no special teams value, so that could make Smith, who has experience in the kicking game, a dark horse candidate for a roster spot.
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Tight ends: 3
In: Darren Waller, Daniel Bellinger, Lawrence Cager
Out: Tommy Sweeney, Chris Myarick, Ryan Jones
Waller and Bellinger are clearly the top players at tight end. The intrigue is who gets the final spot(s) at the position. The Giants carried three tight ends most of last season, and they figure to do that again, since they should be able to keep their top cut on the practice squad for insurance. Cager gets the nod for his receiving upside.
Offensive linemen: 9
In: Andrew Thomas, Ben Bredeson, John Michael Schmitz, Mark Glowinski, Evan Neal, Josh Ezeudu, Marcus McKethan, Tyre Phillips, Shane Lemieux
Out: Matt Peart, Korey Cunningham, Jack Anderson, JC Hassenauer, Devery Hamilton, Wyatt Davis
The top six linemen are locked in — Thomas, Bredeson, Schmitz, Glowinski, Neal and Ezeudu — with the only question being who starts at left guard and center among Bredeson, Schmitz and Ezeudu. McKethan has guard and tackle flexibility, and the 2022 fifth-round pick impressed before tearing his ACL in training camp last year.
Phillips, Peart and Cunningham will battle for the swing tackle job. Phillips filled that role last season and has added value due to his ability to play guard. Injuries have held Lemieux back, but he stands out among a crowded group for the final backup interior spot.
Defensive linemen: 5
In: Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, A’Shawn Robinson, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, DJ Davidson
Out: Ryder Anderson, Jordon Riley, Vernon Butler, Kobe Smith
The top four spots on the D-line are filled by established veterans — Lawrence, Williams, Robinson and Nunez-Roches. The Giants carried five defensive linemen last season, so that leaves a group of youngsters battling for the final roster spot. Davidson, who is recovering from a torn ACL, gets the slight edge because he was a fifth-round pick last year, but this figures to be a tight competition.
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Outside linebackers: 5
In: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, Jihad Ward, Oshane Ximines, Tomon Fox
Out: Elerson Smith, Habakkuk Baldonado
The Giants return the same outside linebacker group as last season, with the only addition being Baldonado, an undrafted rookie. So it’s easy to slot in the top outside linebackers from last season at this point, especially with Smith again on the side rehabbing from an injury during the spring. But this is a position screaming out for an upgrade before the start of the season, especially with some quality veterans (Justin Houston, Melvin Ingram) still on the market.
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Inside linebackers: 6
In: Bobby Okereke, Jarrad Davis, Darrian Beavers, Micah McFadden, Cam Brown, Carter Coughlin
Out: Dyontae Johnson, Troy Brown
It feels excessive to carry six inside linebackers, but Brown and Coughlin are strictly special teamers. They led the team in special teams snaps by a wide margin last season, so they should have roster spots until others capable of filling their roles emerge. Davis was a starter during the spring before missing minicamp with an undisclosed injury. He could be a surprise cut if Beavers returns from a torn ACL in training camp and seizes the starting job next to Okereke.
Cornerbacks: 5
In: Adoree’ Jackson, Deonte Banks, Cor’Dale Flott, Aaron Robinson, Tre Hawkins
Out: Darnay Holmes, Amani Oruwariye, Rodarius Williams, Zyon Gilbert, Gemon Green, Leonard Johnson
Flott and Holmes will compete for the starting slot cornerback job. Flott was a third-round pick by this regime and is cheaper, so that should give him an edge. It’s hard to see the Giants keeping Holmes as a backup since they can create $2.7 million in salary cap savings if they cut or trade him. Robinson is a wild card because he’s been limited by injuries in his first two seasons and was on the side rehabbing a torn ACL in the spring. But the 2021 third-round pick has the ability to play inside and outside, which could make him more valuable as a backup.
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Safeties: 5
In: Xavier McKinney, Jason Pinnock, Nick McCloud, Dane Belton, Bobby McCain
Out: Gervarrius Owens, Trenton Thompson, Alex Cook
Pinnock, McCloud, Belton and McCain will battle for the starting spot next to McKinney. It’s hard to handicap that competition because Pinnock and Belton were sidelined this spring by injuries. McCain has the most experience of that group, but he could be on the chopping block if he doesn’t win the starting job because he’s not a special teams contributor. The Giants could instead elect to keep Owens, a rookie seventh-round pick.
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Specialists: 3
In: K Graham Gano, P Jamie Gillan, LS Casey Kreiter
Out: LS Cam Lyons
Gano and Gillan have no competition for their jobs. The Giants added Lyons as an undrafted free agent, but he’s not viewed as a serious challenger to Kreiter, who has been the team’s long snapper for the past three seasons.
(Photo of Cor’Dale Flott, Darnay Holmes and Zyon Gilbert: Rich Schultz / Getty Images)
