Giants' way-too-early 53-man roster projection
The New York Giants have now signed free agents, made their draft picks, and signed more rookie free agents to deals after the draft. The roster is stacked top to bottom but only 53 players will make it out come September. So with that in mind, let's project which players will be on the roster […]
The New York Giants have now signed free agents, made their draft picks, and signed more rookie free agents to deals after the draft.
The roster is stacked top to bottom but only 53 players will make it out come September. So with that in mind, let's project which players will be on the roster come the kickoff of the regular season.
Note: Players with single asterisk (*) are 2023 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) are 2023 undrafted free agents
Quarterback (2)
IN: Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor
OUT: Tommy Devito**
The skinny: The Giants are likely bringing Devito in as an undrafted free agent signing to be a camp arm, as someone who will spell Jones and Tyrod Taylor as needed. The two of them form a strong quarterback room.
Running back (4)
IN: Saquon Barkley, Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell, Eric Gray*
OUT: Jashuan Corbin
The skinny: Corbin is likely on the outs after the team selected Gray in the fifth round of this past weekend's draft. Gray is a legitimate ball carrier who could see his place get as high as number two on the depth chart come the season.
Wide receiver (7)
IN: Jalin Hyatt* Parris Campbell, Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, Wan'Dale Robinson, Jamison Crowder, Sterling Shepard
OUT: Collin Johnson, Jaydon Mickens, Bryce Ford-Wheaton**, Kalil Pimpleton, Makai Polk, David Sills, Jeff Smith
The skinny: The Giants have a variety of pass-catching options now, but it would be surprising to see them deviate from the names I have selected as "in's". Bryce Ford Wheaton is a name to watch however thanks to his size and speed combination.
Tight end (4)
IN: Darren Waller, Daniel Bellinger, Lawrence Cager, Tommy Sweeney
OUT: Chris Myarick, Dre Miller
The skinny: The Giants are definitely comfortable at the top with Waller and Bellinger, followed by a well-rounded player in Cager and the blocking force that is Sweeney, leaving little to no questions about the depth of the unit.
Offensive line (9)
IN: Andrew Thomas, Evan Neal, John Michael Schmitz* Shane Lemieux, Mark Glowinski, Matt Peart, Joshua Ezeudu, Ben Bredeson, Tyre Phillips
OUT: Jack Anderson, Korey Cunningham, Wyatt Davis, Devery Hamilton, J. C. Hassenauer, Solomon Kindley, Marcus McKethan
The skinny: The Giants still lack high-end talent at guard following the draft but the addition of JMS at center and a group of four players behind them that are worthy of being on NFL rosters will certainly help.
Defensive line (6)
IN: Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, A'Shawn Robinson, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Ryder Anderson, D.J. Davidson
OUT: Vernon Butler, Jordon Riley*
The skinny: This unit is as deep as they come with great starters and key depth, making the decision to invest minimal draft capital and free agent acquisitions after the draft an easy one.
Outside linebacker (4)
IN: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, Jihad Ward, Tomon Fox
OUT: Elerson Smith
The skinny: The Giants are good at the top when it comes to outside linebacker but the unit lacks depth at the three and four spots. That being said, it's reasonable to imagine the unit looks like this come September.
Inside linebacker (4)
IN: Bobby Okereke, Jarrad Davis, Cam Brown, Micah McFadden
OUT: Darian Beavers, Carter Coughlin, Dyontae Johnson**, Troy Brown**
The skinny: The inside linebackers are one Okereke injury away from being down in the dumps again, making this unit very shaky despite the signings of multiple free agents after the draft. Perhaps one of them makes an impression an unseats a projected rostered veteran.
Cornerback (6)
IN: Deonte Banks* Adoree' Jackson, Cor'Dale Flott, Darnay Holmes, Leonard Johnson, Tre Hawkins III*
OUT: Gemon Green**, Amani Oruwariye, Rodarius Williams, Zyon Gilbert, Aaron Robinson, Nick McCloud
The skinny: The Giants added depth and talent in the draft with Deonte Banks and Leonard Johnson. An underrated signing is Leonard Johnson who went undrafted in 2022. He could be an impact as a sleeper roster candidate.
Safety (4)
IN: Bobby McCain, Xavier McKinney, Gervarrius Owens*, Dane Belton
OUT: Terrell Burgess, Jason Pinnock, Trenton Thompson
The skinny: Safety is underrated on the team in my opinion with two ball hawks at the top and decent depth behind them in newly drafted Owens and second-year payer Dane Belton. I imagine the group ends up looking like this come kickoff of the regular season.
Special Teams (3)
IN: Jamie Gillan, Graham Gano, Casey Kreiter
OUT: Cameron Lyons**
The skinny: The Giants may have added Lyons as an undrafted free agent to "push" Kreiter, but considering they just re-signed Kreiter, it's more likely that Lyons is there to be a camp body.
