New York Giants: Mid-Preseason Final 53 Projection
The Giants will head into what has traditionally been the dress rehearsal for the opener when they play the Bengals on Thursday night in Week 3 of the preseason.
The depth chart can certainly shakeup over the next two weeks, but if the summer ended today, this is where I’d put New York’s 53-man roster:
Quarterback (3): Eli Manning, Daniel Jones, Alex Tanney
After parting ways with Tom Coughlin, the team has not shied away from carrying three QBs on the final 53.
Jones is likely the next man off the bench should anything happen to Manning (or if the latter should struggle) but Shurmur prefers to have veteran QB waiting in the wings.
Two more lights-out showings by Daniel Jones could swing this, and the Giants could use this roster spot elsewhere, but at least for one more year they will carry 3 signal callers.
Running Back (4): Saquon Barkley, Wayne Gallman, Rod Smith, Paul Perkins
The dilemma here was giving the nod to Perkins over FB Eli Penny. Perkins seemed to knock the rust off against the Bears and two more games like that should keep him around.
The Giants are overstocked with TE depth and Rod Smith can take on FB duties when needed, making the demand for a true one less urgent.
Wide Receiver (7): Golden Tate*, Sterling Shepard, Cody Latimer, Bennie Fowler, Russell Shepard, Darius Slayton, T.J. Jones
Golden Tate, who is currently in the concussion protocol, is a mandatory scratch until Week 5 due to his suspension.
In his absence, Latimer, Fowler and Russell Shepard have all stepped up. Slayton should see his first game action Thursday night after returning from injury. The rookie is expected to provide a top-end speed to the Giants passing game that his teammates don’t bring to the table.
Jones has come on strong with TD catches in both preseason games and is likely to make the team for the duration of Tate’s absence at least.
Tight End (4): Evan Engram, Rhett Ellison, Scott Simonson, C.J. Conrad
The Giants use heavy sets often enough to keep 4 TE’s. Conrad is believed to have the edge over Garret Dickerson. However, Dickerson has two more games to pop on tape.
With Simonson dropping an on target Daniel Jones pass against the Bears, the ink is not yet dry on this position group.
Offensive Line (9): Nate Solder, Will Hernandez, Jon Halapio, Kevin Zeitler, Matt Remmers, Spencer Pulley, Chad Wheeler, Chad Slade, Nick Gates
The Giants have depth along the O-Line for the first time in recent memory. Pulley is the top interior reserve with Slade and Gates earning spots as the reserve tackles.
I would not be shocked to see a backup OT snatched up after cut day, which would bump off either Slade or Gates.
Defensive Line (5): BJ Hill, Dalvin Tomlinson, Dexter Lawrence, Olsen Pierre, RJ McIntosh
McIntosh is still a bit of an unknown after being limited by injury his rookie year. Thus far, none of the Giants reserves have done enough to pass him.
Linebackers (8): Alec Ogletree, Tae Davis, Ryan Connelly, Nate Stupar, Lorenzo Carter, Markus Golden, Kareem Martin, Oshane Ximines
Connelly is playing like a steal on the level of Chase Blackburn, Stupar is a special teams standout and B.J. Goodson is a former Reese draft pick playing with the 3rd stringers.
On the edge, I could see the Giants pulling from another spot to keep 5 edge rushers, but their ideal situation is likely stashing Jake Carlock on the practice squad.
Cornerback (6): Janoris Jenkins, Deandre Baker, Grant Haley, Sam Beal, Corey Ballentine, Antonio Hamilton
The young corners have looked strong opposite Jenkins and if Sam Beal can string together some practices and get on the field, this unit may get even stronger.
Safety (5): Antoine Bethea, Jabrill Peppers, Julian Love, Michael Thomas Sean Chandler
Love can play both CB and safety and Chandler is another special teams standout. Peppers has potential be a star but time will tell if he exceeds Landon Collins in Washington.
Special Team (3): Aldrick Rosas, Riley Dixon, Zak DeOssie
No turnover here despite the Giants bringing in another punter to compete with Dixon.