The New York Giants didn’t make any shocking moves on cut day. But the way the roster looked Tuesday evening could change a lot in the next few days after the Giants utilize their sixth spot on the waiver wire.
“The roster’s still fluid,” coach Brian Daboll said. “There’s a lot of things that are still being discussed right now.”
Cut day takeaways: Offense
Tommy DeVito survived as the team’s third quarterback, although Daboll remained non-committal on the Giants’ plans with the former undrafted free agent. It seems likely they will stick with DeVito based on his experience in the system combined with starter Daniel Jones’ injury history and backup Drew Lock’s oblique injury. Lock participated in the brief period of practice that was open to the media Tuesday, so he appears on track to be ready for the Sept. 8 opener against the Vikings.
Undrafted rookie running back Dante Miller became a fan favorite in camp with speed befitting his “Turbo” nickname. But Miller has very little college film so the Giants should be able to pass him through waivers onto the practice squad. The Giants will roll with Devin Singletary, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Eric Gray in the backfield.
Wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton was one of the biggest surprises to make the roster. Ford-Wheaton was in line for a roster spot last year as an undrafted rookie before tearing his ACL in the preseason finale. His camp wasn’t as strong this year, but he still managed to beat out veteran receiver Myles Boykin for a special teams role. Boykin arrived with a reputation as an accomplished special teamer, and he was a starter on the core four units for most of the summer.
Wide receiver Gunner Olszewski apparently won the returner job over Isaiah McKenzie despite being sidelined by a groin injury for the last week of the preseason. Olszewski worked on the side with trainers during Tuesday’s light practice, so there’s at least a chance he could be ready for the opener. The Giants announced that McKenzie was placed on season-ending IR due to a foot injury, although a league source said he’ll eventually be released with an injury settlement.
Veterans Isaiah Hodgins and Allen Robinson were clearly among the Giants’ top six receivers during camp, but they didn’t make the roster. They were hurt by their lack of special teams value considering Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt and Darius Slayton are in line to play the bulk of the offensive snaps.
Fullback/tight end Jakob Johnson was signed late in camp but added a dimension as a true fullback with an extensive history with offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo. That wasn’t enough to earn Johnson a spot on the roster, however, behind Theo Johnson, Daniel Bellinger and Chris Manhertz.
A year after injuries forced Schoen to scramble to sign offensive linemen off the street during the season, the Giants loaded up at the position. Austin Schlottmann made it as the backup center despite an up-and-down preseason, and undrafted rookie Jake Kubas made the team as a developmental prospect at all three interior spots. The Giants have 10 linemen on their initial 53-man roster.
Left guard Jon Runyan participated in Tuesday’s practice after being sidelined for two weeks with a shoulder injury. It’s unclear if Runyan will be cleared for Wednesday’s fully padded practice. If he is, that will be the first time the Giants’ projected starting line of Runyan, left tackle Andrew Thomas, center John Michael Schmitz Jr., right guard Greg Van Roten and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor will have taken a practice rep together.
Evan Neal and Joshua Ezeudu are the backup tackles, which is disconcerting based on their history and play this summer. The Giants could look to the waiver wire for tackle depth, but that’s not a position that typically yields a surplus of talent. Former Giant Tyre Phillips is still a few weeks away from making a return from a torn quad tendon suffered late last season.
Cut day takeaways: Defense
The defensive line is extremely inexperienced behind Dexter Lawrence and Rakeem Nuñez-Roches, with DJ Davidson, Elijah Chatman and Jordon Riley rounding out the group. The Giants could make a waiver claim to upgrade this position.
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A strong camp allowed Benton Whitley to squeeze into the outside linebacker room with Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari and Boogie Basham.
The Giants kept five linebackers at a position that is cloudy due to injuries. Bobby Okereke is the top dog, while Darius Muasau and Carter Coughlin are healthy backups who should serve as core special teamers.
Micah McFadden, who worked on the side with trainers during Tuesday’s practice, will be the starter next to Okereke when his groin injury heals. McFadden was joined on the side by backup linebackers Dyontae Johnson (ankle) and Matthew Adams (groin).
The Giants placed Adams on injured reserve after practice, but designated him to return. That’s a new rule that allows teams to designate up to two players to return from IR on cut day. Adams must sit out the first four weeks of the season and then can return any time after that. The Giants have seven IR return designations remaining.
Cornerback Cor’Dale Flott, who has been sidelined by a quad injury since the first week of the preseason, returned to practice on Tuesday. That gives him two weeks to push Nick McCloud for the No. 2 corner job. Tre Hawkins is the sixth cornerback on the initial roster, but he shouldn’t exhale yet, because the Giants are sure to pursue upgrades at the position on the waiver wire.
For a moment, it looked like Jason Pinnock, Tyler Nubin and Dane Belton would be the only safeties on the roster. Gervarrius Owens, who has been sidelined by a knee injury since the preseason opener, left early in Tuesday’s practice with a strength coach. He apparently was just going into the facility to rehab because Owens made the initial 53-man roster. It’s possible his stay won’t be long because safety is another defensive position the Giants could target on the waiver wire.
Additional thoughts
Headed to the practice squad
Many of the players cut by the Giants on Tuesday will be re-signed to the practice squad on Wednesday. That group figures to include young players like Miller, OL Marcellus Johnson, OL Jimmy Morrissey, DL Casey Rogers, OLB Tomon Fox, ILB KJ Cloyd, S Alex Johnson, S Raheem Layne and K Jude McAtamney. The Giants will get an international exemption for the Irish-born McAtamney, so he won’t count toward the 16-man practice squad limit.
Veterans like Boykin, Hodgins and Jakob Johnson are also practice squad candidates. Hodgins would be an ideal fit as an experienced insurance policy on the practice squad, but he figures to first seek opportunities to catch onto another team’s active roster. Boykin and Johnson are the types of players who could be elevated from the practice squad early in the season to fill a game-day role on special teams.
It’s better business to have the end of the roster filled by young, cheap players instead of veterans like Boykin and Johnson. As vested veterans, those players’ salaries would be fully guaranteed for the season if they were on the roster Week 1.
The Giants made that mistake last year when they kept veterans Sterling Shepard and safety Bobby McCain. There was no financial benefit to cutting those players even though they barely played, so Shepard remained on the roster all season, while McCain lasted until Week 15.
It’s better to use those final roster spots on young players like Ford-Wheaton and Whitley, who can be dumped at no cost if necessary during the season.
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Pick incoming
Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips made the Cowboys’ initial 53-man roster. If he remains on Dallas’ roster for two games, the Giants will get a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick as part of the Aug. 14 trade among the division rivals.
Our 2024 Team Captains 🌟 pic.twitter.com/FDIuU6djWD
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 27, 2024
More changes
Daboll has made changes to every corner of the operation as he seeks a turnaround after a rocky second season. The latest example: The team will have five captains this season after having 10 in each of Daboll’s first two seasons.
Jones (fifth time), Thomas (third time), Lawrence (third time), Okereke (second time) and long snapper Casey Kreiter (second time) are all repeat captains. Five of last year’s captains — running back Saquon Barkley, tight end Darren Waller, defensive lineman Leonard Williams, cornerback Adoree’ Jackson and safety Xavier McKinney — are no longer with the team.
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(Photo of Tommy DeVito: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
