Training camp is set to start this week! The excitement is building that (hopefully) football will be back and we will be able to watch America’s most popular professional sports league in action. With that, here is my Giants 53-man roster prediction before training camp begins.
Quarterbacks:
- Daniel Jones
- Colt McCoy
Alex Tanney is gone after spending a couple seasons with the Giants. He is good in the film room, but Colt McCoy is a better backup and has starting experience. He is the best to rely on if anything ever happened to Jones. Although Rush and Garrett spent time together in Dallas, McCoy wins the backup job.
Runningbacks:
- Saquon Barkley
- Dion Lewis
- Wayne Gallman
- (Fullback) Eli Penny
Giants will run with the almost same backfield as last season, just with the addition of pass-catching back Dion Lewis. Gallman gets another shot, and Eli Penny is a reliable fullback.
Tight ends:
- Evan Engram
- Kaden Smith
- Levine Toilolo
As long as Engram stays healthy, he should be very productive this year. Kaden Smith came on late last season and adds one more weapon for Jones. Toilolo is a good blocking tight end. He will serve the role of Scott Simonson a few years back, coming in on run packages to get an extra block on the outside.
Wide recievers:
- Golden Tate
- Sterling Shepard
- Darius Slayton
- Corey Coleman
- Cody Core
- Binjimen Victor
Well, one of the “next Victor Cruz” candidates makes the team, and Victor is in his name! The top three are pretty much a lock. Coleman missed all of last year with a knee injury. In 2018, he provided some spark in the return game, and I would be interested to see how he can contribute with Jones. Core is a great special teams gunner, he is going to land that spot again.
Offensive Line:
- OT Andrew Thomas
- OT Nate Solder
- G Will Hernandez
- G Kevin Zeitler
- C Spencer Pulley
- G/C Shane Lemieux
- OT Matt Peart
- G/OT Nick Gates
- OT Cam Flemming
Giants will load up on the offensive line primarily because the youth they have. There are so many combinations they can insert this year, as many of these players can play multiple spots.
Defensive Line:
- Dalvin Tomlinson
- Dexter Lawrence
- Leonard Williams
- BJ Hill
- RJ McIntosh
Giants run with five interior lineman. This gives Graham an opportunity to rotate guys in different spots and get some subs in during the game. Hill and McIntosh have had some flashes, they are reliable when it comes to rotation.
EDGE Rushers:
- Lorenzo Carter
- Oshane Ximines
- Carter Coughlin
- Kyler Fackrell
Graham has mentioned he wants to run different looks on defense, and I think having some reliable edge rushers can help bring out a bigger bag of tricks for the defense. Right now, there are four on this list, but you could ultimately see Graham pull one of the linebackers listed below to play some reps at the EDGE position.
Linebackers:
- Blake Martinez
- Ryan Connelly
- David Mayo
- Cam Brown
- TJ Brunson
- Tae Crowder
Just like most of the positions, this is primarily a young group as well. Martinez and Mayo will run the show while the young guns play alongside. The Linebacker and EDGE positions are going to be the biggest “prove it” positions on the entire defense. It has been years since the Giants have had quality and consistent linebackers. This group may be young, but they have some young and developing talent in this spot.
Cornerbacks:
- James Bradberry
- Sam Beal
- Corey Ballentine
- Darnay Holmes
- Chris Williamson
- Grant Haley
You may notice I am missing a name….you will see where his name is later on. This position is the youngest on the team. Only Bradberry has more than 2 years experience in this group. Beal red shirted in 2018. Ballentine was drafted last season. Haley was undrafted and signed in 2018. Holmes and Williamson are this year’s draft class. There is a lot of youth at this position, and the Giants may end up bringing in another veteran corner before the season begins.
Safeties:
- Jabrill Peppers
- Xavier McKinney
- Julian Love
- Nate Ebner
- Sean Chandler
Love could be a corner as well, but he played more snaps at safety last season. This position is probably the most stacked part of the defense besides the D-line. Peppers, McKinney and Love will be played in many different looks, including nickel corner. Ebner and Chandler will serve special team roles, where they both have done a good job.
Special Teams:
- K Aldrick Rosas
- P Riley Dixon
- LS Casey Kreiter
As long as Rosas jumps out of the hole he was in last season and returns to Pro-Bowl form, he’s safe. Dixon had a very good year last year punting the football. The lone long snapper Kreiter makesthe team replacing long time LS Zak DeOssie.
Commissioner’s Exempt List:
CB DeAndre Baker.
This situation has been disappointing, and for now Baker will be placed on this list so he does not count against the 53-man roster.
About Dylan Davis
Dylan Davis is a graduate of the State University of New York at Canton, where he obtained a B.A.A in Sport Management. He is a former athlete of football and baseball and sports fan for much of his life. Dylan creates content for 366 Sports and New York Giants 366, and is also a host on his own show, “The J&D Sports Show”.
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