It’s still very early, as the Giants don’t start training camp until the middle/end of July. Based on mini-camp and some of the “off-season hype”, here is my “way too early” 53-man roster prediction.
Quarterbacks:
-Daniel Jones
-Tyrod Taylor
I believe Davis Webb will be on the practice squad to free up an extra space for the Giants roster. They will still like to retain him for his importance in the film room and leadership qualities.
Running Backs:
-Saquon Barkley
-Matt Breida
-Gary Brightwell
-Antonio Willams
Big surprise might be Brightwell making the 53-man roster, but he has some good special teams experience and played a key role last year for the Giants. Breida and Williams have both spent time with coach Brian Daboll in Buffalo as they join the RB room with the Giants.
Wide Recievers:
-Kenny Golladay
-Sterling Shepard
-Kadarious Toney
-Wandale Robinson
-Richie James
-Darius Slayton
-Collin Johnson
I was skeptical of keeping Slayton on the roster, but with his starting experience with Daniel Jones, it may help to keep some familiarity of players on the offense. Johnson is kept for his blocking ability and is also one of the only “big” receivers on the roster other than Golladay. I think CJ Board lands on the practice squad. If Shepard starts off the season on IR with the achilles injury, I expect CJ Board to take his spot until he’s ready to go.
Tight Ends:
-Daniel Bellinger
– Ricky Seals-Jones
-Jordan Akins
-Austin Allen
Giants keep four tight ends and go away from having a full back on the roster. Big 6’9 target Austin Allen makes the bottom of the tight end room and can serve a key role as an extra blocker, or even a red zone target. Bellinger seems to be the favorite to win the starting job.
Offensive Line:
-Andrew Thomas
-Shane Lemieux
-Jon Feliciano
-Mark Glowinski
-Evan Neal
-Joshua Ezeuda
-Matt Gono
-Max Garcia
Rookie draft pick Markus McKethan lands on the practice squad, as the Giants go with veterans to fill the backup spot. Ezeuda fills a key backup spot with his versatility on the line. Only two offensive linemen from last year’s team makes it.
Defensive Line:
-Leonard Williams
-Dexter Lawrence
-Justin Ellis
-Christopher Hinton
Hinton makes the roster as an undrafted rookie. Ellis comes over from Baltimore with Wink Martindale, I expect him to play a role similar to Austin Johnson last year. Bid Dex and “Big Cat” hopefully rejuvenate the Giants run defense that struggled last season.
EDGE:
-Azeez Ojulari
-Kayvon Thibodeaux
-Jihad Ward
-Quincy Roche
-Elerson Smith
Smith makes it over Oshane Ximines, who saw his snaps disappear last season. Roche had some sparks last season, while Ojulari led the team in sacks last season for the Giants. Kayvon is the new kid on the block joining the group of edge rushers that lacks that “star power”, and Kayvon is hopefully their answer. Ward comes over with Wink Martindale, while Elerson Smith gets another shot after a very small sample-sized rookie season last year.
Linebackers:
-Blake Martinez
-Tae Crowder
-Micah McFadden
-Darrian Beavers
-Cam Brown
-Carter Coughlin
Brown and Coughlin are good players on special teams that can also fill in when needed on defense. Two of the rookie draft picks this season (McFadden and Beavers) make the roster, while Martinez comes back from an ACL injury. Tae Crowder has proven to be a solid player in the Giants LB room after being drafted as “Mr. Irrelevant” in 2020.
Cornerbacks:
-Adoree Jackson
-Aaron Robinson
-Darnay Holmes
-Cor’Dale Flott
-Rodarius Williams
-Jarren Williams
With having limited experience starting at corner this season, the Giants go with six cornerbacks on the roster. Rodarius is coming off an ACL injury from last season, and Jarren Williams showed some flashes last season with some playing time. Slot corner seems to be given to Holmes or Flott, while Holmes did have some experience on the outside as well. Robinson and Jackson are the starters on the outside.
Safety:
-Julian Love
-Xavier McKinney
-Dane Belton
-Yusuf Corker
Corker is sneaky, I think he could gain some playing time if he makes the 53-man roster. Love and Mckinney will likely be the starters, Belton will rotate in and may even see looks in the slot.
Special Teams:
-Graham Gano
-Jamie Gillan
-Casey Kreiter
The Giants bring in a new punter this year after letting Riley Dixon go. The “Scottish Hammer” takes over and can hopefully provide more consistency in the punting game.
Photo credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_York_Giants.jpg
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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