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August 27th is here...how it will it set the stage for the 2024 New York Giants Season?
Joe Schoen & Brian Daboll in 2023 // Giants.com
Tuesday, August 27th. The date on the NFL calendar that management and coaches across the league dread all summer. By 4:00 pm EST today, all 32 NFL teams must cut their rosters down to 53 players. This is undoubtedly one of the toughest dates on the calendar, as teams need to decide on the future of guys who have fought tooth and nail for a roster spot. This is a defining time for any team, and especially so for the 2024 New York Football Giants.
Three preseason games are in the books, and training camp has come to a close. The Giants already cut down some of the roster Sunday Morning - letting go of 10 guys - most of which wouldn't be seeing the field anyway. Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll, Brandon Brown, and the rest of the Giants' leadership have a tall task at hand to determine what this team will look like heading into Week 1 against Minnesota. There are a lot of depth question marks, and I wouldn't be surprised if they not only look on the waiver wire - where they hold the 6th spot based on record last year - but also look to the trade market for guys that could help fill out this team.
This is my take on the final 53 based on what I have seen in preseason and what I think the Giants need.
The Offense
Quarterback:
Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito (3)
The Giants will keep three quarterbacks on their roster. Daniel Jones is coming off of a torn ACL and needs depth behind him as a precautionary. Drew Lock will be the number 2 guy, and although injured in the preseason, will be healthy heading into the regular season. DeVito will be picked up by another team if he is cut, and he has shown flashes in Brian Daboll's complicated offense pretty quickly. He will have two years of Daboll's offensive system under his belt, and that can go a long way.
Running back:
Devin Singletary, Eric Gray, Tyrone Tracy Jr (3)
Based on the way things are shaping up and the depth needed on the defensive side of the ball, I think the Giants move forward with three running backs for now. Singletary is the bell cow now that Saquon Barkley is gone. Eric Gray ran well in the preseason and can be a key contributor on special teams. Tyrone Tracy Jr is fast, versatile and has had a solid rookie camp. Dante Miller has shown flashes, but they will stash him on the practice squad.
Fullback:
Jakob Johnson (1)
The Giants signed Johnson on August 16th and he played in their preseason game the next day in Houston. He was basically studying the playbook on the plane ride to the game. Johnson went out and had a solid game, and it seems like the Giants really like him as a piece in their offense. He has a rapport with new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, having played in Vegas with him for two seasons (2022 & 2023). Brian Daboll told reporters last week that Johnson was "able to pick things up pretty quickly when they put him in" and "he's played in the backfield a bunch and you can put him off the line and do things with him." It should be fun to see what the team can do with him on offense and special teams.
Tight End:
Daniel Bellinger, Theo Johnson, Chris Manhertz (3)
Theo Johnson looks like the Giants' TE1 of the future. No disrespect to Bellinger, but Johnson had an awesome rookie camp and looked good in both the passing and blocking game. He's also a massive presence at 6'6", 260 pounds, so a guy with those tangibles has to be out there. All of the guys above can block well, and I expect the Giants to use a lot of 12 personnel sets to rotate the three guys in based on scheme. Guys like Jack Stoll and Lawrence Cager haven't really shown much throughout training camp - Cager is also nursing an injury at the moment - so I'm not as solid on either of them have a chance at cracking the roster.
Wide Receiver:
Malik Nabers, Wan'Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, Darius Slayton, Isaiah McKenzie, Myles Boykin (6)
Nabers, Robinson, Hyatt, and Slayton are locks. Those first three will be the starting receivers come Week 1, with Slayton rotating in as the fourth guy. I think the Giants keep six receivers, given they'll want some depth at this position. McKenzie has also been competing with Gunner Olszewski for the PR/KR spot and all but solidified that spot now that Olszewski is out with an injury for 2-4 weeks. The sixth spot is a toss up between Boykin and Allen Robinson II, but Boykin has shown a bit more in the preseason in my eyes.
Offensive Line:
Andrew Thomas, Jon Runyan, Jermaine Eluemunor, John Michael Schmitz Jr., Greg Van Roten, Aaron Stinnie, Evan Neal, Jake Kubas (8)
Thomas, Runyan, Eluemunor and JMS are all locks. Stinnie has had a good camp and Van Roten is a solid depth addition who can slot in at RG come Week 1. We all know how the Evan Neal experiment is going, and although the rumblings of him not being guaranteed a roster spot floated around during training camp, I don't think the Giants give up on him just yet. Jake Kubas has had a solid camp and will just miss the cut.
The Defense
Defensive Line:
Dexter Lawrence II, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Jordon Riley, Elijah Chatman, D.J. Davidson (5)
Lawrence and Nunez-Roches (Nacho for short) are locks to start Week 1. Elijah Chatman, the undrafted rookie out of SMU, has balled out in training camp and can get meaningful reps early in the season if he keeps up his level of play. The Giants waived Ryder Anderson on August 19th after he suffered a hamstring injury in the loss to the Texans. This is an unfortunate turn of events, given Anderson had a solid offseason and was set to be a primary backup.
Edge/Outside Linebackers:
Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Boogie Basham, Azeez Ojulari, Tomon Fox (5)
The four names above are all locks, and I never really had a doubt that Basham or Ojulari wouldn't make the team. Both are solid backups, and if Ojulari stays healthy, he can get back to being the guy that recorded eight sacks his rookie season (2021). Ojulari has been thrown around as a hypothetical trade piece if Joe Schoen wants to go out and pad the secondary a bit more. I'm keeping Tomon Fox here given his experience with the team having played in 16 games last year. Burns and Thibs are a monster duo that should reign terror on opposing tackles and quarterbacks this fall.
Linebackers:
Bobby Okereke, Micah McFadden, Dyontae Johnson, Darius Muasau, Matthew Adams (5)
The Giants are thin behind Okereke and McFadden and injuries are already plaguing the LB room. McFadden went down in preseason Week 2 while Johnson and Adams are nursing injuries. 2024 sixth round pick Darius Muasau had a good camp, and I wouldn't be surprised if he is thrust into meaningful reps this year. K.J. Cloyd, the undrafted rookie out of Miami, had 16 tackles in the Giants final preseason game, and could be a surprise addition to the roster. I think he ends up on the practice squad, but you never know.
Safeties:
Jason Pinnock, Dane Belton, Tyler Nubin, Raheem Layne (4)
Another thin position for the G-Men is the safety room. Xavier McKinney is gone, so guys like Dane Belton and Tyler Nubin will need to step up immediately. Nubin, a 2024 draft pick, should slot in as a starter week 1. He has been great - when healthy - in camp and was a star at the University of Minnesota. Pinnock is a solid piece at the strong safety spot and played in 16 games for the Giants last year. He'll need to be durable yet again in 2024. Layne is experienced, having spent the last two seasons with the Chargers, and will slot in on special teams. Alex Johnson is not named here, but he is another rookie that will most likely end up on the practice squad and I wouldn't be surprised if he is elevated to the active roster at some point this season.
Cornerbacks:
Deontae Banks, Cor'Dale Flott, Nick McCloud, Dru Phillips, Isaiah Simmons, Tre Hawkins III, Tre Herndon (7)
I think they keep seven corners. I'm going to sound like a broken record but bear with me, this is another positional group that is oh so very thin. Outside of Deonte Banks, they do not have a proven group of guys. Take away Banks and this might be one of the worst corner groups in football (on paper). Nick McCloud and Cor'Dale Flott have shown flashes but still have work to put in to prove themselves. Dru Phillips is a rookie, but has had a strong camp. He will fit right in as the prime slot corner. Isaiah Simmons isn't necessarily a true corner but I put him here because he'll most likely get a lot of slot work this year. Simmons might see some time at linebacker as well. Tre Hawkins III is my dark horse, after getting a shot last year as a rookie and not playing all that well, year 2 with a new defensive coordinator should give him a leg up. Herndon will be kept as a true depth piece given he has seven NFL seasons under his belt and a lot of experience.
Special Teams
Graham Gano, Jamie Gillan, Casey Kreiter (3)
This group is unchanged from last year and will stay true throughout the season unless an injury occurs.
Practice Squad
Dante Miller, Bryce Ford-Wheaton, Allen Robinson II, Ayir Asante, Jack Stoll, Austin Schlottmann, Joshua Ezeudu, K.J. Cloyd, Carter Coughlin, Benton Whitley, Gervarrius Owens, Alex Johnson (12)
I'm going with 12 practice squad guys right now, and this is always a toss up. Per league rule, each team can have 16 players on their practice squad. The Giants will make some moves and probably swap around some guys on the PS so I'm not going to go too deep into this projection. All of the guys above though do not factor into the active roster. They will practice with the team but be inactive on game days, unless elevated are released.
Final Thoughts
This will be one of the hardest cut downs of recent years for the Giants. There are so many areas of need, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I may be completely wrong on some of the guys I named above and there are still 25 cuts the Giants have to make prior to Tuesday's deadline. We will see how the team decides to move forward in the next couple of days.
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