There are spots to be won, and lots of decisions to be made regarding the New York Giants’ 53-man roster before their regular-season opener on September 13 against the Dallas Cowboys. Where do things stand as the Giants prepare to open their preseason on Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings?
Let’s look at the locks, bubble players, and long shots as the true training camp portion of the season ends, and teams shift into more of a preseason mode centered around games.
Quarterback
Locks (2) — Jaxson Dart, Jameis Winston
Bubble players (0) — None
Long shot (1) — Brandon Allen
[No change]
John Harbaugh would not say whether or nto Jaxson Dart and other starters will play vs. the Vikings. Maybe we see a little of Dart and Jameis Winston. We will probably see a lot of Brandon Allen.
My guess is that we do see a little of Dart. He is a second-year quarterback learning a new scheme, and Harbaugh does not like to pass up opportunities for players to learn and grow.
“I value first team reps very much. And you have to measure that against the risk,” Harbaugh said. “So, there is risk as well. And that’s part of it, too. And you have to make that decision.”
Harbaugh said the Giants have an individualized plan “by guy.” We will see what the plan is for Dart on Saturtday.
Running back
Locks (3) — Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy, Devin Singletary
Bubble players (1) — Dante Miller
Long shots (2) — Eric Gray, Damon Bankston
[No change]
The only interesting development this week was head coach John Harbaugh praising Dante Miller.
“He’s explosive,” Harbaugh aid. “He’s had catches. He caught one today long. He’s had runs where he’s shown acceleration.”
Of course, he also said Eric Gray “knows how to run the football”, and Damon Bankston has “had big plays, too.”
So, really it just seemed like Harbaugh trying to say something nice about everybody.
I would think we see a lot of Miller, Gray, and Bankston on Saturday.
Fullback
Locks (1) — Patrick Ricard
Bubble players (0)
Long shots (1) — Grant Finley
[No change]
Finley, like Ricard, has a background as BOTH a fullback and defensive lineman. Can Harbaugh turn him into Ricard 2.0?
Tight end
Locks (3) — Isaiah Likely, Theo Johnson, Chris Manhertz
Bubble players (2) — Tanner Conner, Thomas Fidone
Long shot (0)
[Change: Fidone moved from long shot to bubble]
Second-year tight end Thomas Fidone had a good week of practice, resulting in a bump up for him. Still, I don’t see how Fidone or Tanner Conner can make the team.
Wide receiver
Locks (5) — Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Calvin Austin, Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields
Bubble players (4) — Odell Beckham Jr., Braxton Berrios, Dalen Cambre, Jalin Hyatt
Long shots (4) — Ryan Miller, Xavier Gipson, Isaiah Hodgins, JuJu Smith-Schuster
[Change: JuJu Smith-Schuster moves from bubble to long shot]
I hate moving guys down because of injuries, but the best ability is availability. While other players have been on the field making plays, Smith-Schuster has been in the training room working on what Harbaugh calls he “old knee.”
Odell Beckham will play Saturday vs. the Vikings. My gut says he won’t be out there for long.
As for Saturday, doing well in practice is nice. For bubble players looking to win a roster spot, though, making plays in games will go a long way.
Offensive line
Locks (7) — Andrew Thomas, Jon Runyan, John Michael Schmitz, Francis Mauigoa, Jermaine Eluemunor, Marcus Mbow, Daniel Faalele
Bubble players (5) — J.C. Davis, Lucas Patrick, Bryan Hudson, Josh Ezeudu, Aaron Stinnie
Long shots (5) — Evan Neal, Ryan Schernecke, Jake Kubas, Jarrod Gray (International Exemption), Brendan Jaimes
[No change]
With John Michael Schmitz (concussion) and Lucas Patrick (knee) ailing, Bryan Hudson and Jake Kubas will have an opportunity to make an impression. Both players were on the Giants’ practice squad last season. If neither plays well, and there is concern about Patrick’s knee, could the Giants turn back to someone like Greg Van Roten as center insurance?
Defensive line
Locks (4) — D.J. Reader, Darius Alexander, Shelby Harris, Chauncey Golston
Bubble players (4) — Bobby Jamison-Travis, Leki Fotu, Zacch Pickens, Josh Tupou
Long shots (2) — Anquin Barnes Jr., Marlon Davidson
[Change: Sam Roberts released]
Sixth-round pick Bobby Jamison-Travis has had a quiet camp. He needs to show disruption at the point of attack. The rest of the “bubble” and “long shot” players need to show the Giants why they shouldn’t be scanning the waiver wire for upgrades when teams make cuts to get to the 53-man roster limit.
I think there could easily be at least one defensive lineman on the roster who isn’t a Giant today.
Off-ball linebacker
Locks (4) — Arvell Reese, Tremaine Edmunds, Micah McFadden, Jack Kelly
Bubble players (2) — Darius Muasau, Zaire Barnes
Long shots (1) — Anfernee Orji
[No change]
I don’t know if we will see No. 5 overall pick Arvell Reese on Saturday. We should see a lot of Micah McFadden and Jack Kelly, though, and that might be fun.
Edge defender
Locks(3) — Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux
Bubble players (1) — Khalid Kareem
Long shots (2) — Trace Ford, Caleb Murphy
[No change]
I still see only the three edge defenders making the 53-man roster.
Cornerback
Locks (5) — Paulson Adebo, Greg Newsome II, Colton Hood, Dru Phillips, Deonte Banks
Bubble players (3) — Art Green, Nic Jones, Korie Black
Long shots (2) — Ugochukwu Amadi, Sam Webb
[Change: David Long, D.J. James released; Ugochukwu Amadi and Sam Webb signed.]
The Giants are a mess at cornerback right now. Ugochukwu Amadi and Sam Webb, who were just signed on Thursday, are probably going to have to play a significant number of snaps on Saturday.
I won’t move him to the ‘locks’ category yet, but Art Green is trending toward making the 53-man roster. He is a core special-teamer who practices with the first special teams unit, and he has made some plays while getting increased reps with the rash of injuries at cornerback.
Safety
Locks (3) — Jevon Holland, Tyler Nubin, Ar’Darius Washington
Bubble players (2) — Elijah Campbell, Jason Pinnock
Long shots (3) — Beau Brade, Raheem Layne, J.T. Woods
[Change: J.T. Woods added to roster]
If there is a competition developing between Tyler Nubin and Jason Pinnock, it is an awkward one.
“I’m at his baby shower. He’s at my baby shower. He’s going to be at my wedding,” Pinnock said this week. “Like, that’s my guy. That’s my guy, so – man, this is what comes with the sport. We’re on each other. We’re probably each other’s biggest competitor, and we’re on each other, bro. Like, it’s just – it’s what it is. It comes with the nature.”
Special teams
Locks (1) — Jordan Stout (punter)
Bubble players (2) — Dominic Zvada (placekicker), Ben Mann (long-snapper)
Long shot (1) — Ben Sauls (placekicker)
[No change]
I am not sure Ben Sauls can wrestle the placekicking job away from Dominic Zvada at this point. I do believe Sauls can kick in the NFL.
Totals
Locks: 41
Bubble players: 26
Long shots: 24
NOTE: The Giants have 91 players since they are carrying one player (Gray) with an International Exemption