The New York Giants released 20 players Tuesday afternoon to trim their roster to the league-required 53-man maximum.
Quarterback Davis Webb, wide receiver Alex Bachman, and safety Nate Meadors highlighted the list of cut players. Webb was the team’s leading passer in the preseason, Bachman was the team’s leading receiver and Meadors led the team in tackles.
“We met with a lot of players today, this morning, and yesterday,” coach Brian Daboll said. “And again, I’ve said this before, it’s always a tough time of year for players and I’d say for the rest of the people in the organization.”
Below is the first roster look of the entire New York Giants 2022 club.
QB: Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor
The surprise here is that Davis Webb did not make it through the final roster cut even though he played well all preseason, and had familiarity with Brian Daboll’s system. The Giants keeping two quarterbacks on the roster isn’t surprising though as the season gets set to kick off.
RB/FB: Saquon Barkley, Matt Brieda, Antonio Williams, Sandro Platzgummer, Gary Brightwell, Chris Myarick
Myarick is seen as the team’s fullback, but it’s still surprising the team is keeping six overall backs. Barkley and Brieda are expected to be the two main playmakers in the running game though. Williams, Brightwell ad Platzgummer all had solid preseason showings that kept them on the initial roster.
WR: Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, Kadarius Toney, Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, David Sills V, Richie James
The wide receiving group is arguably the most complete of the entire roster. The team decided to keep Darius Slayton at this time, along with some top preseason targets in David Sills V, and Richie James. James made the roster over Bachman arguably because he’s a better backup in the slot to Robinson and Toney.
TE: Daniel Bellinger, Tanner Hudson
The tight end group is very thin for the Giants in 2022. Bellinger is a fourth-round rookie this year, while Hudson has played in several games throughout his NFL career. It’s also important to note that Myarick does have experience at TE as well so it could very well be three.
OL: Ben Bredeson, Joshua Ezeudu, Jon Feliciano, Max Garcia, Mark Glowinski, Devery Hamilton, Shane Lemieux, Evan Neal, Andrew Thomas
Keeping nine offensive linemen to start the season is a surprise from a team that did not get a ton of solid production in the preseason. Thomas and Neal headline the group, but Feliciano, and Glowinski will determine just how good this group can be. The Giants have a ton of talent at the skill positions on offense but the OL will need to hold up this year.
DL: Nick Williams, Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, Justin Ellis, DJ Davidson
The interior defensive line group is a very underrated core for the Giants. Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, and the rest of the group can cause a lot of problems for teams this season. Justin Ellis and Nick Williams will be very helpful in the interior of the 3-4 defense as well.
OLB: Tomon Fox, Azeez Ojulari, Elerson Smith, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Jihad Ward, Oshane Ximines
Tomon Fox went from being cut to a guarantee on the 53-man roster. Outside of the undrafted free agent, Thibodeaux and Ojulari are expected to be the starters and with both battling injuries, not starting on the PUP list is important. This group can determine if the Giants’ front seven will be as dominant as they expect.
ILB: Cam Brown, Austin Calitro, Carter Coughlin, Tae Crowder, Blake Martinez, Micah McFadden
Blake Martinez and Tae Crowder highlight the inside linebacking core. Micah McFadden and Coughlin both played well throughout the preseason, however, six linebackers for two spots is certainly another surprise in a 3-4 defense.
DB: Dane Belton, Cor’Dale Flott, Darnay Holmes, Adoree Jackson, Julian Love, Xavier McKinney, Aaron Robinson, Rodarius Williams
Eight defensive backs for four positions. The Giants’ secondary will be highlighted by top starters in Adoree Jackson at corner, and the Julian Love/Xavier McKinney combination will be excellent as a safety pair. The rest of the secondary will be tested though with questions surrounding Aaron Robinson and Darnay Holmes.
ST: Graham Gano, Jamie Gillan, Casey Kreiter
No surprises here. Gano is one of the best kickers in football and the rest of the crew is ready to roll.
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