Predicting the Last 5 In, Last 5 out for New York Giants' Final 53-Man Roster
The New York Giants don’t have to report for the start of training camp for another month, but already, there are going to be some extremely difficult decisions for head coach Tom Coughlin and his staff to make at several positions.
In particular, there are about five to 10 roster spots that usually go down to the wire for the coaching staff. What will those decisions be and who will be affected?
Here is a very, very early guess at those players who should survive the final cut and those who might be in danger of not making it.
In: WR Corey Washington
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After an eye-opening summer last year, receiver Corey Washington quickly fell off the landscape when he failed to deliver the impact that Coughlin was seeking on special teams.
Time eventually heals all wounds and, apparently, frustrations. Certainly Washington, who last year expressed frustration over how his rookie season unfolded to Tom Rock of Newsday, came back to the Giants with a much better attitude that didn’t go unnoticed by his head coach.
“He has had a nice spring. He has worked hard. He has had a good attitude. He has had a smile on his face,” Coughlin said last month during the OTAs.
“He has done most everything we have asked him to do. I think every time he has been called upon he seems to have responded.”
During the spring, Washington continued to dazzle with his playmaking ability. He has even shown more effort on special teams, though the physical aspect of it remains to be seen, as does whether Washington better understands that he has to give a full effort on every play, even if the ball isn’t coming his way.
So far so good for the 6’4”, 214-pound receiver who approached the spring practices with a chip on his shoulder and was rewarded with first-team snaps.
“My confidence level is high. I am gaining Eli’ s trust and coach’s trust and he is throwing me out there with the ones, so I just have got to continue to work and keep it up,” Washington said last month.
Washington no doubt understands that he won’t be a featured receiver in the Giants’ offense, but he appeared to be willing to embrace a potential role as a red-zone and goal-line receiver.
“Everything has slowed down now so I am getting adjusted to everything and working on me, working on my craft and helping the team out,” he said.
If he continues to stay humbled, Washington will have many chances to help the team out moving forward.
Out: WR Preston Parker
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Preston Parker might have been the Giants’ best blocking receiver last year—per Pro Football Focus, he finished with a 1.9 grade—but when New York acquired free agent Dwayne Harris in March, that pretty much sealed the deal regarding Parker’s future with the Giants.
Why? Last season Parker was primarily the fourth receiver and the return specialist for New York, two roles that Harris is projected to take over this year.
Unless Harris suffers an injury, it doesn’t make sense for the Giants to carry two guys who can basically do the same role.
In: TE Jerome Cunningham
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The Giants are probably going to keep three tight ends on the 53-man roster, plus one on the practice squad.
If first-year player Jerome Cunningham, who received the lion’s share of reps with the starting unit during Larry Donnell’s absence this spring, can show he is as good blocking as he is receiving, he could very well find himself on the 53-man roster.
At 6’3”, 250 pounds, Cunningham is the “smallest” of the Giants’ tight ends currently listed on the roster.
Tight ends coach Kevin M. Gilbride told me during the mandatory minicamp that could be a concern in the blocking department, especially since a tight end usually has to push around guys who are 275 and upward.
However, Cunningham, who told me that he wants to really polish up his blocking game, is quite chiseled and has deceiving strength. Where he will need to shine if he is to excel as a blocker is with his technique, specifically with getting his hands inside the defender's shoulders.
If he can do that, then it would not be surprising to see Cunningham land on the 53-man roster, and the winner of the competition between rookies Matt LaCosse and Will Tye on the practice squad.
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Out: TE Daniel Fells
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Despite the fact that Daniel Fells was the Giants’ highest graded tight end in 2014 according to Pro Football Focus, he will turn 32 years old in September and is probably not in the long-term team plans.
He is also not eligible for the practice squad.
Because of these factors, it would not be surprising if one or more of the younger tight ends have a strong camp, Fells is the one who loses his roster spot to one of the younger players, with the second one landing on the practice squad.
In: DE Kerry Wynn
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Typically the Giants keep five defensive ends. This year, if everyone stays healthy, it would not be a surprise if they keep six.
Right now, the sixth man would be Kerry Wynn, an undrafted free agent from last year who, after being inactive for the first 10 games, made a strong impression, particularly against the run.
It would also not be a surprise if Wynn goes deep into the competition for the open defensive end spot that became available when the team cut Mathias Kiwanuka this winter.
Figure the Giants will probably limit rookie third-round draft pick Owa Odighizuwa’s snaps this year for two reasons.
One: Odighizuwa missed chunks of the spring while dealing with a knee injury.
Two, and perhaps even more importantly: He’s coming from a 3-4 defense in college and may need time as well as some work in the weight room to adjust to playing end in a 4-3 alignment.
That would mean that in addition to Jason Pierre-Paul, the Giants would probably line up George Selvie or Wynn, both solid run-stoppers last year, on first and second downs and look to get Damontre Moore and Odighizuwa in on pass-rushing situations.
Out: CB Jayron Hosley
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Cornerback Jayron Hosley is a third-round draft pick chosen in 2012 who was supposed to be the team’s next slot cornerback.
Instead, the former Virginia Tech defender has been nothing but a disappointment. To date, he has played in just 29 games, posting 57 tackles, no sacks and just one interception.
Last year after returning from a four-game, league-imposed suspension for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse, Hosley was a healthy scratch for the team’s final five games of the season, despite the injuries that were biting into the depth.
The Giants' cornerback depth beyond projected starters Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie might not look glamorous on paper, but when it comes to the slot cornerback spot, Hosley’s name isn’t even in the equation—the leading candidates are Trumaine McBride, Mike Harris and Chykie Brown.
If the 5’10”, 178-pound Hosley—who at one time tried to latch on as a punt returner—doesn’t factor into the slot cornerback equation, it’s hard to justify keeping him on the roster in the final year of his rookie deal.
In: RB Orleans Darkwa
7 of 10
Last season, running back Orleans Darkwa, whom the Giants signed off the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad, came in, got himself up to speed as quickly as possible and was soon contributing in a limited capacity on offense at a time when injuries were biting into the running backs unit.
Per Pro Football Focus, Darkwa only played 29 snaps on offense for the Giants, carrying the ball nine times for 23 yards and a touchdown, while adding five receptions for 48 yards.
Where he really excelled for the Giants was on special teams, where he had the fifth-highest overall grade on the team for his work on kickoff and punt coverage.
During the spring, Darkwa, who had a full spring to gain a better grasp of the playbook, looked much more comfortable on offense, showing good speed and cutting ability.
He should be a lot further along in terms of pass protection as well, all of which should give him an advantage in edging out rookies Kenneth Harper and Akeem Hunt for that fourth spot on the running backs depth chart.
Out: DT Cullen Jenkins
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In February, defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins, who was due to earn a $2.2 million base salary in 2015, agreed to take a pay cut that, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, reduced Jenkins’ base salary to $1 million, an $825,000 cap savings.
Jenkins, who has been an underappreciated component on the Giants defense, could be in danger of losing his roster spot for two reasons.
First, if the Giants decide to keep six defensive ends—which is a very real possibility—they no longer need that part of Jenkins' game (he had been working at defensive end in the spring due to the shortage of healthy bodies).
Second, although Jenkins has played the role of a plugger in the Giants defense, he’s really not a good fit for that spot. In fact, it looks as though Kenrick Ellis could end up as the starter alongside of Johnathan Hankins, and it looks as though either Jay Bromley or a bulked-up Markus Kuhn will be the backup.
If the Giants were to part ways with Jenkins, they’d recoup $1.425 million in cap savings, according to Over the Cap. That would be more than enough to apply to a veteran pickup at another position of need.
In: OL Brett Jones
9 of 10Former CFL offensive lineman Brett Jones might still be adjusting to having defensive opponents lined up right on his nose, but so far, the conversion process has been a smooth one.
That’s because Jones, the CFL’s top offensive lineman last year, is a smart, hard-working and scrappy type whose work ethic and on-field demeanor reminds one of former Giants offensive lineman Rich Seubert.
Jones, in addition to receiving grooming at center, has also been taking a crash course to grasp the intricacies of guard, a process that is going well.
“Each day there’s always something new for me to work on but so long as I’m not continuously working on the same thing over and over, because I’m not doing it how I want to,” he told me for Inside Football.
“I want to make sure that each day I’m able to work on something new because I’ve already developed muscle memory with what I previously worked on, and keep getting better.”
The good news for the Giants and Jones is that offensive line coach Pat Flaherty has lots of experience with expediting the process to help rookies be able to contribute in their first season.
“The biggest thing with these guys is how much time can you spend with them and just keep giving them the information so they just absorb it and digest it,” Flaherty told reporters after the minicamp concluded.
“One thing you find out with the younger players is they have to go out and do it, and they have to do it and do it, the more reps they get. You don’t want to work a guy until he is crawling off the field, but you want to work him to his brink because the more reps he is getting, the better off, and the opportunity to get to teach him on tape and he is experiencing that.”
Although it’s hard to fully gauge offensive linemen without the pads, the simple fact that Jones seems to be mastering the mental part of the game certainly bodes well for his chances to become first off the bench at center and at guard this fall.
Out: OL Eric Herman
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In 2013, the Giants took a flier on offensive lineman Eric Herman in the seventh round because they liked his tenacity and were in need of some new offensive line depth.
Unfortunately for Herman, he hasn’t quite been able to land on the 53-man roster at the end of training camp for one reason or another.
In fact, the last two seasons when injuries ate away at the offensive line, the Giants didn’t call Herman up from the practice squad until the last week or two of the regular season, a rather revealing sign about his development.
How bad has it been for Herman, who has worked at both guard and center? Based on his preseason performance grades from Pro Football Focus, he has yet to post positive marks as a run-blocker and as a pass protector in both 2013 and 2014.
This summer, Herman’s competition for a roster spot will include veteran Dallas Reynolds and rookie Brett Jones. Of the three, Jones appears to have the most long-term upside, leaving Herman a likely bubble candidate as far as the 53-man roster is concerned.
Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes, observations and information were obtained firsthand. Follow me on Twitter.
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