Giants Players Who Need Impressive Camp to Avoid Being Cut

After snapping a five-year playoff drought and reaching the divisional round in 2022, the New York Giants are looking to take the proverbial next step in 2023. The process will begin in earnest on July 25, when veterans report to training camp.

New York is bringing a few new faces into camp this year, including trade acquisition Darren Waller, free-agent addition Parris Campbell and rookie first-round pick Deonte Banks. Should any of them not make the roster, it would come as a surprise.

However, several Giants are in far less secure situations entering camp. The reality for most NFL players is that making the regular-season roster is a fight. Teams can carry up to 90 players during camp but must trim rosters to 53 players by August 29.

Below, we'll examine three veterans who will have to show out in training camp to stick with the gameday roster in 2023. We'll look at their individual situations and what they could potentially provide New York should they make the team.

CB Aaron Robinson

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 11: Aaron Robinson #33 of the New York Giants during the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on September 11, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Cornerback Aaron Robinson was a 2021 third-round pick, and Day 2 draft selections generally get a little leeway with the teams that picked them. However, it's worth noting that Robinson was selected by former general manager Dave Gettleman and not the current regime.

That's one issue working against the 25-year-old. The other is that Robinson has struggled to get on the field. He began his rookie campaign on the physically-unable-to-perform list and landed on injured reserve last season with a knee injury.

"The knee injury that Giants CB Aaron Robinson suffered in Week 4 was a partially torn ACL and a torn MCL, per source," The Athletic's Dan Duggan tweeted in December. "Robinson had surgery four weeks ago and is looking at a recovery timeline of approximately nine months."

In all, Robinson has only appeared in 11 games with four starts and logged a mere 72 snaps under defensive coordinator Don Martindale last season.

If Robinson is fully recovered in time for camp, he may get a chance to provide valuable depth and compete for playing time along with players like 2022 third-round pick Cordale Flott and Banks.

If he isn't healthy or doesn't perform well, however, the Giants could save $1.1 million off the 2023 cap by releasing Robinson. While that's not a massive sum, it's substantial for a franchise with only $4.2 million in cap space.

G Shane Lemieux

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 06: Shane Lemieux #66 of the New York Giants looks on before their game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on December 06, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

The Giants used a 2020 fifth-round pick on guard Shane Shane Lemieux, and he's another former Gettleman pick who could be on the way out without a very strong training camp.

The issue for Lemieux thus far has been staying healthy. He appeared in 12 games and made nine starts as a rookie but did not play particularly well. He was responsible for three penalties and five sacks allowed in 504 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Since then, Lemieux has only appeared in two games and has spent the majority of his time on injured reserve with knee and toe injuries. Now entering the final year of his rookie deal, Lemieux is fighting just to stick

If Lemieux can prove that he can stay healthy and can perform better in pass protection than he did as a rookie, he can become a valuable depth piece behind guards like Mark Glowinski, Joshua Ezeudu and Ben Bredeson. He might even get in on the competition to start—which should be one of the more intriguing storylines of camp, as Evan Neal and Andrew Thomas are entrenched at tackle.

However, Lemieux has a lot to prove, beginning with his ability to stay on the practice and playing fields. If he has any issues at all during camp, the Giants will likely look to move on and secure the $1 million in cap savings they'll get by releasing him.

WR Sterling Shepard

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NASHVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 11: Sterling Shepard #3 of the New York Giants looks on during an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on September 11, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Wideout Sterling Shepard is the Giants' longest-tenured player, having spent seven seasons with the franchise. He was also an effective complementary option the last time he was fully healthy.

Shepard finished the 2020 season with 66 receptions, 656 yards and three touchdowns. However, he has also appeared in only 10 games over the past two seasons because of a torn Achilles and a 2022 ACL tear.

While New York did bring back Shepard on a new one-year, $1.3 million deal this offseason, it also has a lot of competition at the receiver position. The Giants also re-signed Darius Slayton, extended Isaiah Hodgins, added Jameson Crowder, signed Campbell and drafted Jalin Hyatt.

Shepard knows that receiver depth is no longer the critical issue that it once was.

"It's probably the biggest receiver group I've been a part of since I've been here, but that's what we wanted to bring in," Shepard said, per ESPN's Jordan Raanan.

If Shepard is back to pre-injury form and proves to be one of Daniel Jones' most reliable targets, he'll make the roster and earn playing time. However, the 30-year-old is far from a roster lock, and if he isn't healthy or is trending as a deep rotational piece, New York may value cap space over his presence.

Releasing Shepard would save $1.1 million in cap room.

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*Cap and contract information via Spotrac. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.