Projected New York Giants' Final 53-Man Roster, Pre-Training Camp Edition

The New York Giants’ equipment staff has been gradually breaking out the new gear, prepping it for the players’ arrival on July 30, the start of training camp.

Meanwhile, here at the home office, my training-camp backpack is just about ready to go and in it, my crystal ball that I’m going to use to project the Giants' 53-man roster.

Disclaimer: Additional injuries, surprise additions to the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and, of course, player performance will obviously affect the final numbers. In this slideshow, I am basing opinions on information that I have. 

As always, your feedback is welcome.

Quarterbacks

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(2) Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib

This "competition"—if you want to call it that—is probably one of the easiest to forecast. As they did last year, the Giants will carry two quarterbacks on their active roster, Manning and Nassib.

As for Ricky Stanzi, the other quarterback on the roster, he is simply a live arm for training camp.

Remember, the Giants like to carry three quarterbacks in the summer, so if anything, this is an opportunity for Stanzi to put together some decent tape to show the rest of the league.

Running Backs

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(5) Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, Shane Vereen, Orleans Darkwa, Henry Hynoski (FB)

The first question regarding this position is whether Orleans Darkwa, who joined the Giants late last season when injuries started piling up, can hold off rookie challengers Akeem Hunt and Kenneth Harper.

Since the fourth running back—and, yes, the Giants will probably keep four considering that projected starter Rashad Jennings has yet to make it through a 16-game season—has to contribute on special teams, this is where the 6’0”, 215-pound Darkwa has the advantage over the two rookies.

Per Pro Football Focus, Darkwa finished tied with fullback Henry Hynoski for the fourth-best special teams grade on the team.

In seven games for the Giants, Darkwa posted five special teams tackles, per PFF—not too bad production-wise.

During the spring, the Giants tried Hunt as a punt returner, but he had some issues with fielding the ball. At 5’10”, 190 pounds, Hunt’s size might also limit him to a specific role on offense.

Harper, who is also 5’10”, weighs 233 pounds and is more of a downhill runner with a style similar to Jennings’ and Williams’. With a solid camp, he could land on the practice squad.

The second question is whether the Giants will continue to keep a pure fullback (Hynoski) on the roster despite the fact that in his first season under Ben McAdoo’s offense, Hynoski only saw 209 snaps on offense, according to Pro Football Focus. 

The answer is yes; he most certainly is worth keeping and will make the roster baring a season-ending injury.

Hynoski might have lost some of his snaps to the tight ends, but when it comes to short-yardage and goal-line situations, the man nicknamed the Hynocerous has typically been money, not just last season, when he was the lead blocker on at least five of Andre Williams’ touchdown runs, but historically since joining the team.

Hynoski can also catch the ball out of the backfield, a role that he wasn’t asked to do last year and probably won’t be asked to do much of this year given the addition of Shane Vereen. Still, it’s nice to have a big bruiser at the team’s disposal to help with getting those tough yards.

Tight Ends

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

(4) Larry Donnell, Adrien Robinson, Matt LaCosse, Jerome Cunningham

In the past the Giants have kept three tight ends on the 53-man roster with a fourth option on the practice squad, if one such option emerges during the camp.

This year, it would not be surprising if the Giants keep four tight ends on the roster for a couple of reasons.

First, there is the matter of Larry Donnell and his Achilles tendonitis that kept him out during the spring. Although Donnell told me during the minicamp he was confident he’d be able to hit the ground running when training camp begins on July 30, the mere fact that the condition flared up out of nowhere is concerning and one that bears watching in the early days of camp.

Two young tight ends who have a lot of promise are Matt LaCosse out of Illinois and Jerome Cunningham, who was on the Giants' practice squad last year.

LaCosse was known as a blocker in college, but is versatile enough to line up as an H-back, in the slot and in-line, all of which should help his roster chances.

Cunningham, 6’3”, 250 pounds, is the smallest and lightest of the Giants’ tight ends, but when Donnell was sidelined this spring, he was the coaches’ choice to take first-team reps alongside of veteran Daniel Fells.

The other thing that needs to be considered with the tight ends is that none of the returning three from last year—Donnell, Adrien Robinson and Fells—are signed beyond this year.

Robinson, the 2012 fourth-round draft pick, has been a disappointment to date, though he did show flashes of finally having “gotten it” at the end of last year.

That’s probably why he will get one final chance to prove his worth to the team, especially since general manager Jerry Reese admitted to reporters he believes in giving the draft picks a chance to fail before pushing them out the door.

Fells, who, per Pro Football Focus, was the most consistent of the Giants tight ends last season, is a solid presence, but his contract status and age—he’ll be 32 by the time the 2015 season is over—probably means he’s not a long-term option.

It makes too much sense for the Giants to not try to keep two young tight ends on the roster as if Donnell’s Achilles isn’t any better, and if Robinson continues to be a disappointment, they’re going to need a couple of fresh faces at this position.

Receivers

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(6) Victor Cruz, Odell Beckham Jr., Rueben Randle, Dwayne Harris, Geremy Davis, Corey Washington

After witnessing Victor Cruz sprinting at full speed and doing some cutting on a grass field some eight months out from having had surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon, there is certainly reason to be optimistic that he is going to be back at some point this year.

However, as general manager Jerry Reese has said numerous times, no one will know exactly how close Cruz is to being his old self until the pads go on and he starts working against live competition.

When he does return, he will fall into a wealth of talent at the position that includes Odell Beckham Jr., last year’s rookie sensation, and Rueben Randle, who in the final three weeks of last season appeared to have finally realized what it took to be successful in this league.

Dwayne Harris, the return specialist, will be the fourth receiver, and Corey Washington, who made the roster last year but who wasn’t used much on offense, will be the fifth receiver.

The sixth receiver boils down to rookie Geremy Davis, veteran Preston Parker, and youngsters such as Marcus “Soup” Harris and Ben Edwards.

Why is Davis projected as the sixth receiver?

Parker can probably be ruled out, thanks to the addition of Dwayne Harris. Parker, remember, returned kickoffs and punts, and with Harris on board, it would seem redundant to carry Parker on the roster.

Edwards has impressed in the spring, but at 5’10”, 197 pounds, he’s probably best suited to play the slot receiver, the role otherwise held by Cruz. It would not be surprising if the Giants try to slip Edwards to the practice squad as they wait and see just how far Cruz has actually come in his rehab.

Soup Harris poses an interesting dilemma. Last summer he turned quite a few heads with his ability to make some pretty receptions, but hip and shoulder injuries landed him on season-ending injured reserve before the team made it out of the preseason.

Thanks to the practice squads having been expanded, it’s possible that Harris might land there after this summer as the Giants wait to see how Cruz and Randle, the latter being in a contract year, pan out this season.

That brings up Davis as the sixth receiver. Although he’s a rookie, Davis has looked very at home playing the gunner role on special teams. In fact, it’s getting his hands dirty on special teams where Davis is going to need to make his mark.

Davis is not quite polished as a route-runner, but at 6’2”, 217 pounds, he has ideal size to where once he fixes his technique, he would give quarterback Eli Manning another nice-sized target in the passing game.

Offensive Line

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

(9) G/T Justin Pugh, C/G Weston Richburg, G/T Geoff Schwartz, T Ereck Flowers, G/T John Jerry, T Marshall Newhouse, C/G Brett Jones, G/T Bobby Hart, G/T Brandon Mosley

Of all the positions on the Giants, the offensive line is probably still one player away from having a complete unit.

As noted in this analysis, the depth at offensive tackle is precariously thin, even though as the listing above would suggest, they have more than enough faces at each position to get by.

The problem is proven quality. The injury to left tackle Will Beatty, which will almost certainly land him on the inactive PUP list to start the season, is currently wreaking havoc with the team’s plans.

It’s forcing the coaching staff to put an inexperienced rookie with technique issues at left tackle (Ereck Flowers) and a journeyman veteran (Marshall Newhouse) whom Monty McMahon of TotalPackers.com noted led Green Bay in sacks allowed in each of his two full seasons as a starter (2011-12), at this critical position.

If that's not concerning enough, the next man off the bench, should there be another injury at offensive tackle, would be John Jerry, who last year as the right guard was the worst run-blocking offensive lineman on the Giants, according to PFF.

If the Giants find themselves in a pinch, they could always kick Justin Pugh back outside to tackle, though this spring showed that he can really thrive inside at guard, working alongside Weston Richburg, the new starting center.

All of this is why the Giants are likely bound and determined to scan the waiver wire for help.

If they do manage to find a veteran offensive tackle who can provide a little more stability at the position,  the most likely candidate from the nine players listed above to be lopped off the roster is Bobby Hart, their seventh-round draft pick this year, who is probably a year away from contributing anyway given that the former college tackle is looking to transition inside to guard.

The Giants could look to add Hart to their practice squad and replace his roster spot with another veteran. Of course, the question is who will be out there for them to grab? Will it be Jake Long, who visited with the Giants earlier in the spring, or will another veteran offensive tackle shake free during the final round of training camp cuts?

Stay tuned on this one because, again, this offensive line unit is far from being settled as of this writing.

Defensive Ends

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

(5) Robert Ayers Jr., Kerry Wynn, George Selvie, Damontre Moore, Owa Odighizuwa

The hand injury Jason Pierre-Paul suffered, while potentially devastating to the defense, does at least clarify the projected depth chart at the defensive end position. Prior to Pierre-Paul’s mishap, the Giants more than likely would have kept six defensive ends.

With Pierre-Paul a question mark to be ready for Week 1—the team has yet to meet with him or examine him to know what he’s facing—Pierre-Paul cannot be counted on for Week 1.

What’s more, if Mike Florio's Pro Football Talk’s report about Pierre-Paul wanting to be paid the full franchise tender amount even if the Giants do place him on the NFI list would suggest that if Pierre-Paul’s camp is thinking along that vein, then it’s a very real possibility the fifth-year defensive end won’t be ready to go. 

The question then becomes who are the Giants' starting defensive ends?

George Selvie and Robert Ayers would appear to be the two leading candidates for starting jobs; however, Kerry Wynn proved last year that he was a bright spot in an otherwise dismal run defense that finished 30th in the NFL.

The most likely scenario for the Giants is that they will be more reliant on a rotation at this position. It will also be interesting to see if they consider using more 3-4 looks in certain situations than they otherwise would have had Pierre-Paul not injured his hand.

Defensive Tackles

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(4) Johnathan Hankins, Kenrick Ellis, Cullen Jenkins, Jay Bromley 

Two of the four defensive tackles the Giants are projected to keep, Johnathan Hankins and Jay Bromley, are draft picks.

Hankins, of course, was one of the two starters last year, a player who turned out to be one of the most pleasant and underrated surprises on a defense that otherwise fell apart at the seams as the season churned on.

While some might point to the fact that Hankins, the Giants’ best run defender for the second year in a row, according to PFF, had Jason Pierre-Paul lined up next to him, in hindsight, to think that Pierre-Paul had as much to do with Hankins’ success would be to short-change the third-year pro’s talent.

Bromley, who is entering his second season, didn’t get on the field much last year despite being a third-round draft pick. He’s hoping to change that this year, and to do so he added some upper-body bulk in order to improve his ability to anchor against the run.

Primarily a 3-technique player, Bromley told me for Inside Football that he felt comfortable playing all of the defensive interior positions.

In Kenrick Ellis, the Giants finally have a legitimate plugger—that big-body player who can occupy multiple blockers, therefore creating solo blocking situations for the rest of the defensive front.

Veteran Cullen Jenkins, who initially didn’t appear to be a lock for a roster spot even after taking a pay cut earlier this offseason, might very well have gained the advantage over Markus Kuhn, thanks to the Pierre-Paul hand injury.

Had Pierre-Paul been healthy, the Giants likely would have kept six defensive ends on the roster. With Pierre-Paul’s status up in the air, the Giants still have their six defensive ends—the sixth is Jenkins, who worked at the position in the spring and who can do so again in training camp if none of the other candidates prove capable of filling one of the vacant defensive end spots.

Kuhn, meanwhile, had bulked up this offseason in order to better anchor against the run. A hard worker, his inability to play defensive end combined with the Pierre-Paul saga could very well spell the end for this German-born Giant’s tenure.

Linebackers

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(6) Jon Beason, Devon Kennard, J.T. Thomas, Jonathan Casillas, Jameel McClain, Mark Herzlich 

The Giants will probably need to carry six linebackers heading into this season because of starting middle linebacker Jon Beason's injury history and the little dings that projected starting strong-side linebacker Devon Kennard has now had happen to him two years in a row.

Because of those two factors, veteran Mark Herzlich, who might have been the odd man out under normal circumstances, sticks around.

Let’s talk about the practice squad for a moment. It would be a shock if the Giants don’t put one of Cole Farrand or Uani Unga on the practice squad.

McClain is entering the final year of his contract, and Beason, who is signed through 2016, has a rather high $6.566 million cap hit that year, per Over the Cap, that the Giants might not choose to carry if he should end up injured again.

Even if he makes it through 16 games, his earning that full amount in a season where the Giants will likely have to pay Eli Manning, Prince Amukamara and potentially Jason Pierre-Paul might warrant the front office revisiting that figure. 

The 6’1”, 233-pound Unga might very well have the edge heading into training camp given that he came up with a couple of interceptions during the spring.

Farrand, 6’2”, 229 pounds, is a bit on the light side for an inside linebacker, but he showed himself to be quick on his feet and a smart player in coverage during the spring.

Cornerbacks

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(5) Prince Amukamara, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Trumaine McBride, Mike Harris, Chykie Brown  

The Giants are keeping their fingers, toes and eyes crossed that starting cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie make it through a 16-game season with minimal health issues. 

The rest of the depth chart at this position is up for grabs, starting with the third cornerback on the depth chart, also known as the nickel cornerback.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo admitted during the rookie minicamp that the identity of the slot cornerback was still to be determined, though he did concede that they had players who could likely get the job done.

They have two likely candidates who will probably end up battling down to the wire for the job.

The first is Trumaine McBride, who stepped in as the nickel cornerback last year after New York lost Walter Thurmond III to a season-ending pectoral injury in Week 2.

The second is Mike Harris, whom the Giants signed off the Detroit Lions practice squad last year following the season-ending injury to Amukamara. Of the two (McBride and Harris), Harris actually had better success as the slot cornerback last year, success on which he will be looking to build.

The fifth cornerback spot will likely come down to three guys.

There’s Chykie Brown, a waiver-wire pickup last year from Baltimore, who seemed to find new life as a Giant and who, if he makes the roster as projected, will be reunited with Steve Spagnuolo, his position coach in Baltimore who is of course now the Giants’ defensive coordinator.

There’s Chandler Fenner, who last year flashed in training camp, but who spent the season on the practice squad.

Lastly, there is Jayron Hosley, the disappointing 2012 third-round draft pick whom general manager Jerry Reese hoped would develop into the nickel cornerback, but who has simply not panned out.

On paper, Brown is the best option; however, will the Giants and Reese hold out hope that Hosley finally gets it in this, his contract year?

Safeties

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(4) Nat Berhe, Landon Collins, Cooper Taylor, Mykkele Thompson

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. The Giants are very much likely to go with four safeties who have zero career NFL starts between them.

That’s the bad news. However, if you’re a glass-half-full type of person, know that every player who worked himself into a starter at his position had to start somewhere. 

The same holds true for these young Giants. Landon Collins, the first pick of the second round, is all but inked in as one of the starters.

Collins comes from a pro-style defense at Alabama, which gives him a leg up; perhaps even more importantly, while some rookies might be in awe when they first start working with their veteran teammates, Collins has somehow maintained his composure, focused on getting better and has made significant strides in the process.

The other starting job is less clear. Cooper Taylor, who has spent all or part of his first two seasons in the NFL on the injured reserve list, received the lion’s share of the snaps during the spring, thanks to second-year man Nat Berhe’s calf strain sidelining him.

While the thought of pairing the 6’4”, 228-pound Taylor with the 6’0”, 225-pound Collins is intriguing, Giants safeties coach David Merritt has some concerns. 

“Mentally, I never doubted Cooper would be able to pick up the defense. It is just now getting Cooper’s body to move in the proper direction once he receives the call and allows himself to line up and just see what is happening in front of him,” Merritt told reporters during the team’s minicamp.

“We have to make sure the durability factor—he has to be durable for us because he has missed the past two seasons. Physically hoping that he will be able to step up and be durable for us.”

Then there is Mykkele Thompson, the surprise fifth-round draft pick out of Texas who projects as a free safety candidate.

“He came here, and he is a cerebral kid—that is for sure. He is going to take what I say literally and take my word for it and go out and try to execute it,” Merritt said.

“The [missed alignments] that started at the beginning of rookie minicamp and OTAs have drastically gone down. Mentally, he has excelled past my expectations. I am definitely interested to see him in the pads.”

So again, there are numerous question marks about this young, inexperienced group, but there apparently is enough talent for the coaches to not be wringing their hands with worry over this position.

Specialists

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

(3) P Steve Weatherford, K Josh Brown, LS Zak DeOssie

The Giants didn't make any changes to their kicking battery from last year, but that doesn't mean the onus isn't on the trio to up their game for one reason or another.

Last season, long snapper Zak DeOssie, who has earned Pro Bowl berths for his play, had his worst season as a pro, according to Pro Football Focus. DeOssie graded out as the worst of the Giants’ special teams players with a minus-12.0 mark, according to Pro Football Focus, despite finishing fourth on the unit in total tackles with seven.

It was also a rough year for Steve Weatherford, the outgoing punter and fitness fanatic who, thanks to a Week 1 high ankle sprain resulting in torn ligaments, was never at full strength.

Still his 38.6 net average was his third-best in a 16-game season; his gross average of 46 yards was his third-best mark of his career.

Josh Brown, the third member of the trio, had his best season of his career last year. The 36-year-old super-legged kicker converted a career-high 92.3 percent of his field-goal attempts and enjoyed a career-low 18.3 yard per kickoff returns, thanks to his coverage team and his mortar-style kickoffs.

Pre-Camp Projected 53-Man Roster Summary

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Summary: Offense (26)

Quarterbacks (2): Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib

Running Backs (4): Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, Shane Vereen, Orleans Darkwa

Fullback (1): Henry Hynoski 

Tight Ends (4): Larry Donnell, Adrien Robinson, Matt LaCosse, Jerome Cunningham

Receivers (6): Victor Cruz, Odell Beckham Jr., Rueben Randle, Dwayne Harris, Geremy Davis, Corey Washington

Offensive Linemen (9): G/T Justin Pugh, C/G Weston Richburg, G/T Geoff Schwartz, T Ereck Flowers, G/T John Jerry, T Marshall Newhouse, C/G Brett Jones, G/T Bobby Hart, G/T Brandon Mosley

Summary: Defense (24)

Defensive Ends (5): Robert Ayers Jr., Kerry Wynn, George Selvie, Damontre Moore, Owa Odighizuwa

Defensive Tackles (4): Johnathan Hankins, Kenrick Ellis, Cullen Jenkins, Jay Bromley  

Linebackers (6): Jon Beason, Devon Kennard, J.T. Thomas, Jonathan Casillas, Jameel McClain, Mark Herzlich 

Safeties (4): Nat Berhe, Landon Collins, Cooper Taylor, Mykkele Thompson

Cornerbacks (5): Prince Amukamara, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Trumaine McBride, Mike Harris, Chykie Brown  

Summary: Specialists (3)

Specialists (3): P Steve Weatherford, K Josh Brown, LS Zak DeOssie 

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.

Follow @Patricia_Traina.