New York Giants: Biggest Surprises of the Team's Initial Depth Chart

The New York Giants released their first edition of the team’s depth chart Monday, which provides some perspective into how some of the training camp battles are shaping up after a little more than one week of training camp.

While the there is still a lot of preseason football left in which guys are going to move up and down the depth chart, a few surprises still unfolded.

So let’s break down some of the key revelations on the depth chart as it stands in advance of the Giants’ first preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Tight End

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The Giants have veteran Daniel Fells listed as their No. 1 tight end, ahead of last year’s starter Larry Donnell.

While that listing shouldn’t come as a surprise considering how Fells last year was the best of the returning three tight ends both in blocking and receiving, according to Pro Football Focus, what is a little bit of a shock is that Adrien Robinson is languishing in the rear.

Robinson has probably been the most consistent blocking tight end of those in camp with Fells, who was initially thought to be on the chopping block, a close second.

Donnell, who missed a good chunk of the spring due to Achilles tendinitis, has made strides as a blocker as well. So why is he behind Fells on the depth chart at this time?

“What we need to get him to do is really get back to where he was running routes,” said tight ends coach Kevin M. Gilbride, adding, “He’s not quite there yet, but he’s working towards it, and he’s done a nice job with the workload we’ve given him.”

Running Back

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Shane Vereen is probably the most complete running back the Giants have on the roster, a man who is the perfect fit for the West Coast system run by offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.

So maybe it’s just a matter of him being the new guy on the block, but the Giants have him listed as the third running back, behind Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams, respectively.

That ranking will probably change sooner than later. Williams is a powerful downhill runner, but through one week of camp, he still seems to be uncomfortable with catching the ball out of the backfield despite having worked on it. 

The thing with Williams is that he doesn’t always extend his arms out for the ball, instead trapping it against his chest, which is a sure recipe for disaster.

Williams is likely going to find himself in a specific role once the season starts, and that is of a short-yardage and goal-line back, two roles where his size and power should serve him well.

While Williams did start to come on toward the end of last year as Jennings sat out due to injury, if history should repeat itself, it would probably behoove the Giants to turn to Vereen as the next man up because he not only has more experience, but also seems to be more at ease with the various roles asked of a running back in this system.

Defensive End

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In the spring, the Giants lined up Cullen Jenkins and George Selvie as their first-team defensive ends.

That look didn’t last long, however, as this summer they have turned to Robert Ayers and Kerry Wynn as their starters at right and left defensive ends, respectively.

Let’s start with Ayers, who per Pro Football Focus was the Giants’ top-graded pass rushing defensive end, ahead of Jason Pierre-Paul.

Ayers, however, did a fair amount of his damage inside at defensive tackle in the pass-rushing packages, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he continues in that Justin Tuck type of role in Steve Spaguolo’s defense and instead yields to either Damontre Moore or rookie Owa Odighizuwa on third downs.

Wynn’s listing as a starter after being active for the final five games last season might seem surprising at first but in reality isn’t as big of a shock as you’d think.

In order for this defense to be successful, it has to stop the run, and that’s something that Wynn did well last season, finishing second behind Pierre-Paul in Pro Football Focus’ grades.

Wynn will almost certainly come off the field in pass-rushing situations, again perhaps at the expense of Moore or Odighizuwa.

Safety

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Raise your hand if you realistically thought at the start of the spring that the projected starting safeties would be rookie Landon Collins and first-year player Bennett Jackson.

Yeah, neither did I. I projected Collins, whom the Giants traded up to get at the top of the second round, and second-year man Nat Berhe, who looked so promising in limited action last year.

That’s why teams have training camp. Jackson, whom I’ll admit I initially didn’t have making the 53-man roster, has looked very, very good in camp so far, which is why he’s listed as a projected starter alongside Collins.

The reason for my reluctance to anoint Jackson as a potential starter was that I had concerns about him coming back from microfracture surgery that cost him most of his rookie season, plus he was about to make a position switch from cornerback to safety.

Well, let’s give credit where it’s due. Jackson has worked hard since the spring and is looking more and more at home at safety. He's also shown little to no effects of his prior knee injury.

Jackson is still learning how to play his angles, but thus far, he hasn’t done anything to take himself out of plays.

He’s been aggressive, and above all, he’s been decisive and audible when making the calls at safety, two things that will no doubt go over well with his veteran teammates who must lean on him to get things right.

Interestingly, Jeromy Miles, who was added to the roster after the Giants concluded their spring practices, is listed behind Mykkele Thompson and Collins at strong safety.

When Miles was signed, some thought that because he was with Spagnuolo in Baltimore, that maybe his learning curve wouldn’t be as steep.

That hasn’t been the case, according to safeties coach Dave Merritt.  

"

I heard the young man say, ‘Coach, this defense is different.' It’s because we’re not Baltimore. When you look at the defense they ran in Baltimore, it’s a completely different defense that we’re running here. For Jeromy, some of the techniques he understands, some of the words, some of the lingo, but as far as overall package, it is completely different.

"

Cornerback

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The biggest question mark coming into camp at the cornerback position wasn’t so much who the starters were going to be, but rather, how the depth behind Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie would fill out.

The biggest surprise after one week is that Jayron Hosley, the 2012 third-round draft pick who in three seasons has been disappointing, is listed ahead of Trumaine McBride, the veteran who was thought to be the heir apparent at the slot cornerback position.

As noted yesterday, Hosley has quietly been having his best training camp since turning pro. Part of that is due to the new system being more cornerback friendly, but credit must also be given to Hosley, who seems to have finally grasped what it takes to make it in this league.

That’s probably why, with Amukamara sidelined last week because of a groin injury, Hosley and not McBride was called upon to join the starting defense. He’s actually looked good, playing the ball aggressively and not appearing to make the boneheaded mistakes that littered his preseason last year.

Might Hosley actually beat out McBride for a roster spot? That would probably be a stretch, but with a strong showing in the games, Hosley, whom the Giants initially envisioned as their slot cornerback of the future, might just continue to open a few more eyes.

McBride is listed third at LCB behind Rodgers-Cromartie and Hosley. Also, Chykie Brown seems to be ahead of McBride for the slot.

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.