New York Giants: Breaking Down Final Roster and Week 1 Starters
The New York Giants unveiled their 2015 53-man roster, a group that will be missing a few familiar faces (more on that in future slides) and a unit that still appears to have a number of question marks regarding just how ready they are to start the season.
Injuries aside, the Giants' starting offense wasn’t very productive in the preseason against fellow starters. The defensive performance was also up and down.
With that all said, this is the roster head coach Tom Coughlin and his staff have to work with. So let’s run down each position, see where the strengths and weaknesses are and set the potential projected opening-day lineup using the team-provided depth chart as a guide.
Quarterbacks
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Projected Depth Chart: Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib
As has been the case since the beginning of training camp and as will be the case for as long as both Eli Manning and Ryan Nassib are healthy and members of the Giants, Manning is the starter and Nassib is the backup.
Manning, who completed 52.6 percent of his preseason pass attempts for 159 yards (4.2 yards per attempt) with one interception and no touchdowns, is no doubt hoping to have receiver Victor Cruz back on the practice field this week so they can start getting on the same page as far as timing patterns go.
Running Backs/Fullback
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Projected Depth Chart: Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen, Andre Williams, Orleans Darkwa. Starting Fullback: Nikita Whitlock
The Giants run game as a whole wasn’t very impressive this summer as their top three projected backs on the depth chart, Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams and Shane Vereen, combined for 116 yards on 37 carries and zero touchdowns.
To put those numbers into perspective, Orleans Darkwa, currently projected as the fourth running back on the roster, finished with 131 yards on 30 carries and one touchdown.
With that said, it would not be surprising if the depth chart is tweaked as this season wears on.
Jennings is a solid back between the tackles, but he didn’t seem to have the quickness this summer to bounce things outside.
Williams, last year’s fourth-round draft pick, had an underwhelming preseason in which it looked like he left yards on the field.
Vereen, on the other hand, was sparingly used, perhaps because he could be receiving the lion’s share of the snaps before too long.
Vereen is probably the most complete back the Giants have on this roster next to Darkwa. The question with the 5’10”, 205-pound Vereen, the smallest of the four, is whether he can withstand the pounding that would come with the lion’s share of the snaps.
The big question facing Darkwa, the most productive of the running backs, is whether he will get a game-day uniform as the projected fourth running back.
He should if for no other reason than his special teams play, where he was active and around the ball.
At fullback, Nikita Whitlock, Mr. Versatility given his ability to play defensive tackle (his college position) and special teams, unseated incumbent Henry Hynoski, an interesting move to say the least.
While Whitlock was a spark plug on the field, at 5’10” and 250 pounds, he’s about 16 pounds lighter than the 6’1” Hynoski, who this preseason was the third-best blocking fullback in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.
Then again, the Giants didn’t really use a pure fullback much last season—Hynoski only received 209 snaps on offense. So perhaps the coaches plan to work around the size difference by using a tight end instead against bigger defensive ends.
Tight Ends
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Projected Depth Chart: Larry Donnell, Daniel Fells, Jerome Cunningham
The Adrien Robinson experiment has officially ended, as first-year pro Jerome Cunningham edged the “JPP of tight ends” off the roster.
Still, the question with this group is whether it has a complete tight end who can block and be effective in the passing game.
Daniel Fells, the oldest veteran of the group, would appear to be the closest thing the Giants have to a “complete” tight end. However, he’s likely to open the season behind Larry Donnell, the starter, on the depth chart.
Speaking of Donnell, while his blocking has improved, his receiving still causes the coaches to hold their breath as, at times, Donnell gets careless with his handling of the pigskin.
He’s also prone to leaving his feet, which is asking for trouble if he were to land awkwardly on a shoulder or, worse yet, his head.
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Receivers
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Projected Depth Chart: Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle, Preston Parker, Dwayne Harris, Geremy Davis
Odell Beckham Jr. moves to the top of the depth chart due to his amazing rookie season and the fact that he didn’t miss much time this summer. He is probably the most in tune with starting quarterback Eli Manning (even though the two didn’t connect much this preseason).
The question mark of this group is Cruz, who has been shelved by a calf strain. In his most recent conference call with reporters on Friday, head coach Tom Coughlin said that he didn’t have an update as to whether Cruz would be able to practice this coming week when the team gets ready for its Week 1 game in Dallas.
If Cruz does miss this week, it will have marked four games in a row that he’s been sidelined due to a calf issue that was supposedly “minor” in nature.
The more time he misses, the more rusty he becomes and the more likely that Randle, Parker, Harris and Davis will all have to step in to keep opposing defenses from ganging up on Beckham.
Offensive Line
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Projected Depth Chart: Starters LT Ereck Flowers, LG Justin Pugh, C Weston Richburg, RG Geoff Schwartz, RT Marshall Newhouse. Backups: G/C Dallas Reynolds, G/T John Jerry, G/T Bobby Hart
The starting offensive line continues to remain a question mark, especially on the right side where the coaching staff was still tinkering with a right guard-right tackle combination as late as the first half of the preseason finale.
For the time being, it looks as though that combination will consist of Geoff Schwartz at right guard and Marshall Newhouse at right tackle.
Whether that combination stays that way is another story. Remember, NFL teams usually wait until after Week 1 to add other veteran players to the roster.
The reason for this is that if a veteran is on the roster for Week 1, his full salary counts against the cap for the remainder of the year, regardless if the player is kept on the roster.
With Will Beatty on schedule to return sometime in late October or early November, the organization might try to ride out the first week or two of the season with Schwartz and Newhouse at guard and tackle respectively before making any decisions.
On the left side of the line, the combination of Justin Pugh at left guard and Ereck Flowers at left tackle looked extremely promising and is the least of the team’s worries, as is center Weston Richburg.
The short passing game should help cover up a great deal of deficiencies on this unit. However, the problem with that approach is that if the Giants have to rely on that too often, that’s going to continue to stunt the development of the running game because teams are going to load the box up. So look for the Giants to be selective in when they take shots down the field.
Defensive Line
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Projected Depth Chart: DLE Cullen Jenkins, LDT Markus Kuhn, RDT Johnathan Hankins, DRE George Selvie. Backups: DE Robert Ayers, DT Louis Nix, DE Kerry Wynn, DE Owa Odighizuwa, DE Damontre Moore, DT Jay Bromley
Injury concerns at this unit might force the Giants to go in a direction that they probably didn’t anticipate.
For example, Cullen Jenkins, who has mostly worked at defensive end this summer due to injuries by George Selvie and Robert Ayers (plus the absence of franchise player Jason Pierre-Paul) will probably continue to start at left defensive end, even though he’s better suited for inside.
If Ayers is able to return from his ankle/Achilles injury, that would likely push Jenkins back inside to tackle and send Markus Kuhn back into the rotation.
With Ayers’ status unknown, Kuhn, who survived the roster cut-down date this past Saturday, will probably remain the starter. Expect to see a heavy rotation that will have Jay Bromley siphoning some of the snaps inside.
Kuhn will also likely come off the field in pass-rushing situations in favor of an all-defensive end package that will add Owa Odighizuwa and Damontre Moore to the mix.
Speaking of Pierre-Paul, team co-owner John Mara confirmed to Ebenezer Samuel and Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News that the absentee defensive end will report to the Giants facility sometime in the coming week.
“His agent informed us that he plans to report sometime next week,” Mara said prior to the Giants preseason finale against New England. “That’s all I know.”
Pierre-Paul’s reporting is just the first step in what’s sure to be a process of getting him back on the field. First, the team will no doubt want to examine his injured right hand, see what kind of shape he is in and gauge the 26-year-old’s state of mind.
Then there is the matter of resolving the contract. Will the Giants allow Pierre-Paul to sign and collect all $14.8 million of the franchise tag or will they look to negotiate a lower number in exchange for putting the defensive end on the NFI list if he is not ready.
These are all questions that need to unfold as the Giants prepare for a big divisional game right out of the chute.
The other thing that will be interesting to see if Pierre-Paul does report is how the Giants manage the situation so that the environment doesn’t become circus-like.
Linebackers
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Projected Depth Chart: WLB J.T. Thomas, MLB Jon Beason, SLB Devon Kennard. Backups: OLB Mark Herzlich, OLB Jonathan Casillas, ILB Uani’ Unga
The Giants sent some significant shock waves through the NFL when they released veteran Jameel McClain as part of the 22 moves made to get to 53 on Saturday.
Between that and keeping six linebackers on the roster, one can only assume that Jon Beason’s injured knee is indeed on the mend and he’s going to be ready for the start of the 2015 season, just as he vowed during his last conference call with reporters.
However, what happens if the 30-year-old Beason ends up having to miss more time at some point down the road?
That’s a thought that the team obviously doesn’t want to entertain, but it’s a valid question.
The first option would be to move J.T. Thomas to the middle, a position he has played before, and slide Jonathan Casillas to the weak-side spot.
Another albeit less favorable option is to move Devon Kennard to the middle and insert Mark Herzlich at the strong side.
There are concerns with this second scenario.
First, Kennard hasn’t really worked at middle linebacker this summer.
Second, by moving him inside, they potentially take away an edge rusher who can perhaps pick up some of the slack that will be missing while Jason Pierre-Paul gets his house in order.
A third option if Beason were to become injured again would be to slide Uani’ Unga, who looked so impressive this summer, in the middle.
However, Unga, who has been learning the finer points of his craft from Beason, is a rookie. With a rookie safety already on the field in Landon Collins, would defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo really feel comfortable having two rookies in key positions?
The bottom line is that the Giants are probably hoping that Beason makes it through 16 games.
Defensive Backs
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Projected Depth Chart: LCB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, FS Cooper Taylor, SS Landon Collins RCB Prince Amukamara. Backups: S Brandon Meriweather, S Stevie Brown, CB Trumaine McBride, CB Jayron Hosley, CB Trevin Wade, CB Asa Jackson
The starting cornerback tandem of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara should be just fine as long as they stay healthy, which of course was not the case last year.
The depth behind them is concerning. Trumaine McBride projects as the nickelback and next man up if injury should hit either starter.
Behind him is newcomer Trevin Wade, who had a solid preseason; Jayron Hosley, who had his ups and downs; and newcomer Asa Jackson, who has been more of a return man than a cornerback thus far.
The safety situation is also concerning. Rookie Landon Collins should be fine in time, though he is bound to have some bumps in his first season.
Cooper Taylor, who worked with the starting defense throughout the spring before losing the role in the summer, is back by default.
Taylor’s presence gives the Giants two inexperienced starters at the NFL level, which is a potential concern now that the intensity of the games is going to increase.
The Giants added veterans Stevie Brown and Brandon Meriweather during training camp; of those, Brown is probably the better fit as the cover safety, a role that he could end up sliding into sooner than later if Taylor should falter.
Special Teams
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K Josh Brown, P Brad Wing, LS Zak DeOssie, KOR/PR Dwayne Harris
Break up the band!
That’s precisely what the Giants did when they replaced punter Steve Weatherford, who unfortunately just wasn’t the same after suffering a severe ankle injury last year in Week 1, with left-footed Aussie punter Brad Wing, acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh.
“Left-footed, hang, distance and location,” head coach Tom Coughlin said via a team-issued release regarding Wing. “Impressive grades coming out (of LSU). Punted for a season and had the kind of things that we would like to be able to do in terms of directional punting and all that stuff.”
Wing will also hold for Josh Brown on field goal and extra point attempts.
Dwayne Harris, who was signed to be the team’s return specialist, will likely be the kickoff and punt returner. Harris, however, can’t do it alone; he’s going to need some blocking by the other 10 guys on the field with him.
Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.
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