Predicting New York Giants' Top Position Battles This Offseason

New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo wanted competition on the roster for his second season at the helm, and, oh boy, is he going to get it.

The Giants have four starting jobs up for grabs, including middle linebacker, right guard, right tackle and kicker. Beyond that, they have some interesting roster battles for key depth positions, including quarterback and running back.

McAdoo, as he likes to say, is "champing at the bit" to get his players on the field and watch these competitions unfold. Let's take a closer look at each battle and see where things might be headed at this point.

Running Back Depth: Gallman vs. Vereen vs. Darkwa vs. Draughn

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In an unusual move, McAdoo confirmed in a radio interview with WFAN's Mike Francesa (h/t CBS Local) that second-year man Paul Perkins is going to be the Giants starting running back in 2017.

As for the rest of the depth chart, well, that's where things are going to get interesting.  

The Giants cut Rashad Jennings in a salary-cap related move and declined to re-sign veteran Bobby Rainey.

They re-signed Orleans Darkwa, had Shane Vereen take a pay cut, added veteran journeyman Shaun Draughn and drafted rookie Wayne Gallman in the fourth round.

Vereen and Gallman figure to be part of the new-look running back rotation. Vereen is still rehabbing from twice tearing his triceps muscle last year, but he's expected to be ready by the start of the season and figures to be the team's third-down back, as he was before his injuries.

Gallman, meanwhile, may start out in a limited role on offense plus contribute on special teams until he can show the coaches that he can pass block, his biggest obstacle to getting more snaps.

"There will be a learning curve there," McAdoo said about Gallman and pass blocking. "He has a lot that he has to learn about the pro game. It will be different systematically for him."

The final roster spot on this unit, at least as of now, may come down to Draughn and Darkwa. Like Vereen, Darkwa is also coming back from a season-ending injury (lower leg), but he is expected to be ready to go for training camp.

Darkwa's career has been something of a roller coaster. He's flashed when given his opportunities, yet since being signed off the Miami Dolphins practice squad in November 2014, the coaching staff has leaned on him more for his special teams play than his contributions to the offense.  

Last year, in 30 carries, Darkwa broke four tackles for an elusive rating of 31.7. When it came to breakaway runs, he topped the Giants rushers last season with a 28.8 breakaway percent that included two runs of 15 or more yards, the same as Vereen in his limited snaps.

Draughn has 723 yards on 225 carries (3.2 average) including 417 yards after contact and seven touchdowns since 2012, his first year. He's never topped 80 carries in a season, instead being used more as a receiver, where he's caught 80 out of 99 targets for 597 yards, 523 after the catch and two touchdowns.

Like Darkwa, he also plays special teams, where he's made his NFL living.

Because Draughn and Darkwa appear to have similar skill sets, that final roster spot will likely be up for grabs by one of the two.

Darkwa has a slight advantage, having been in the Giants offense since 2014, but journeyman Draughn has shown he can quickly pick up what he needs to know to contribute as needed. 

Kicker: Aldrick Rosas vs. Himself vs. a TBD Veteran

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Although the Giants have been nothing but positive about kicker Aldrick Rosas, signed to a reserve/futures contract in January, there's virtually no chance he's going to be handed the job without some competition.

So said general manager Jerry Reese, who didn't close the door on adding a veteran.

"We'll continue to look at that," Reese said after the draft concluded. "We have a young kid (Aldrick Rosas) on the roster with a big leg that we want to take a look at and see how he looks in the spring."

Rosas, who spent some time after college on the Tennessee Titans roster, has never kicked in a regular-season game.

While there's an outside chance that Rosas will impress the coaching staff with his "big leg," he'll need to show he can make the pressure kicks that can only be simulated in a game-like atmosphere. Assuming he makes it that far, he can pretty much expect to see a veteran come in to compete for the job.

Even if the Giants can't add a veteran during camp, if Rosas disappoints, you can be sure they'll keep an eye on the waiver wire where teams such as Tampa Bay are expected to cut one of their two rostered kickers (Nick Folk and Roberto Aguayo) after that competition plays out.

Middle Linebacker: B.J. Goodson vs. Keenan Robinson

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The Giants didn't draft a linebacker this year, despite everyone at the position other than second-year man B.J. Goodson not being under contract beyond this season.

Instead, the Giants seem ready to roll with Devon Kennard and Jonathan Casillas, their starting strong-side and weak-side linebackers from last year.

In the middle, where last year's starter Kelvin Sheppard was not re-signed, McAdoo said at the NFL owners meetings that Keenan Robinson—one of the Giants' best cover linebackers last year—will compete with Goodson, the only healthy rookie from last year's draft class that didn't end up contributing as heavily at his drafted position.

The winner of this competition might not even see the field all that much if the team continues to use a lot of nickel and dime packages.  

Last year, the Giants barely used their base defense—Sheppard, as the middle linebacker in the base defense, was on the field just 38.8 percent of the time.

While the Giants would like to see Goodson grow into a role, if he is to beat out Robinson, he'll need to demonstrate that he can cover as well if not better than the veteran, who didn't allow a touchdown and broke up two passes in his first season as a Giant last year, finishing with an 83.6 rating.

Goodson didn't get many opportunities in coverage as a rookie, but based on his final year at Clemson, he looks as though he'll be competitive with Robinson in coverage after finishing that season with an 80.5 coverage rating.

Backup Quarterback: Josh Johnson vs. Geno Smith

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Despite drafting quarterback Davis Webb in the third round this year, the presumed heir to starter Eli Manning doesn't figure to be much of a factor in the battle for the No. 2 quarterback spot.  

"Reps are tough to come by, but they call it development for a reason," McAdoo said when asked about where Webb fits into the depth chart.

"It takes different guys different speeds to get you to where you want him to go. We just need to get him in and throw as much at him as quickly as possible and see how he handles it."

While McAdoo declined to confirm Webb will be the third-string quarterback, it seems a given that the Giants are going to let him develop on a set schedule and not try to rush things.

That leaves the No. 2 job up for grabs between Josh Johnson and Geno Smith.

Johnson appears to have a leg up in that competition. He was added to the 53-man roster last year after training camp ended, so he has the advantage of having a year in the Giants system.

Unlike Smith, Johnson is not expected to be limited physically when OTAs start, so he should be able to get some quality work in while Smith continues his rehab.

"Geno is champing at the bit," McAdoo said. "He wants to get out there and be full speed, and we're holding him back as best we can."

Assuming Smith is cleared to start training camp, his main advantage over Johnson is experience. He has completed 501 out of 866 pass attempts for 5,962 yards, 28 touchdowns and 36 interceptions to Johnson's 96 out of 177 pass attempts for 1,042 yards, five touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

There are also question marks regarding Smith. After starting out the first two years of his career on the upswing, injuries, locker room strife and a change in offensive coordinator have contributed to the derailment of Smith's career.

Here's the best part about this battle: Neither Johnson or Smith will cost the Giants a lot in dead cap money if they don't make the roster. Smith would cost the Giants $300,000 in dead money, Johnson $100,000. 

Offensive Line: John Jerry vs. D.J. Fluker vs. Bobby Hart

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The battles on the Giants offensive line are extra intriguing this year mainly because the coaching staff seems committed to trying multiple combinations to find the best five guys to start on opening day.

The open spots on the offensive line are at right guard and right tackle, with three primary candidates—John Jerry, Bobby Hart and D.J. Fluker all competing for the positions.

Let's look first at right guard. Jerry, the incumbent, was re-signed to a three-year, $10 million contract that includes a $2.4 million signing bonus and $3.325 million guaranteed (his signing bonus and his 2017 base salary of $925,000).

Jerry, who has always been a better-than-average pass-blocker, showed improvement last year as a run-blocker following his first offseason working at LeCharles Bentley's O-line Performance Center. Per Pro Football Focus, Jerry's run-blocking grade improved from minus-16.2 in 2015 to minus-5.8 in 2016.

His primary competition appears to be Fluker, the Chargers' 2013 first-round draft pick who was sent packing in the offseason.

Fluker signed a one-year, $3 million "prove it" contract as a free agent, with the Giants hoping he can somehow shed the struggles of his first few years of his career and show everyone why he was first-round worthy five years ago.

Shortly after signing with the Giants, Fluker revealed in an interview with SiriusXM Radio that he was brought in to play right guard. He added that he's open to playing wherever the coaches need him. Right guard, however, might not be his best fit.

In two seasons at right guard for the Chargers, Fluker saw his overall Pro Football Focus grades take a nosedive than those he earned playing right tackle his first two years in the league. Factor that in along with some injury issues he's had, and it would be hard to imagine he tops Jerry, who has been as durable as they come.

Then there is Hart, the team's seventh-round pick in 2015, who lined up at right tackle when incumbent Marshall Newhouse missed time with a calf injury.

Prior to that, Hart played some snaps at right guard. His overall Pro Football Focus grade also fell off a deep cliff, going from minus-3.0 in 2015 to minus-26.5, his pass blocking in particular looking as far from being a polished product as they come.

If the picture on the right side isn't muddied enough, sixth-round draft pick Adam Bisnowaty, Brett Jones—who last year got some snaps at guard—and Adam Gettis could also see their share of snaps as well, as McAdoo and the coaches try to sort out what is suddenly a lot of faces competing for two starting jobs.

Reese has, at least in the past, pointed out when the team is stacked with high-round draft picks, even if those picks aren't all locally grown.

Although Fluker and Jerry (drafted in the third round by the Dolphins in 2010) weren't Giants picks, the possibility of having three first-round picks (Fluker, Justin Pugh and Ereck Flowers) a second-rounder Weston Richburg) and a third-rounder (Jerry) must look rather appealing, at least on paper. 

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