New York Giants Roster Cuts: 6 Players Who Are on the Bubble

The New York Giants still have some important roster decisions to make on the offensive side of the ball: Who will be the third wide receiver, who will get the most time at tight end and who should be the starting fullback?

The starting defense is pretty set, but several players impressed last Saturday against Carolina and Perry Fewell will have some tough decisions to make on who to keep and who to let go.

This list of players are NOT necessarily those who are going to be cut, just guys who are on the bubble—a good practice here and there and they're on the team, a bad practice here and there and they're off.

Similar to the March Madness tournament bubble, there are some on here who you might think are guaranteed a spot and some you think will definitely be cut.

Either way, they are on the bubble.

Ramses Barden, WR

As physically gifted as Barden is, the fact that he's not seen much of the field the past two seasons is concerning.

Tom Coughlin is annoyed with the fact that his 6'6", 230-lb wide receiver is still sidelined with an ankle injury. Barden got hurt in the Week 10 game against the Dallas Cowboys and was lost for the season, but it seems as if he should be back by now.

At least that's what Coughlin thinks, and if your head coach is questioning your toughness, that doesn't help your prospect of making the team. 

I don't know if the Giants are willing to let him go—he was such a dominant wide receiver in college, albeit at the FCS level.

He also can possibly give the Giants their Plaxico Burress-type wide receiver back, if he ever gets on the field.

Devin Thomas, WR

Devin Thomas (wearing No. 81, now No. 15) was signed last year for some relief at the wide receiver position, but caught the eye of fans for his special teams play.

Now, he's been very impressive in camp despite severely dislocating a finger. I didn't give Thomas a shot to make the team but with the departure of Steve Smith, it opens up a roster spot for someone else to make it.

That guy could very well be Thomas.

Adam Koets, Center

In the limited opportunity he got in 2010, Adam Koets played very well as the starting center. He is a very versatile backup but the Giants thought he could be the center of the future.

After missing the second half of the season due to tearing his ACL, Koets still has yet to return to practice during training camp and the Giants signed David Baas during free agency to start at center.

If the Giants are comfortable with Kevin Boothe as their backup center, Koets could either be cut or left on the PUP list and re-evaluated when the time comes.

Matt Dodge, Punter

This isn't much of a surprise to all of you. Matt Dodge is responsible for the ending of one of the worst regular-season losses in Giants history, and his 2010 rookie season was frustrating to say the least.

Not to mention they brought in someone better.

Steve Weatherford and Dodge both looked good last Saturday, but Weatherford actually has a bigger leg than Dodge and shows more directional punt skill.

Still, the fact that the Giants used a draft pick on this guy gives him a chance, no matter how small that chance is.

D.J. Ware, RB

Fans have grown relatively tired of D.J. Ware's ineffectiveness in the regular season. It seems like every year he's done well in the preseason and not translated it to games that matter.

Not only is the team's patience with Ware likely growing thin, but according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, Andre Brown was signed and has looked very explosive at camp, even catching the eye of Tom Coughlin on multiple occasions.

Brown, a fourth-round pick of the Giants in 2009, was cut in 2010 after not recovering from his Achilles injury he suffered his rookie season.

He's two years removed from that injury, and according to multiple reports is looking even more explosive than he ever did as a rookie. 

Ware's time in New York could be over.

Aaron Ross, CB/S

I don't think I've ever been more disgusted by a player's performance in a preseason game like I felt after watching Aaron Ross have the worst game of his life against Carolina's backups.

He was constantly reaching for tackles (and missing them), out of position in coverage—he even fell down a couple times.

After telling Giants reporters he felt as good as he had since his rookie season, according to ESPN, his performance did nothing to vindicate that.

To add insult to injury, Brian Witherspoon and Michael Coe each had very good games and are not as ego-driven as Ross, who told reporters to stop asking him about playing safety this year.

Out of all these guys, I would expect Ross to make the team, but would not at all be shocked to see him go if the other corners continue to out play him.