On Tuesday, the New York Giants along with 31 other teams trimmed down their roster down to 53 players. Now Brian Daboll and his team can fully prepare for their Week 1 showdown against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.
Unlike other teams across the league, New York didn’t make any surprising cuts based on what we saw from the team in training camp and in the preseason.
However, there were 5 takeaways from the team’s initial 53-man roster to take note of for the upcoming season.
Darren Waller will be used as a wide receiver often
For the past several seasons, the Giants have kept seven receivers on their roster. But as of right now, they only elected to keep six and they are Parris Campbell, Isaiah Hodgins, Jalin Hyatt, Wan’Dale Robinson, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton.
One of the reasons for this is because the team plans on lining up tight end Darren Waller all across the field, including having him spread out wide. During training camp practices, Waller would warm up with the receivers instead of the tight ends during position drills, and he Waller lined up as a receiver in New York’s preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.
It’s without question that he’ll be the focal point of New York’s passing game and could be lined up as a receiver for 30% of his snaps.
Related: 4 things we learned from New York Giants preseason
The team is committed to stopping the run with a big and physical defensive line
Last season, New York finished 27th in run defense giving up 144.2 yards a game and gave up an astounding 268 yards on the ground in their 38-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round.
The team made an emphasis to stop the run throughout the offseason and summer and it showed in the final roster as they have six defensive linemen (Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, A’Shawn Robinson, Rakeem Nunes-Roches, and Jordan Riley). The average weight for these six players is 320.5 pounds. This year, New York will have the size and depth to shut down opposing running games.
The secondary is young and deep
The Giants have elected to keep 11 defensive backs on the roster making their secondary by far the deepest position group on the team. It’s also a young group as two players are in their second season in Dane Belton and Cor’Dale Flott, and three rookies in Deonte Banks, Tre Hawkins, and Gervarrius Owens.
Sometimes young defensive backs can make mistakes that can result in a touchdown for the opposing team. But the coaching staff is confident with the help of veterans such as Adoree’ Jackson and Xavier McKinney, their young secondary will develop to be one of the strengths of the team.
Brian Daboll is confident with Tyrod Talor as his only backup to Daniel Jones
Some fans were hoping that the team would keep Tommy DeVito as the third-string quarterback, behind Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor. But Daboll decided to keep Taylor as the only back.
“He knows our system, he’s an experienced player. Been a productive player when he played. Great teammate, have a lot of confidence in him.” Daboll said of the 34-year-old backup quarterback.
The team is hopeful that Jones will avoid an injury for the second consecutive season, but if he can’t Daboll is confident in Taylor’s ability to lead the team.
Related: New York Giants insider reveals team’s plans for Isaiah Simmons
All of the 2023 draft picks made the roster
For the second year in a row, it appears that general manager Joe Schoen has orchestrated a successful draft as all of his seven picks in the 2023 NFL Draft have made the team.
Schoen received high grades for his first three picks in Deonte Banks, John Michael Schmitz Jr., and Jalin Hyatt. But he also found players in the late round that will make an immediate impact as fifth-round pick Eric Gray is listed as the team’s punt returner, and sixth-round pick Tre Hawkins will be in the game when the team is in their nickel package. It’s not always a given that your late-round draft picks will make the team. So for all of New York’s draft picks to make the initial roster is a huge credit to Schoen and the entire scouting team.