The New York Giants unveiled their initial 53-man roster for the 2022 season on Tuesday, and for the most part, there weren’t any surprises.
General manager Joe Schoen may acquire a few players from the waiver wire later this week, but the roster seems set right now.
One player who did not make the final roster to the dismay of fans was wide receiver Alex Bachman. Bachman was the team’s “Preseason MVP” as his 19 receptions led the NFL during the exhibition slate.
But with a crowded wide receiver room and lack of depth at other positions, there just wasn’t a place for Bachman. It’s possible if he clears waivers the team will sign him to their practice squad. If another team picks him up and if the Giants receivers are once again plagued with injuries, this might be the first misstep in the Schoen and Brian Daboll regime.
Below is a breakdown of the players that made it through the rigors of training camp and the preseason and earned a spot on the New York Giants roster.
Related: New York Giants schedule and game-by-game predictions
New York Giants offense (25)
QB (2): Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor
RB/FB (5): Saquon Barkley, Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell, Antonio Williams, Chris Myarick
WR: (7): Sterling Shepard, Kenny Golladay, Darius Slayton, Kadarius Toney, Wan’Dale Robinson, Richie James, David Sills
TE (2): David Bellinger, Tanner Hudson
OL (9): Andrew Thomas, Mark Glowinski, Jon Feliciano, Shane Lemieux, Evan Neal, Ben Bredeson, Joshua Ezeudu, Max Garcia, Devery Hamilton
Related: 4 reasons for New York Giants fans to be worried ahead of 2022 season opener
New York Giants defense (25)
DL (5): Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, Justin Ellis, D.J. Davidson, Nick Williams
OLB (6): Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oshane Ximines, Azeez Ojulari, Elerson Smith, Jihad Ward, Tomon Fox
ILB (6): Blake Martinez, Micah McFadden, Tae Crowder, Cam Brown, Carter Coughlin, Austin Calitro
CB (5): Adoree’ Jackson, Darnay Holmes, Aaron Robinson, Rodarius Williams, Cor’Dale Flott
S (3): Xavier McKinney, Julian Love, Dane Belton
Related: 5 Reasons to be optimistic about the New York Giants heading into the season
New York Giants special teams (3)
K: Graham Gano
P: Jamie Gillan
S: Casey Kreiter
One of the positives about the Giants heading into this season was their 2022 rookie class in which none of the 11 players drafted this year were released. This includes inside linebacker Darrian Beavers and offensive lineman Marcus McKethan who are currently on injured reserve.
The team also announced their team captains on Tuesday which was voted on by the players.
Below is a breakdown of the 10 players that were chosen to be captains.
Offense (3): Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, Andrew Thomas
Defense (4): Xavier McKinney, Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, Julian Love
Special teams (3): Casey Kreiter, Graham Gano, Cam Brown
Shortly after being named one of the captains, safety Xavier McKinney was asked what it means to have a C on his jersey.
“It means a lot. It’s obviously an honor to be voted by my teammates, the guys that I go to work for every day, the guys that I grind with every day. It’s always meant a lot to me to become a captain. It says a lot about what my teammates think about me as a person and as a player. It’s honoring, I’m happy, but I’ve got to keep going and keep getting better each day.”
New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney on being named captain
Now that the roster is set and the team captains have been named, all of the focus is now on September 11 when Big Blue takes on the Tennessee Titans.
New York is one of the most intriguing teams heading into the season. If they can stay healthy and get a few breaks, they could win eight or nine games. On the flip side, if they’re once again injury-riddled and still having issues with the offensive line, then it will be another long season for the Giants and their fans.