Giants Offseason Talk

[Acgott]

 

[minutemancl]

Early 53 man roster predictions, anyone?

QB: Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor (2)

RB: Saquon Barkley, Matt Breida, Eric Gray (3)

WR: Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, Parris Campbell, Jalin Hyatt, Sterling Shepard, Jamison Crowder (6)

TE: Darren Waller, Daniel Bellinger, Lawrence Cager, Chris Myarick (4)

OT: Andrew Thomas, Evan Neal, Tyre Phillips, Matt Peart (4)

iOL: Josh Ezeudu, John Michael Schmitz, Mark Glowinski, Ben Bredeson, Marcus Mckethan, JC Hassenauer (6)

(25)

EDGE: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, Jihad Ward, Tomon Fox (4)

DL: Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, A'Shawn Robinson, Ryder Anderson (5)

LB: Bobby Okereke, Micah McFadden, Jarrad Davis, Darrian Beavers, Cam Brown (5)

CB: Adoree Jackson, Deonte Banks, Cordale Flott, Amani Oruwariye, Nick McCloud, Tre Hawkins (6)

S: Xavier McKinney, Jason Pinnock, Dane Belton, Bobby McCain, Gervarrius Owens (5)

(25)

Specialists: Graham Gano, Casey Kreiter, Jamie Gillan

(3)

PUP: Wan'Dale Robinson, DJ Davidson (Jamison Crowder and Ryder Anderson would be the first to go to get these guys back on the 53).

PS: Jordon Riley, Gary Brightwell, Devery Hamilton, Wyatt Davis, Bryce Ford-Wheaton, Habakkuk Baldonado, others

Notable cuts: Elerson Smith (can't stay healthy), Darnay Holmes (not good and finally have a replacement), Carter Coughlin (new STers), Aaron Robinson (can't stay healthy)

[minutemancl]

I think just about all of our draft picks make the team, which is great. Banks is a day 1 starter at outside corner, JMS is our day 1 starting center, Hyatt makes it as the 5th WR, Gray makes it as the 3rd RB (Breida is a great 3rd down/gadget RB to complement Saquon. Gray is the 'Saquon needs a breather' back), Hawkins makes it as a reserve corner/core special teamer, and same for Owens. Riley needs more polish, but he can be easily stashed on the PS.

First year in a while that I don't think any new UDFAs make the team. Bryce Ford-Wheaton is going to be the guy we are all watching, but I think our WR room is too crowded this year. I think we will be able to stash him on the PS, and if the Giants WR injury luck of the past is any indication on the future, he will either get injured himself or other players will and he'll be called up to the 53 anyway. Next year though, Shep is gone and Campbell is gone. Ford-Wheaton may be able to make the squad next year by showing solid improvement in his rookie year on the practice field.

The only other UDFA I could see making a push for the 53 is Baldonado, but he isn't there yet. Kayvon, Azeez, and Haddy are locks, and there is really only 1, maybe 2, more spots there. I think Fox is a guy this regime really likes and I think he was a better prospect than Baldonado. Add in the year of NFL seasoning and it is an easy decision for who gets that 4th spot.

I'll be honest, I'm worried about the lack of EDGE rusher depth. Kayvon and Azeez are both good, ascending starters with the potential to be great, but Azeez has serious injury concerns. One injury and we are starting Haddy at EDGE, and while I really like him, he offers nothing when rushing the passer.

[Shockwave]

That is actually a really good looking depth chart. Probably the best I've felt about this team in a long time. If we didn't play in such a cutthroat stacked division I'd guarantee playoffs. 

I don't see it taking long for Hyatt to ascend to the #1 or #2 WR spot. I think by the start of the season our default 3 WR set will be Hodg, Hyatt and Shep. Add Waller to the mix and you have a great mix of height and speed for DJ. Slayton and Campbell will have their designed plays for deep routes. Hopefully with the "new" turf the entire receiving corps won't be hurt this season. 

I think you are spot on with the RB rotation. The knock on Gray is his pass blocking so I don't think he will see many 3rd downs until he improves on it. Scouting reports I read he's a cut blocker and against the immense talent in this division at edge that isn't going to fly. He'll be a spell when SB needs a breather. Having 3 backs that are all dual threats on the roster is great. Brightwell just didn't impress me last season. 

You don't think Robinson will be ready to go by the start of the season? I know it was an ACL but it was around mid season wasn't it?

[Acgott]

I think Carter or Brightwell will make the main roster. Along with Love they played the #2-#4 most special team snaps. I’ll be surprised if they replaced all those players with rookies or players coming off major injuries.

Shane Leumiex will probably make the team over McKethan as he battles back from the ACL.

Elserson Smith makes the roster but gets replaced by a veteran pass rusher like Leonard Floyd. We need more depth there. Beavers probably doesn’t make  the main roster off the ACL.

The backend for corners with be very interesting. I think Holmes could take a paycut to stay. That’s a lot of turnover, and our top two corners have injury concerns. At least on the PS.

[GMENNATION]

I also think the 53-man looks pretty spot on but there's a few things I'm thinking about:

• I wouldn't be shocked if Brightwell makes the team and we carry 4 RBs. He is consistent and stays healthy so while I don't want him near KRs or the backfield, he can step in at either spot in a pinch and that's valuable. 
• I think the only way Crowder makes the team is if Shep and Wandale BOTH aren't ready. If either is ready, they'll keep a speedy youngster - maybe Jeff Smith - over Crowder. 
• This may sound crazy - and it definitely won't happen by the beginning of the season - but Hodgins is going to be the one losing snaps, not Slayton. Hodgins fits smart, tough, dependable but he does not fit the speed profile Daboll is looking for. I think he'll hang around for a while but he is not the long-term piece.
• I don't think they'll give up on Aaron Robinson just yet. Obviously if he's banged up again by the end of training camp, that's a different story but I think if he's healthy he makes it. 

[Shockwave]

19 minutes ago, GMENNATION said:

I also think the 53-man looks pretty spot on but there's a few things I'm thinking about:

• I wouldn't be shocked if Brightwell makes the team and we carry 4 RBs. He is consistent and stays healthy so while I don't want him near KRs or the backfield, he can step in at either spot in a pinch and that's valuable. 
• I think the only way Crowder makes the team is if Shep and Wandale BOTH aren't ready. If either is ready, they'll keep a speedy youngster - maybe Jeff Smith - over Crowder. 
• This may sound crazy - and it definitely won't happen by the beginning of the season - but Hodgins is going to be the one losing snaps, not Slayton. Hodgins fits smart, tough, dependable but he does not fit the speed profile Daboll is looking for. I think he'll hang around for a while but he is not the long-term piece.
• I don't think they'll give up on Aaron Robinson just yet. Obviously if he's banged up again by the end of training camp, that's a different story but I think if he's healthy he makes it. 

I think the sure handedness Hodgins possesses is more valuable then Slaytons speed. Hodg had 42 targets, 33 receptions with 0 drops. Slayton 71 targets, 46 receptions and 7 drops. Plus he had 6 last season. I was actually surprised they retained him. They must have faith he can correct it. But how long of a leash is he going to have before he's put in the doghouse?

[minutemancl]

43 minutes ago, Acgott said:

I think Carter or Brightwell will make the main roster. Along with Love they played the #2-#4 most special team snaps. I’ll be surprised if they replaced all those players with rookies or players coming off major injuries.

Shane Leumiex will probably make the team over McKethan as he battles back from the ACL.

Elserson Smith makes the roster but gets replaced by a veteran pass rusher like Leonard Floyd. We need more depth there. Beavers probably doesn’t make  the main roster off the ACL.

The backend for corners with be very interesting. I think Holmes could take a paycut to stay. That’s a lot of turnover, and our top two corners have injury concerns. At least on the PS.

I think injury prone Schoen guys (Mckethan, Beavers) will take precedence over injury prone Gettleman guys (Robinson, Lemieux, Elerson Smith). 

Carter, Love, and Brightwell played a lot of special teams snaps, but our coverage units were god awful. I think the Giants drafted guys like Tre Hawkins and Gervarrius Owens specifically because they should improve the ST coverage units. I can't see them just running it back with the same guys again, although I think you're right that replacing all of them in one season probably isn't going to happen. 

Holmes, if he is cut, is a clean savings of his entire salary- almost $3 million. I can't see him making this roster.

1 hour ago, Shockwave said:

You don't think Robinson will be ready to go by the start of the season? I know it was an ACL but it was around mid season wasn't it?

I don't think Wan'Dale is far along enough to be ready for the start of the season at this point. Shep has started cutting already, but Robinson has not. Shep is the insurance policy for Wan'Dale to start the season, and Crowder is the insurance policy for Shep.

48 minutes ago, GMENNATION said:

• This may sound crazy - and it definitely won't happen by the beginning of the season - but Hodgins is going to be the one losing snaps, not Slayton. Hodgins fits smart, tough, dependable but he does not fit the speed profile Daboll is looking for. I think he'll hang around for a while but he is not the long-term piece.
• I don't think they'll give up on Aaron Robinson just yet. Obviously if he's banged up again by the end of training camp, that's a different story but I think if he's healthy he makes it. 

Hodgins produces, bottom line. He'll get his snaps. He's also the one true size element we have at WR. I don't see his snaps getting reduced when he is the one true outside WR we have on the roster. Everybody else, except maybe Slayton, is better suited in the slot.

I'm fully expecting Aaron Robinson to get hurt again and miss most of the preseason and be cut. He has yet to prove that he can be healthy for any length of time. Same with Lemeiux and Elerson Smith, which is why I have them getting cut. Hurt guys stay hurt.

[GMENNATION]

3 hours ago, minutemancl said:

Hodgins produces, bottom line. He'll get his snaps. He's also the one true size element we have at WR. I don't see his snaps getting reduced when he is the one true outside WR we have on the roster. Everybody else, except maybe Slayton, is better suited in the slot.

We'll see. Hodgins was a great story but let's not overblow it. He played 8 games. He basically had no YAC. Hodgins was a nice story and will continue to be reliable but their best WR rotation does not have him in the top 3 in snaps IMO. I'm not saying they love Slayton or anything but he led the team in receiving incl. higher YPG than Hodgins by a bit. Assuming health and development, I think you see Shep, Wandale and Hyatt getting the majority of snaps by midseason and Parris Campbell as the speed guy getting a script of touches. 

Of course, Shep will go down, Hyatt will be brought along slowly and Hodgins will end up with a big snap share but I don't think he's their priority. 

Edited May 3, 2023 by GMENNATION
addition

[Acgott]

 

[minutemancl]

5 minutes ago, Acgott said:

 

Eh. He's depth, I guess. Obviously would have preferred one of the older, actually impactful edge rushers available like Justin Houston.

[Acgott]

58 minutes ago, minutemancl said:

Eh. He's depth, I guess. Obviously would have preferred one of the older, actually impactful edge rushers available like Justin Houston.

Agreed. We should have just signed 34 year old JPP if we wanted a former Giants. Even he had more sacks last year.

We need those veterans to lower their prices for us.

[Acgott]

I decided to move the Saquon talk to his own thread, if you are wondering where your post went.

[Acgott]

Rumored for a while

 

[GMENNATION]

I know the Giants would never do this but I'm bored so I was wondering how you all would feel if the Giants signed Dalvin Cook to a 2-yr deal in the range of $7mil per year and rescinded the franchise tag on Barkley? Cook is two years older than Saquon but he wouldn't require a long term deal. Save money on the cap and still have one of the better RBs in the league. The fan in me would rather have Saquon and again, the giants would never be that diabolical but business-wise the argument can certainly be made!