Predicting which NY Giants wide receivers survive 2021 roster cuts
The NY Giants improved the wide receiver room this offseason with some key additions. Which receivers will make the roster? How many will the Giants carry?
The wide receiver room for the NY Giants has undergone an extreme makeover this offseason. Whether it be the additions of former Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay and the speedster, John Ross, through free agency, or the drafting of Kadarius Toney, there will almost certainly be new faces for Giants fans to get excited about in 2021.
Although the team did have some talented players at the position last season, the shuffling of the receiver room was necessary. The offensive output for New York in 2020 wasn’t pretty, and the passing attack didn’t do much to impress.
Trailing only the NY Jets, the Giants found themselves ranked 31st overall in both total offensive yards gained and points scored by season’s end. As far as yards through the air were concerned, the G-Men picked up 3,026, slotting them in at 28th in the league.
The aforementioned additions should help in providing the Giants with a much-needed boost on offense, but the bottom of the depth chart is still a question mark.
Here is a prediction of what receivers will make the initial 53-man roster for the Giants in 2021.
NY Giants roster: The top 4 wide receivers
After the Giants signed Golladay to a massive four year, $72 million deal with $40 million guaranteed, he instantly became the top receiver on the depth chart.
Golladay, who spent the first four years of his career in Detroit, has proven to be a reliable receiver with superstar potential when healthy. His best statistical season came in 2019 when he logged 1,190 receiving yards and led the league in receiving touchdowns with 11.
The concern with Golladay is his health. The star receiver has missed 17 of 64 possible games in his career thus far. Most recently, a hamstring injury and a hip flexor caused Golladay to miss 11 games in 2020.
If he can stay healthy, however, the front office may have gotten quarterback Daniel Jones his go-to guy.
Another newcomer to the Giants is the rookie, Toney. The former Florida Gator was drafted 20th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Toney’s best three attributes are his speed, his elusiveness and his contact balance. College opponents struggled to get their hands on him, and when they did, he had the ability to make them miss, or he shrugged them off by maintaining his balance. If Toney can translate his collegiate skillset to the pros, he will add a home run threat to the offense.
Rounding out the top of the depth chart for the Giants are Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton, who are both returning to the team from last season.
Shepard has proven to be a consistent weapon for New York in his time with the team, and Slayton has shown the ability to stretch the field as a deep play threat.
While the above four appear to be locks for roster spots, the coaching staff has options for how it would like to fill out the bottom of the depth chart.