New York Giants: 5 surprise cuts Joe Schoen could make

New York Giants WR Sterling Shepard

As the lone player remaining from the Jerry Reese regime, Sterling Shepard’s career has been a story frequently interrupted by injuries. Following his rookie year, Shepard has played in just 56 out of 81 games, with 2021 being his most injury-riddled year to date, missing 10 games.

Shepard has proven to be a very viable option in the slot when he’s healthy, but with Schoen believing in “competing for today, building for tomorrow”, it’s possible he doesn’t want to pay a player $18 million over the next two seasons who can’t stay on the field consistently.

If Schoen were to cut Shepard after June 1, he’d carry a dead cap of just under $4 million for each of the next two seasons, but it would save the Giants $8.5 million in cap space. A restructure could also be in play, as it would be hard to truly envision the front office wanting to cut him altogether given the chemistry he’s shown with Jones at times.

Additionally, fellow wideout Kenny Golladay is under contract on a massive deal that isn’t maneuverable and 2021 1st round pick Kadarius Toney figures to be a big part of the offense moving forward. Shepard is certainly expendable to a certain level, but a possible restructure seems more likely.

Plausibility: Low