New York Giants: 5 surprise cuts Joe Schoen could make

New York Giants P Riley Dixon

A player that was seen far too often by nature of how stagnant the offense became in 2021 was punter Riley Dixon. After four seasons with the Giants, now could be the time to let him go, as doing so would clear up $2.8 million in cap space while creating just over $320 thousand in dead cap.

Cutting a punter of Dixon’s ilk wouldn’t be much of a shock, as special teams transactions usually won’t bat much of an eye. However, considering that the special teams unit ranked 11th in the 2021 DVOA ratings, kicking Dixon to the curb may seem peculiar.

This past year, Dixon averaged 44.4 yards per punt, tied for 23rd in the league among players with at least 45 punts. With 74 total punts, Dixon had the sixth most in the league, however, he had just 24 land inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, which was tied for 11th in the league. Additionally, Dixon had just 15 of his punts get called for fair catches, which was tied for 13th overall.

Dixon was tied for the sixth highest salary among punters last season, while the median salary was just about $1 million. Quite simply, Dixon isn’t worth even close to the amount he’s getting paid, and when you’re strapped for cap space like the Giants are, every dollar counts.

Plausibility: High