The 2022 NFL offseason is in the home stretch. The NY Giants will take things to a new level in about a month when training camp commences at the end of July. The Giants 90-man camp roster is all but set and it would be surprising to see any additions at this point.
With the Giants roster dealing with an exodus of many significant veteran players this offseason, when training camp does start, the Giants will have a litany of hungry, young players battling for a place on the 53-man roster. With a new coaching staff yet again in 2022, every player on the roster will have to prove their worth, providing for an exciting training camp of competition. We all know that competition brings out the best in everyone. With that said, here are four under the radar players who could steal a spot on the Giants roster.
4. S Yusuf Corker
After being the deepest position group on the Giants the last two seasons, the secondary is now arguably the weakest thanks to the departures of Logan Ryan to Tampa Bay Buccaneers and James Bradberry’s decision to join NFC East foe, Philadelphia. With Xavier McKinney, Julian Love and 2022 fourth-rounder Dane Belton the only locks to make the Giants roster at the safety position, one young guy will have an opportunity to prove his worth and find a place on the roster.
Enter Yusuf Corker, a 6-0, 197-pound safety out of Kentucky, who was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Giants in April. Corker played five seasons at Kentucky where he recorded 240 career tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 14 pass breakups and three interceptions. Corker was a defense stalwart the last three seasons, recording 2,175 snaps, and was team captain the past two seasons. In his draft guide, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said on Corker:
"“Corker is highly instinctive and competitive vs. both the pass and the run, firing downhill as a tackler or tracking the eyes of the quarterback to throws.”"
Those are the exact kind of traits that could wow defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, and secure Corker a spot on the Giants roster. We’ll see how things play out here for Corker, but he has loads of potential.
3. TE Austin Allen
Similar to Corker, Austin Allen could push his way onto the Giants roster due to the lack of proven tight ends. On the current Giants’ roster, the tight end room is comprised of 2022 fourth-round pick Daniel Bellinger and veterans Ricky Seals-Jones, Jordan Akins and Chris Myarick. While it is expected that Bellinger will win the starting job in camp, the other roster tight ends are much less of a sure thing. Allen, a 2022 undrafted free agent, could be the perfect fit.
Allen is 6-8 and 260 pounds, the perfect size and weight to be a solid pass catcher and blocker. In his four seasons at Nebraska, Allen caught 65 balls for 975 yards and three touchdowns. Allen really busted out in his senior season, where he caught 38 passes for 602 yards and two touchdowns, ranking second in yards behind Packers 2022 seventh-round pick Samori Toure.
In the Giants YouTube series, A Giants Life, Joe Schoen said during the combine that the Giants “really like this guy,” referring to Allen, which could potentially be an indication of him stealing a roster spot.
2. RB Jashaun Corbin
One thing the NFL has proven is that a team can never have enough running backs. The Giants currently deploy Saquon Barkley, who is as dynamic as any back in the NFL when healthy, but he has shown a continued inability to stay healthy. There’s also Matt Breida, a veteran journeyman, and Gary Brightwell, who is much more of a Joe Judge favorite special teams’ type of a running back.
Jashaun Corbin, an undrafted free agent signed by the Giants in April, would help complete the Giants running back room. In his four seasons in college, two at Texas A&M and two at Florida State, he recorded 320 rushes for 1,771 yards and 14 touchdowns, while catching 60 passes for 360 yards and two touchdowns. Corbin’s rushing average of 5.5 yards per carry is something the Giants would be ecstatic for. Corbin busted onto the national stage on Labor Day in 2021, when he rushed for 144 yards – which included an 89-yard touchdown run – in a near upset against No. 9 Notre Dame.
Corbin has a proven track record of health and effectiveness while playing in both the SEC and ACC, arguably the two toughest college football conferences. Based off talent and skill, Corbin is already better than Brightwell and he would be the perfect third running back behind Barkley and Breida.
1. QB Davis Webb
When Davis Webb was deciding whether or not to retire and join the Bills coaching staff this offseason, Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll made the first move of their era to stop his retirement and offered him a contract to re-join the Giants, the team that drafted Webb No. 87 overall in 2017.
While Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor are both significantly more talented than Webb and squarely ahead of him on the quarterback depth chart, both have serious durability and injury concerns. Webb’s high football IQ and teaching ability could also benefit Jones, as it will give him yet another guy to seek pointers from.
The Giants learned a tough lesson last year: if you do not have competent quarterback play, you have no chance to compete in NFL games. When Jones went down last season, Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm were nothing short of abysmal, and the Giants last six games were some of the worst displays of football imaginable.
This may be why Schoen and Daboll not only signed Taylor to back up Jones, but also stopped Webb from retiring. We don’t think Webb would have signed another football deal unless he was pretty confident he would be on the roster. The belief is that the organization realizes the importance in the versatility Webb can bring to the quarterback room.