During the NY Giants 23-21 victory against the Patriots in Week 1 of the preseason, we saw many players on the team stand out from the crowd. With the Giants set to play the Bengals this Sunday, there is a very good chance that some of these players keep up this high level of play, opening the door to potentially move up on the depth chart by the time the regular season roles around.
At the very least, these players could even simply guarantee their spots on the roster with continued success. Here are four players to watch in the G-Men showdown against the Bengals at MetLife Stadium.
4. OT Devery Hamilton
Following a very solid game against the Patriots, many fans have put their eye on offensive tackle Devery Hamilton, as it seems as if he could potentially become the backup behind Andrew Thomas.
This is seeming even more realistic after some recent practices in which Hamilton has looked fantastic with the second unit.
Devery Hamilton played well in Thursday’s preseason game…
— Nick Falato (@nickfalato) August 15, 2022
He finished this rep with authority. Hamilton is having a good camp by many accounts, and he could be in a position to win a backend swing OT/OG spot to start the season pic.twitter.com/6AUbUFe9jL
In 70 snaps against the Patriots, Hamilton tallied a PFF grade of 90.1, which is absolutely fantastic. He is definitely a player for fans to keep an eye on against the Bengals this week. If he is able to maintain this high level of play, he will undoubtedly make an impression on head coach Brian Daboll.
With Thomas missing some action last year and undergoing ankle surgery, the No. 2 spot at LT will be one to monitor the rest of the summer. Hamilton has played well and he looks ready to rock for the regular season if his number is called. His development has been great to see.
3. LB Darrian Beavers
After being selected in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, many fans were excited for the upside Darrian Beavers had as a coverage linebacker. It’s something the NY Giants desperately need due to Tae Crowder’s extreme inability in coverage.
Following his game against the Patriots, it may be safe to say that Beavers has the potential to be a pretty good linebacker in this league. Obviously it is too early to tell, however, that is why there are two more preseason games for the NY Giants to test Beavers’ abilities.
In the game against the Patriots, Beavers made good usage of the somewhat short time he spent on the field, racking up three tackles.
I still can’t believe the Giants got Darrian Beavers in the 6th round. pic.twitter.com/9owp3jtlGV
— Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) August 12, 2022
Something that really stood out about Beavers this game was not only his ability in coverage, but his reaction time in the run game. This is what the NY Giants have been lacking in the linebacker core, outside of Blake Martinez, for quite some time now. If Beavers can continue to impress for the remainder of the preseason, there is a very good chance that he sees a high percentage of snaps come time for the regular season.
2. WR Collin Johnson
Despite a tough fumble in the first quarter of last week’s game, Collin Johnson performed extremely well – making play after play for the second-team offense.
During his time on the field, Johnson caught seven passes for 82 yards, both being the most by a good portion out of all of the Giants receiving core. Honestly, it was a little surprising that the Giants did not use Johnson very often as a red zone threat seeing how his 6-6, 220-pound frame is quite large for a receiver.
Giants WR Collin Johnson preseason week 1
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) August 13, 2022
•7 catches 82 yards 1 fumble
•5 of his catches came on Play-action with 3 of them being RPO’s
•Could’ve possibly had a TD on a go in flood concept if DJ pulled the trigger pic.twitter.com/cfgoUIMCJ0
Regardless, it is very likely that Johnson continues to see a high amount of targets throughout the remainder of the preseason. Meaning that if he continues to make the catches he does, he will likely guarantee his spot on the 53-man roster.
Johnson may not serve much purpose as a runner in the open field, but his height and speed are enough to give him an edge over almost any defender he plays against. While he may not be used often, Johnson could see some usage in the scenario of which some of the NY Giants receivers go down with injuries, or if the team just needs a tall red-zone threat.
1. RB Antonio Williams
Following an explosive performance last week, it seems as if Antonio Williams has a real chance to fight for the NY Giants RB3, or maybe even RB2 spot on the depth chart.
Williams saw the majority of his snaps entering the second half of the game, and in the limited time he played, Williams performed at a very high level. He rushed nine times for 61 yards and a TD, running the ball extremely hard for his size.
Entering this week against the Bengals, it is very likely that Williams sees an increase in snaps. If Williams can continue playing at a very high level, he should earn the spot as the RB3 of the NY Giants.
Really impressed with Giants RB Antonio Williams who finished with 61 yards on 6.8 YPC.
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) August 12, 2022
Had 2 15+ yards runs & ran behind his pads to break tackles on some runs and fall forward for a TD. pic.twitter.com/3mW6DOU827
Heck, if he keeps performing at this rate, there is a very solid argument to make that the Giants should put him at backup running back behind Saquon Barkley, replacing Matt Breida in the process.
The way Williams runs so hard for his 5-11, 181-pound frame is awesome to watch. If he can maintain this level of play for the remainder of the preseason, then the NY Giants could have some very interesting decisions to make RB. We’ll see how things play out here.