3 under-the-radar players who deserve to make the NY Giants 53-man roster
By Zach Wolpin
1. WR Richie James
Most NFL teams will keep an average of six WRs on their 53-man roster give or take. The six who are likely safe from being cut are Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard, Wan’Dale Robinson, David Sills V and CJ Board. That leaves potentially one more spot open.
It’s essentially a three-man race between Richie James, Alex Bachman, and Darius Slayton. Either of these three could make the final roster cuts, but James seems like the safest bet for NY. He has the most NFL experience and is a good insurance player if injuries do arise during the season. Bachman has been a preseason standout for Big Blue, but his very limited NFL playing time could be a red flag for the front office. James’ biggest competition for this job has to be Slayton.
Slayton had a breakout rookie year in 2019 with Daniel Jones. He had eight receiving touchdowns for 740 yards on 48 catches. In 2020 his numbers were similar to his rookie season, with only three touchdown catches. Last season he only caught two touchdowns and his receiving yards and catches dropped significantly. He’s had a rough training camp and preseason.
James and Slayton could both be extremely close to being cut from the team. Getting the roster to 53 players is one of the tougher decisions that coaches and front offices have to make. The next day or so will be nerve racking for those on the edge of the fence – we’ll see how makes it and who doesn’t for the G-Men.
