The start of the 2022 NFL season is almost here. For certain players, not making the 53-man roster has not even crossed their minds. Then there are those who have to fight in every rep, snap, and practice to show why they deserve a chance to play for the New York Giants. Cutting the team down to 53 players will be a difficult task for the front office and coaching staff combined.
Preseason football is officially over for all 32 teams and the Giants lost a close one to the Jets on Sunday, 31-27. Backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor took a big hit from a Jets defender and never returned to the game. Taylor was brought in as insurance for Daniel Jones, so Big Blue will hope he is ready as backup for Week 1. The NFL’s roster deadline is coming on Tuesday. With that being said, here are three under-the-radar players who deserve to make the NY Giants 53-man roster.
3. LB Quincy Roche
It’s not an easy time for players or coaches right now getting ready to trim things down. Relationships and trust have been built in the previous weeks and months, and some of those familiar faces may not be around come Week 1. Deserving of making the final roster cut is second-year pro from Miami, Quincy Roche.
Roche played in 14 games for the Giants last season with three of those as a starter. He finished the season with 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, five tackles for loss, five QB hits and 38 combined tackles. Unofficial depth charts have Roche behind a very intriguing prospect drafted by the Giants in 2021, Elerson Smith. Drafted in the fourth round out of Northern Iowa, Smith has a huge 6-7 frame and weighs 255 pounds. He was injured to begin last season, but did play in eight games for the Giants.
Smith does have some upside for the Giants, and maybe both will make the roster. If only one could stay, Roche proved his worth last season more than Smith. That may just be the deciding factor on why one makes it over the other. We’ll find out tomorrow.
2. FS Nate Meadors
Xavier McKinney and Julian Love will be the starting safeties for the Giants this season. Rookie safety Dane Belton has impressed his coaches and certainly looks to be a key backup. That potentially leaves another spot behind either McKinney or Love open. Nate Meadors could be the guy to win the job.
Meadors is heading into his fourth pro season after spending two years with Minnesota and one with Cleveland. Ahead of him on unofficial depth charts is rookie Trent Thompson. Both players do not have a lot of NFL experience, and that’s why the preseason can determine their fates. Almost every starter for the Giants yesterday was a backup player, resting the starters to keep them fresh and avoid injuries. A big reason why Meadors may make the 53-man roster is because of a huge showing in his final preseason game.
He was all over the field for Big Blue with 12 total tackles. Eight of them were solo tackles. That could have been the performance he needed to survive cuts this week.
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.
3 NY Giants players who stood out in preseason finale vs. Jets
Despite losing to the NY Jets in the preseason finale, there were still plenty of positives for the NY Giants to take into the regular season.