The New York Giants made some tough roster calls on Tuesday, but not every story ended with a pink slip.
The G-Men put together one of the more entertaining preseasons in recent memory. They went 3-0, outscored opponents 107-47, and delivered a 42-10 annihilation of the New England Patriots that'll still have fans amped. But once the final whistle blew on the exhibition slate, Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll did what they get paid to do: they got down to business.
Related: 3 most surprising Giants roster decisions that defined brutal cut day
Cuts came fast. Some were obvious. Some were just plain brutal. But by the end of the carnage, it was clear there wasn’t going to be much room for feel-good stories or preseason darlings. That said, the front office clearly left the door cracked for a few guys, and several of them are officially back. It’s not a full reunion, and it's not even close to the end of roster movement, but Big Blue has started to fill out its 16-man practice (plus one international exemption) squad to the best of its ability.
Giants 2025 practice squad: full list
- WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
- CB Dee Williams
- LB Trace Ford
- RB Dante "Turbo" Miller
- DT Elijah Chatman
- OL Jake Kubas
- OL Bryan Hudson
- LB Tomon Fox
- SAF Raheem Layne
- DL Jordon Riley
- DL Elijah Garcia
- WR/KR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
- K Jude McAtamney (international exemption)
The returns of Chatman and Turbo are notable — not just because they popped in the preseason, but because both felt like guys who could’ve legitimately cracked the 53. Chatman, in particular, played like a madman all camp, got goal-line work on both sides of the ball, and still couldn’t squeeze in. Turbo made splash after splash, and even though the running back room filled up fast, he gave them something nobody else really did.
The fact that both are back in the building is a small win for fans who were a little pissed to see them cut in the first place... hand up.
Of Dart's top two preseason targets, one returned (thank you, Lil'Jordan Humphrey), while the other one (Greg Dulcich) took his talents to Miami.
Also worth mentioning is that fan favorite Tommy DeVito is gone. Claimed by the (tries not to throw up) Patriots. It felt inevitable he'd be gone, but that doesn’t make it sting any less. He crushed the preseason, and still got got. The writing was on the wall after Jaxson Dart locked in QB2, but seeing the Tommy Cutlets era end in one of the worst ways imaginable is tough.
The G-Men claimed two players after the cut-day dust settled: Beau Brade (former Ravens safety) and Rico Payton (former Saints cornerback). To make room, the team released seventh-round cornerback Korie Black and special teams ace Gunner Olszewski.
For now, Big Blue has a solid chunk of its developmental core back in-house. While fans shouldn't expect to see these guys on the field anytime soon, it's a pretty strong collection of break-glass-in-case-of-emergency guys.