4 most surprising players to make the NY Giants final roster
The August 27 roster cut deadline for the NFL has finally passed and we now have an official look at what the NY Giants roster will look like ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Some cuts were obvious from the start, as injuries, disappointing play, and other factors cut some player's odds of making the roster short.
However, there were a few guys who surprised us with their presence on the final 53. This is not a negative thing, as any one of these four players could have a meaningful role with the Giants, it's more so that many analysts expected them to be gone, yet here we are.
Hopefully, we see these guys on the field and don't have their roster spot wasted. The Giants are not necessarily in a position to be throwing away spots for players who don't deserve it. With that being said, these four Giants surprised some with their presence.
4. EDGE Benton Whitley
On one hand, it's hard to deny Benton Whitley a roster spot, as he played his behind-off throughout the preseason and did more than enough to earn it. However, it was still somewhat surprising to see him make the cut given the competition ahead of him.
Ahead of Whitley on the depth chart is Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, and Boogie Basham. These are four proven, talented veterans who all have more experience both on the field, and with the team than Whitley. This doesn't take away from the fact that Whitley did deserve a spot. It just makes it a little surprising that they gave a fifth spot to an edge rusher.
Whitley could easily make his way up the depth chart over Ojulari and Basham given their lack of production in recent seasons, but it will take a lot. In the preseason, Whitley racked up five combined tackles, three sacks, and 12 pressures, playing a significant amount of snaps in all three games.
If this level of production holds up, Whiltey could have a chance of seeing a fair amount of snaps in the 2024 season. It will be interesting to see how the Giants utilize Whitley, as defenses rarely go five-deep off the edge, but with Shane Bowen now running the show, you never know what could happen.