The NY Giants approached the NFL Draft with a handful of positional needs, and most fans believe general manager Joe Schoen adequately addressed the team's key gaps. Big Blue is riding it out with quarterback Daniel Jones for another season after a 6-11 finish to the previous season, and there is hope head coach Brian Daboll's squad can turn it around.
As the dust settles on Big Blue's draft picks, questions have been raised regarding the outlooks of several players. The arrival of fresh talent has left NY supporters wondering who the outsiders on the roster will be. With that being said, here are five Giants who could have trouble keeping their jobs this upcoming season.
5. RB Gary Brightwell
The first player whose job is not safe after the draft is running back Gary Brightwell. He has played for the Giants for three consecutive seasons to open his NFL career, but his tenure in royal blue could be coming to a close. The addition of RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the fifth round puts his role in jeopardy moving forward.
Brightwell has been nothing special with the ball in his hands, rushing for 164 yards and one touchdown across 37 career games. This past season, he recorded just nine totes for 19 yards after ceding his spot on the depth chart to Eric Gray, and opportunities will still be difficult to come by despite the departure of Saquon Barkley in free agency.
While Brightwell's contributions have primarily come on special teams, NY might not need him in that department either. Not only did the Giants' new RB average 6.5 yards per carry in college, but he has a history of returning kicks. The multifaceted Tracy ran back 16 kick returns for 408 yards and one touchdown in his final season at Purdue, much better than the 21.3 yards per return mark Brightwell posted in 2022.
Tracy offers a higher upside in most aspects on the field, as he has experience lining up as a receiver and is a more explosive ball carrier. Brightwell will certainly fight to keep his spot on the 53-man roster, but he could be relegated to the practice squad or released outright if Tracy impresses the coaches during training camp.
4. DB Jalen Mills
The veteran defensive back signed a contract with the Giants following a three-year stint in New England. He can alternate between safety and corner on the field, serving in a hybrid role since he arrived in the league eight years ago. While Mills entered draft day as the top FS on the depth chart, fans knew that addressing the safety position would be crucial. Schoen took Tyler Nubin with the team's second-round draft pick.
Nubin was terrific during his time at Minnesota, recording 207 total tackles, 13 interceptions, and 11 passes defended in five seasons. The 6-2 rookie is talented enough to take over a full-time starting role as a rookie. Jason Pinnock played almost 90 percent of NY's defensive snaps in 2023, and he is expected to make the transition to free safety as Nubin rotates between the box and out deep. With Dane Belton also incorporated in some defensive sets, Mills' job is certainly in peril.
The G-Men needed someone to fill the void Xavier McKinney left when he bolted for the Green Bay Packers in free agency. In reality, the 30-year-old Mills was never going to be that guy. He should still be on the field for a considerable amount of snaps, but the "starter" tag was immediately stripped from him the second Nubin was taken in the draft.
3. CB Darnay Holmes
Darnay Holmes and the Giants were expected to part ways this offseason, but the two parties surprisingly agreed on a one-year deal last month to keep him in NY. Some fans speculated that the front office was willing to let him compete for more playing time in the slot after appearing in a career-low 10.9 percent of the team's defensive snaps in 2023, but the draft selection of Kentucky CB Andru Phillips in the third round shot down that chatter.
According to recent comments by Schoen, Phillips will begin his NFL career as a slot corner who can move to the outside if needed. Cor'Dale Flott, a player the organization is very high on, will also receive reps on both the inside and outside. But given his undersized 5-11, 190-pound frame, Phillips might be best equipped to spend the majority of his time in the slot.
If Phillips and Flott are alternating spots and Deonte Banks is manning the outside, that still leaves Nick McCloud and Tre Hawkins III without a spot. There will be several substitutions each drive to involve multiple players, and it seems right now that Holmes could be the odd man out.
By midseason of last year, Holmes had already been assigned to special teams duties with the emergence of Flott. Although Adoree' Jackson's Giants tenure should be wrapping up, it is difficult to envision a scenario where the former UCLA Bruin gets onto the field often. Holmes' job was already at risk before the draft, so he will likely serve in a limited reserve role with Phillips now competing for snaps.
2. TE Darren Waller
Darren Waller was once deemed a tremendous addition by the front office after the Giants dealt a 2023 third-round pick to land him. Unfortunately, the former Pro Bowl TE had his first season with the Giants plagued by injuries, and he did not live up to his hefty expectations. Now, the veteran seems more likely than not to retire this offseason, which led NY to take Penn State TE Theo Johnson with its fourth-round pick.
The 6-6, 250-pound red-zone threat did not post eye-catching numbers with the Nittany Lions. Still, his 4.57-second 40-yard dash impressed scouts at the Scouting Combine, and he has the physical tools to develop into a bruising receiving threat like Waller in a few years.
It's never a bad thing to have depth at the TE position. However, the Giants already have Daniel Bellinger as a backup, who is more than capable of holding it down as a starter, let alone a second-stringer. Schoen also signed Chris Manhertz earlier this year. The draft pick all but told the fanbase that Waller has appeared in his final game in a Giants uniform. Johnson would obviously not take over his spot if he were to return, but it seems highly improbable at this point. Waller's NFL career is what is truly not safe in this scenario.
1. WR Darius Slayton
Among all the aforementioned Giants, Darius Slayton is the player whose job security is truly hanging by a thread. NY was reportedly seeking draft-day trades to deal the wideout due to his absence from the team's voluntary offseason program, but he remained on the roster. With stud WR prospect Malik Nabers now in town, Slayton's future in NY looks gloomy.
The longtime Giant is entering the final season of a two-year contract he inked last offseason, and he is negotiating with the front office to sign an extension. However, Schoen has made it clear that they are not prioritizing his needs, drafting his replacement in the first round as his future remains uncertain.
Young WRs Jalin Hyatt and Wan'Dale Robinson showed promise in 2023 and could be the No. 2 and No. 3 targets for Danny Dimes. While Slayton posted a career-high 770 receiving yards in the previous campaign and is a threat on deep balls, his issues with drops in past years have made him more than expendable.
By no means will the Giants release Slayton, especially considering they could receive a fourth or fifth-round draft pick in return for him. However, according to a recent report, trading him is no longer in the cards. Schoen plans to keep the 27-year-old WR despite his ongoing contract drama.
Slayton will either continue to hold out for a contract that will likely never come or soldier on and participate in workouts again. But regardless of what decision he makes, Nabers has taken his status as the Giants' WR1, and fellow wideouts Hyatt and Isaiah Hodgins will only make it more challenging for him to get a high number of targets.