5 biggest surprises from the NY Giants 53-man roster reveal

1. OLB Boogie Basham

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day wasn’t a roster cut. Instead, it was a trade to reinforce the pass-rush, and all Schoen had to do was look to his old buddies over in Buffalo and Brandon Beane to make a deal happen in landing Boogie Basham.

Basham was a former second-round pick of the Bills back in 2021 - when Schoen was the Bills assistant general manager - so the Big Blue GM knew Basham and the potential he has. With Oshane Ximines not living up to his potential, the Giants certainly needed pass-rush depth behind Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari on the outside.

Then out of nowhere, Schoen made the deal with the Bills to bring Basham over to the Giants. The trade all but sealed Ximines’ fate with the team since he was waived on Tuesday - Ximines has since been added to the practice squad.

Basham is still on his rookie contract and can continue to progress under Wink Martindale’s defense. His arrival also gives the Giants more depth on the outside, especially in case Ojulari experiences any injuries.

READ MORE: NFL insider thinks the Giants have Super Bowl potential