With the NY Giants 2023 preseason ending with a loss to the Jets last Saturday night, the focus is now on Week 1 and the Dallas Cowboys. However, after that game, Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen worked overtime in getting the roster down to 53 men.
Throughout the preseason, there were plenty of disappointing showings, costing guys their shot at making the final roster. In this piece, we take a look at four players who didn't live up to the hype over the past month:
4. WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton
In the case of Bryce Ford-Wheaton, we relate his disappointment to the sad fact that he went down with a torn ACL and he'll be out for the entire campaign. Ford-Wheaton had a great chance of making the roster thanks to his special teams contribuitions, but he indeed went down with his serious knee injury in the preseason finale.
Even prior to his injury, Ford-Wheaton wasn't playing as well as we would have liked him to. Through three games, he caught two passes on five targets for 24 yards. Both of these catches came against the Panthers and Ford-Wheaton could have had much better numbers if he didn't struggle so much against the Lions in the Giants' preseason opener.
In said game, Ford-Wheaton slipped on a route, dropped a pass, and overall looked shaky. While this was somewhat expected due to the fact that he's a bit of a raw prospect, he simply needed to play better if he wanted to have a chance at a role in the regular season. Hopefully, Ford-Wheaton returns from this injury better than ever and becomes a genuine contributor for New York.
3. CB Amani Oruwariye
Entering the season, there weren't many expectations for Amani Oruwariye to be some sort of big-time player for the Giants. At one time, Oruwariye was a pretty damn solid corner, racking up six interceptions just a couple seasons ago. However, since that season, he hasn't been the same and after a poor preseason, he was released and ended up on the practice squad.
In three games this preseason, Oruwariye allowed six receptions on eight targets for 71 yards. These numbers aren't the worst, especially when you consider that 62 of these yards came against the Jets, but the guy was playing against backups so it's still not a good look.
Oruiwariye could make his way back to the roster at some point this season, but for now, he's going to have to stay patient on the practice squad. We'll see if he'll be able to get a shot at making plays on Sundays this fall, but there's some solid depth for the Giants at cornerback, especially with rookie Tre Hawkins III and Deonte Banks playing so well.
2. OT Matt Peart
Matt Peart has been a rather disappointing player throughout his career for the standards of a third-round pick. Now, after a relatively poor preseason, it very well could be Peart's final year in a Giants jersey. Peart was able to make his way onto the 53-man roster, but goodness, he looked beyond shotty vs. the Jets. A lot of people were calling for him to be cut after that.
Through three games and 95 pass-blocking snaps, Peart allowed two sacks and eight pressures, While most of these numbers came from the Giants' preseason finale against the Jets, Peart didn't look very good in the previous two games either. He may not have been as bad as a guy like Korey Cunningham, but Peart's expectations are much higher and he didn't even come close to meeting them.
With the opportunities Peart has had to show he can be a productive player, there's no way to not call him a disappointment. While historically, Peart has been an okay-ish backup tackle, his poor play from this preseason has us worried about what could happen if Evan Neal or Andrew Thomas get hurt. He can't be relied on for meaningful snaps in '23.
1. WR Collin Johnson
Last season, it looked as if Collin Johnson was going to break out into a star after the incredible preseason he had. However, a torn Achilles during practice tarnished what could have been a great year. Now, in 2023, fans were still hopeful for Johnson to have another big-time preseason and be a contributor in the regular season. What they got instead, was the opposite.
While like Ford-Wheaton, Johnson's disappointing preseason was more due to injury than anything else, he still didn't look great when on the field. To make matters worse, Johnson was healthy and available in the Giants' preseason finale against the Jets, he just barely saw the field. The Giants likely knew he wasn't going to make the final roster and opted to hold him back to not risk injury.
In the 2022 preseason, Johnson caught 10 passes for 123 yards in two games, but this time around, he didn't manage to catch a single ball. With the new-found depth the Giants have at receiver, Schoen and the front office likely didn't want to waste time trying to develop a 25-year-old receiver who can't stay healthy.
Johnson ended up getting cut and Coach Dabes said while it was a tough decision, he wanted to get it done early to try and help the youngster land on a different team. There's no question Johnson has a ton of potential, but his time in East Rutherford needed to come to a close.
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