With one preseason game remaining and about two weeks until Week 1, each team will soon have to determine their official roster for the 2023 NFL season. Teams will have until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to make final cuts and trim their roster down to 53 players.
With that being said, the NY Giants will have some tough decisions to make over the coming days and will be closely evaluating each of their positional battles. This means that a few Big Blue players fighting for a spot will have to stand out in their final preseason matchup on Saturday night against the New York Jets. Let's take a look at four players who must impress the coaching staff:
4. Offensive guard Shane Lemieux
It appears the Giants will be carrying at least 8-9 offensive linemen on the roster. We know that tackles Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal, guards Ben Bredeson and Mark Glowinski, and rookie center John Michael Schmitz are definitely making the roster, but the G-Men still need to determine the rest of their depth on the O-Line.
We can assume that 2022 third-round pick Josh Ezeudu will also earn a roster spot after an impressive summer, but another name Big Blue player fans might forget is guard Shane Lemieux, a former draft pick.
The G-Men selected Lemieux in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Oregon. He played a significant role in his rookie season, starting nine games and making 12 appearances at left guard, replacing former New York Giant Will Hernandez. However, he has played two games over the last two seasons due to suffering multiple injuries.
Throughout training camp, Lemieux has been getting reps with the second and third teams as a center and guard. This will be something to consider when rosters are finalized after backup center J.C. Hassenauer was ruled out at the start of training camp with a torn tricep injury.
Shane Lemieux is working at guard and center with the 2nd and 3rd teams. He got reps with the 2nd team as center today. https://t.co/KCvIipHRuJ
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) August 4, 2023
Lemieux's recent injury history has left Giants fans questioning if he deserves a roster spot ahead of this season. That means the fourth-year lineman must impress the coaching staff against the New York Jets, or his tenure with the team could be decided before next Tuesday's roster cut deadline.