4 potential surprise cuts in NY Giants training camp
By Zak Musso
Big Blue Nation, get ready. The NY Giants veterans will report to training camp on Tuesday and the first session is all set to get started on Wednesday. Coming off an incredibly shocking 2022 season that saw the Giants win their first playoff game since Super Bowl XLVI, there are many reasons for optimism.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen and the entire G-Men front office put in a ton of work this offseason. Schoen added linebacker Bobby Okereke, defensive linemen A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches to bolster the defense in free agency, while signing Parris Campbell Jr. and trading for Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller to help the offense.
Despite last season's success, the Giants had one of the worst rosters in football and had very little depth. This year the Giants have built up profound depth at almost every position on the roster. That level of depth will create some intriguing roster battles this summer. The Giants surprisingly cut Blake Martinez last summer, and there will undoubtedly be more surprises soon too. Here are four surprise cuts that could be on the way in the coming weeks:
4. Darnay Holmes
Darnay Holmes has served as the Giants primary slot cornerback since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of UCLA. Holmes has shown flashes of being a serviceable NFL slot corner, but there is no denying his 2022 season was an unmitigated disaster.
In training camp last summer, Holmes was the Giants defensive star. In each practice, he seemingly broke up passes, intercepted passes, and returned Danny Dimes' throws to the end zone. Of the 118 qualified cornerbacks, PFF gave Holmes the 116th-best grade. PFF also gave Holmes the second-worst pass-rushing grade among corners, the ninth-worst coverage grade, and the second-worst run-defense grade.
In camp this summer, Holmes will compete against Cor’Dale Flott for the starting slot job. Flott, the Giants 2022 third-round pick who is just 21 years old, seems to have a leg up in the competition. Flott was a Schoen draft pick; Holmes was a Dave Gettleman draft pick.
The Giants would save $2.743 million in salary cap space by releasing Holmes. Schoen could use that money to sign more quality depth pieces after NFL teams cut their rosters down to 53.