New York Giants 53-man roster projection after Week 2 of preseason

Aug 17, 2025 - 21:30

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New York Giants 53-man roster projection after Week 2 of preseason

The New York Giants improved to 2-0 on the preseason with a 31-12 victory over the New York Jets on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium.

It was an optimism-inducing performance for the Giants, who have looked surprisingly dangerous on offense regardless of who is under center. That's made even more impressive when considering they were again with wide receiver Malik Nabers and left tackle Andrew Thomas.

For many players, the upcoming week is extremely important. It will provide the final opportunity to impress coaches, put good play on film, and fight for a roster spot.

Following the Week 2 preseason win, here's a 53-man roster projection for the Giants with a couple of notable changes.

Quarterbacks (3)

Starter: Russell Wilson
Reserves: Jameis Winston, Jaxson Dart

Tommy DeVito is going to land on an NFL roster somewhere. The argument can be had whether or not he's a starter, but he belongs in this league and not on a practice squad.

Running backs (4)

Starter: Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Reserves: Devin Singletary, Cam Skattebo, Dante Miller

The Giants may place Cam Skattebo on injured reserve (IR) after establishing their initial 53-man roster, but they'll have to carry him through that. Meanwhile, Dante Miller continues to prove he's worthy of carrying and not risking on the practice squad.

Wide receivers (6)

Starters: Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Wan'Dale Robinson
Reserves: Jalin Hyatt, Gunner Olszewski, Beaux Collins

The back-end of this unit remains incredibly fluid and almost impossible to predict. Ihmir Smith-Marsette has been penciled in, but Olszewski has flashed as a wide receiver and ISM did not play on Saturday. After the game, he posted "Lol" on X before deleting it, which may be an indication of frustration (or nothing at all). Meanwhile, Collins is back in the lead over Montrell Washington and the remaining depth at wide receiver.

Tight ends (3)

Starter: Theo Johnson
Reserves: Chris Manhertz, Thomas Fidone II

It's hard to believe that Daniel Bellinger could go from starter to cut candidate in such a rapid fashion, but here we are. Even Greg Dulcich is making an offensive impact, while Belly sits out. Perhaps IR is in his future.

Offensive linemen (10)

Starters: Andrew Thomas (LT), Jon Runyan Jr. (LG), John Michael Schmitz (C), Greg Van Roten (RG), Jermaine Eluemunor (RT)
Reserves: Evan Neal, James Hudson, Joshua Ezeudu, Marcus Mbow, Aaron Stinnie

Jake Kubas saw snaps at center on Saturday night after a rough performance in Week 1 of the preseason, and while that versatility will help, his hold on a roster spot appears to be slipping. Ezeudu, meanwhile, took snaps at guard against the Jets after playing tackle all summer, and played solid football.

Defensive linemen (5)

Starters: Dexter Lawrence (NT), Rakeen Nunez-Roches (DE), Roy Robertson-Harris (DE)
Reserves: Darius Alexander, Elijah Chatman

This unit appears to be set in stone unless the Giants opt to carry a sixth player. Chatman has added extra versatility by playing fullback (and playing it well), so he's now locked in.

Outside linebackers (4)

Starters: Brian Burns, Abdul Carter
Reserves: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Chauncey Golston

Nothing is going to change here. There's no context to add. This will be a fun group to watch over a 17-game season.

Inside linebackers (5)

Starters: Bobby Okereke, Micah McFadden
Reserves: Darius Muasau, Chris Board, Dyontae Johnson

Board continues to struggle as a linebacker, which opens the door to the Giants carrying a fifth inside linebacker. This is usually where special teams players are stashed, so Johnson sneaks in. He played better on defense in Week 2 of the preseason than in Week 1, can play special teams, and can be used in coverage.

Cornerbacks (6)

Starters: Paulson Adebo, Deonte Banks, Dru Phillips
Reserves: Cor'Dale Flott, Tre Hawkins, Nic Jones

The Giants can likely stash Korie Black on the practice squad and be comfortable with that. Jones, meanwhile, can play multiple positions and provides some decent depth here. However, do not be surprised if the Giants end up signing a player after cutdown day.

Safeties (4)

Starters: Jevon Holland, Tyler Nubin
Reserves: Dane Belton, K'Von Wallace

Rookie Makari Paige had a mixed day against the Jets, likely leaving him as the odd-man out in place of Wallace. Expect him to end up on the practice squad. The other three players are roster locks.