New York Giants Depth Chart Week 1 Takeaways

A new season is upon the New York Giants, who start their 100th NFL campaign this Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. With the weekly grind about to get underway, let’s take a look at the –unofficial because it is developed by the team’s public relations staff rather than by the coaches.

Receiver

One of the first things to jump out about the Giants’ depth chart is that Jalin Huatt and Darius Slayton are listed as starters at one of the receiver spots. The two competed against each other in the summer, presumably for the same type of role, and it would appear that the competition ended in a draw.  

But that’s not necessarily bad, as mixing in both players could give the Giants a competitive advantage. 

Backup Offensive Tackle

This spot isn’t getting much attention right now, and it won’t so long as starters Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemuno are healthy. Still, it’s worth noting that the Giants’ backup tackles are listed as Evan Neal and Joshua Ezeudu.

Neal has the talent and tools to do the job and hasn’t been bad as a run blocker. But his pass blocking continues to be inconsistent and a concern. Add to that all the time he missed in the spring and summer in terms of doing team drills, and it’s certainly reasonable to be concerned with how much progress he’s made this year.

Ezeudu, listed as the backup to Thomas at left tackle, also had his ups and downs. He got a good test against the Jets’ second and third-stringers in the preseason finale, a quality group of players. In that game, the biggest concern was his inability to consistently hold up physically to power on several of the Jets’ edge rushes.

Ezeudu must not only continue working on his technique every week but also get stronger. He’s nowhere near the point of being in danger of being cast aside, but he must make significant progress this coming year to smooth out some of those inconsistencies.  

Backup Center

As was the case for part of the summer, Greg Van Roten is the backup center behind starter John Michael Schmitz now that Austin Schlottman, who was signed to fill that role, is on IR with a broken leg.

Running Back

Some thought rookie Tyrone Tracy, Jr. was projected as RB2 behind Devin Singletary. However, if this unofficial depth chart is correct, Tracy is third, behind Singletary and Eric Gray.

Inside Linebacker

With starter Micah McFadden (groin) still ailing, rookie Darius Muasau would be next in line to start alongside Bobby Okereke, according to the depth chart. After a slow start to the summer, Muasau came on strong, recording seven tackles in 49 defensive snaps (22 against the run).

Muasau plays a similar game to McFadden, except he’s got more mobility and agility and is a much better coverage guy. But Muasau’s quick and instinctive reactions to running plays separate him from his youthful peers. 

He has shown himself to be a natural and instinctive football player who is as comfortable playing in space as in traffic and plays fast off the mark without any wasted steps.  

It wouldn’t be surprising if all this, plus his natural feel for special teams, led to the Giants’ decision to remove Carter Coughlin, the team’s special teams tackle leader the last two seasons, from the roster. 

Cornerback

Cor’Dale Flott, who head coach Brian Daboll declared recovered from his summer groin issue, is listed as the starter, with Aoree Jackson listed third, behind Nick McCloud. But don’t be surprised if Jackson gets a small package of snaps on Sunday against the Vikings, which increases as he gets ramped up over the coming weeks.

McCloud competed well during the summer, but he’s one of those players with more value as a Swiss Army knife who can be moved to different spots as situations call for it.

Punt/Kickoff Returner

Gunner Olszewski is listed as the returner for both kickoff and punts, but he’s been gimpy this week as he continues his recovery from a groin issue. Behind him on the depth chart at both spots are receivers Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson, as well as running back Tyrone Tracy, Jr.

Tracy would make sense as a kickoff returner since he has experience doing it, but a punt returner is a different animal, and he’s only done it once in his college career.

It’s possible the Giants are planning to add someone to the 53-man roster, either from the practice squad or the front group they worked out last Friday.