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New York Giants: Reacting to the 53-Man Roster

By Nikhil Potpally

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Per Giants.com, the 53-man roster for the 2015-16 season has been officially announced for the New York Giants. With this comes many surprising keepers and disappointments to the depth chart.

We’ll take a quick reaction to the roster and see some notables who stayed, left, and analyze.

Surprise Cuts

Corey Washington, WR

Washington was last year’s preseason darling, but his lackluster preseason this year and inability to stay healthy as of late has placed him on the Waived/Injured list. Fans were shocked by this move, as many thought he was never given a fair opportunity for playing time. However, the coaches are the ones who see him every day, so maybe there was an inside feeling that hasn’t shown enough to stick around.

Jameel McClain, MLB

McClain was also cut from the team, in spite of being last season’s team leader in tackles. This move could have been primarily due to shed salary cap space, but the resulting effect is that they Giants are confident Jon Beason can stay healthy this year.

Nat Berhe, S

Berhe’s placement on the Waived/Injured list was somewhat surprising because there was recent chatter about him possibly being placed on the PUP or short-term IR list. This move affects the Giants safety outlook, because they were already depleted in the area to begin with. Now the Giants will be shopping for a safety or two on the waiver wire.

Henry Hynoski, FB

Hynoski seemed like the ideal fullback for an NFL team. The Giants must have felt really liked Nikita Whitlock‘s role on special teams in order to waive the established Hynoski for a rookie.

James Jones, WR

Jones was having a strong preseason with the Giants, putting up good numbers whenever he played. He led the receivers with 15 receptions and 187 yards. His age and decline could have played into the decision to cut him, but I find this surprising because they kept fellow receiver Preston Parker around. Both Jones and Parker can also play special teams as returners, and it seemed like Parker was the odd man out based on performance alone. The Dwayne Harris signing was questionable when it happened, but giving him a big role in the offense while releasing Jones and Washington is curious.

More on Empire Writes Back: Which Giants Stood Out in the Preseason Finale?

Surprise Keepers

Preston Parker, WR

As mentioned above, Parker was outplayed by Jones in just about every category this preseason. Parker had many catchable balls thrown to him, but only caught two of them for 14 yards. Keeping Parker was probably to maintain insurance in the slot receiver position, but I thought Geremy Davis deserved a chance there in case Victor Cruz is out for extended time. I thought Washington and/or Jones were more deserving of the final receiver spot.

Orleans Darkwa, RB

If you look at preseason stats, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Darkwa lead the team with 30 carries for 131 yards. However, many thought he was expendable because the Giants already have three reliable runners in their backfield. The offseason signing of Shane Vereen added more depth to the backfield, but it looks like the Giants want some extra insurance in this area.

Nikita Whitlock, FB/DT

Whitlock was a rising player with the team, being able to play both fullback and on the defensive line. Though undersized, his motor was very evident and he has some potential that the Giants believe can be tapped. It’s unlikely that he will play on defense due to his size, but his role on special teams will be significant.

Jerome Cunningham, TE

Cunningham had a fairly good preseason, totaling 91 yards on four receptions. I thought that the Giants would only keep Larry Donnell and Daniel Fells around and instead use the third tight end slot for an extra offensive lineman. Keeping Cunningham also spelled the end for the “JPP of tight ends”, Adrien Robinson.

Uani’ Unga, LB

Unga led the defense with 25 tackles during the preseason, but it was still surprising that the Giants kept him around. He is a high energy player with a good story, so the team is banking on his potential.

Markus Kuhn, DT

Kuhn was probably the biggest surprise keeper. He hasn’t shown much in his playing time over the past few years, and it was widely speculated that he would be cut. Keeping him around really says something about the Giants’ defensive line, as that area needs a serious makeover. Personally, I would have taken a flyer on a Da’Quan Bowers or Darnell Dockett for defensive line competition instead.

There were many surprises this year with the 53-man roster, as a large chunk of this will be permanent for 2015-16. Injuries can happen at any time and anywhere, so the Giants should be scouting the waiver wire for upgrades. From the looks of it, a poor showing by this roster places Jerry Reese on an immediate hot seat, because many of his recent signees and draft picks have not panned out well. The 53-man primarily concerns depth, but it was still interesting to see who made the final cut.

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