Five New York Giants With Most to Gain in Preseason Week 2

RB Antonio Williams

Former Buffalo Bills running back Antonio Williams will go down in Giants history as general manager Joe Schoen’s first signing with the Giants. Williams, standing at 5-foot-11 and weighing 215 pounds, floated between the practice squad and active roster during his tenure with Buffalo but is now in a close battle for the RB3 spot behind Saquon Barkley and Matt Breida.

Williams had a strong showing in the first preseason matchup, leading the team in rushing yards with 61 on nine carries and rushing for one touchdown. If Williams wants to prove to the coaching staff that he’s worth keeping on the roster, he’ll have to put together another strong showing against the Bengals on Sunday night.

OLB Azeez Ojulari

Azeez Ojulari was selected 50th overall by the Giants in last year’s draft, which many say was great value. The former Georgia pass rusher led the team with eight sacks last season, adding eight tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hits.

Before training camp began, the 22-year-old edge rusher was placed on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list with a hamstring strain. He was activated off the list on August 14th and has been back practicing with the team, and is hoping to be ready to go for Sunday’s game.

Ojulari played in every game last season, and hopefully, injuries don’t start to derail that streak. Starters are expected to play again on both sides of the ball. Considering that the Giants had Elerson Smith and Jihad Ward leave practice earlier in the week, having Ojulari back is a huge boost for a defense looking to be aggressive.

It will also be beneficial for Ojulari to get back into a rhythm after missing a good portion of training camp up to this point.

QB Daniel Jones

The offseason talk has been about Daniel Jones learning his third offense in four seasons, with questions regarding how he will respond to the pressure of finally performing up to standards.

After his first live game action in the new offense, Jones had a solid outing. In two drives, he went 6 of 10 for 69 yards and added in one rush for six yards, where he ran for a first down.

Jones also looked poised in the pocket, went through his progressions, and made nice throws to get guys in space and make plays with the ball in their hands. Jones is coming up this big season, and he’ll have another opportunity on Sunday to show that he can take command of this offense.

For Jones to succeed when the regular season rolls around, he needs to start stacking the small wins now and carry that momentum forward. He is scheduled to be against the Bengals, and if so, he needs to continue to show progress in learning this system.

ILB Darrian Beavers

The Giants have an open competition for the inside linebacker position next to Blake Martinez, who is coming back after tearing his ACL last season. Tae Crowder is currently slated as the starter, but rookie linebacker Darrian Beavers is making a strong push to eventually start in Wink Martindale’s defense.

Beavers had a strong summer coming into last week’s game and carried that success into his first NFL game. The sixth-round pick recorded three tackles and one tackle for a loss, showing to be a very physical presence as he was giving out licks on Patriots opponents.

If Beavers wants to make a strong push to start alongside Martinez and be the anchor this defense needs in the future, another strong showing on Sunday night will go a long way.

CB Aaron Robinson

If any player on this list needs a bounce-back performance, it’s second-year cornerback Aaron Robinson. The previous regime traded to draft Robinson in the third round of last year’s draft. After missing eight games his rookie year, Robinson never got the chance to settle into a depth role behind James Bradberry and Adoree’ Jackson.

With Bradberry gone and Jackson taking over CB1 duties, Robinson was first in line to take over the CB2 spot. He had a rough first showing against New England. He was beaten on the same route two plays in a row, called for a taunting penalty in the endzone, and gave up a red zone touchdown while being called for defensive holding, all in one drive.

Robinson needs to perform significantly better if he wants to be a viable option on the outside. The Giants secondary depth is already thin, and Robinson has to play well, or else he will be picked on by opposing offenses all year. If he wants to gain some fans within the organization and the fanbase, Robinson needs to tighten up on Sunday night and have a solid game against Cincinnati.

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