Giants Release Eight Players Ahead of Sunday's Roster Deadline

TThe New York Giants got a jump on Sunday’s final cutdown deadline, releasing eight players on Saturday afternoon.

Defensive tackle Leki Fotu, wide receivers Isaiah Hodgins and Kobe Prentice, tight end Josiah Deguara, linebacker Anfernee Orji, cornerback Ugo Amadi, offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes and running back Damon Bankston were all cut Saturday.

The Giants’ roster now sits at 83 players ahead of Sunday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline to set their 53-man roster.

The Giants Released Eight Players Saturday

None of Saturday’s cuts was particularly surprising. Prentice had only been signed earlier this week when Calvin Austin III was placed on injured reserve, and Hodgins was made redundant by general manager Joe Schoen’s revamping of the wide receiver room this offseason.

Hodgins had 10 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown in seven games last season.

Bankston, an undrafted free agent, ran for 62 yards on 11 carries in the Giants’ 23-6 win over the Jets on Friday, but he was fighting an uphill battle after the team signed Najee Harris last week.

Like Prentice, Jaimes had only been added as an injury replacement, signed when center John Michael Schmitz sustained a concussion during training camp.

Fotu was perhaps the most surprising release, but with the Giants running a 3-4 defense, drafting Bobby Jamison-Travis and moving Chauncey Golston inside, the 6-foot-5, 330-pound interior lineman became expendable.

The Giants Will Need to Cut 30 More Players Sunday

Saturday’s cuts kick off the dreaded two-day stretch across the league in which hundreds of players will be released.

For the Giants, the most surprising non-release was kicker Ben Sauls, since coach John Harbaugh confirmed Dominic Zvada won the kicker job Friday night. Expect Sauls to be among the first names released Sunday.

Projecting the Giants’ roster this year will be tricky, since it’s Harbaugh’s first season as head coach. Only a handful of players are safe bets, since Harbaugh has drafted just this year’s rookie class himself.

The most fascinating name to watch Sunday is Darius Slayton, especially since the New York Post reported he could be among the players cut.

Wide receiver Malachi Fields has looked like the Giants’ WR2 opposite No. 1 wideout Malik Nabers, with Darnell Mooney and perhaps Odell Beckham Jr. rounding out the receiving corps.

If the choice comes down to Beckham or Slayton, releasing Slayton would leave the Giants with a $12.7 million dead cap hit. But if the Giants trade Slayton before Sunday evening, they could save almost $13 million in cap space.