NY Giants Projected Depth Chart and Battles to Watch This Summer

Russell Wilson will be the starter, barring injury, and Jameis Winston the backup. While Jaxson Dart is still a long way off from pushing for the starting job, how long will it be until he potentially overtakes Winston for QB2?

Moving to QB2 would at least put Dart in a better position to get mop-up snaps later in the year, something he can’t get if he’s the emergency quarterback. 

Running Backs 

Tyrone Tracy Jr. is penciled in as the starter, with Devin Singletary behind him. Assuming Cam Skattebo is over whatever it was that kept him out of the back half of the spring, will he become the team’s short-yardage/goal-line back or have a larger role? 

And on that note, how long until he passes Singletary on the depth chart? The likely answer would be one where he shows he can adequately pass block at this level. 

Receivers

Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Darius Slayton are locked in as the top three, and Ihmir Smith-Marsette likely has a spot as the return specialist. That leaves two or three spots to be filled with players who can ideally give them something on both special teams and the offense.  

Players to keep an eye on include Jalin Hyatt (assuming he’s healthy), Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Zach Pascal. And let’s not forget the undrafted free agent receivers–Dalen Cambre, Beaux Collins, Da’Quan Felton, and Juice Wells–all of whom flashed in the spring and of whom at least one could grab the final spot on the depth chart, with the runner-up likely landing on the practice squad.

Tight Ends

Theo Johnson should be a lock. Presumably so should Daniel Bellinger and Chris Manhertz. 

But there are questions. Is Manhertz over whatever it was that kept him sidelined in the spring? Would the Giants perhaps want a scenario to unfold where rookie Thomas Fidone II makes the roster, and if so, would he potentially push Bellinger, who has a $3.604 million cap hit due to playing escalators, off the roster?  

It’s hard to envision the Giants keeping four tight ends, given that the most they’ve used 12-personnel (one running back, two tight ends) during the Brian Daboll era is 20.34%, which occurred in 2023 when they had an EPA rank of 26th, according to Sumer Sports. 

In 2024, the Giants used 12-personnel on 175 of their plays, 160 of which were outside the red zone and 15 of which were inside the red zone. 

Could we see a philosophical shift in 2025?

Offensive Line

The Giants could be planning to roll with the same starting offensive line they had for the first six games of last season: Andrew Thomas at left tackle, Jon Runyan Jr at left guard, John Michael Schmitz at center, Greg Van Roten at right guard, and Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle.

But is running it back with that group the best option?  In 2024, they allowed 14 sacks (6.0%) and 86 pressures (35.8%) over six games, with most of the damage coming on the all-important first- and second-downs to set up 146 third-down plays needing 6+ yards, and of those, 68 third-down plays needing 10+ yards. 

Does Evan Neal, whom the Giants are trying to convert to a guard, make the switch, and if so, how does that affect the starting unit? Such an occurrence would presumably push Runyan to the right side and Van Roten to the top guard/center backup.

And what of the rest of the depth? One might assume that James Hudson III will be the backup left tackle and that rookie Marcus Mbow will be the backup at right tackle. Can Jake Kubas hold off veteran Aaron Stinnie for a backup interior spot?

Defensive Line

Until further notice, it’s Dexter Lawrence II and everyone else. That’s why General Manager Joe Schoen addressed this group heavily. Rakeem Nunez-Roches is the incumbent starting defensive end.

But he wasn’t as impactful last year in terms of occupying blockers to help allow the linebackers to fill gaps–only 14 of his 53 tackles last year were solo efforts. With a $5.033 million cap hit, that’s a lot to carry on a guy who could end up as a rotational piece.   

And what can the Giants expect from rookie Darius Alexander? He missed the bulk of the spring, so there’s no telling how much that set him back. But the Giants do appear to be looking for Alexander to eventually become Lawrence’s partner on that defensive line. 

Outside Linebackers

Barring injury, the four will be Brian Burns, Chauncey Golston, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter. The only question is how defensive coordinator Shane Bowen will get all of these players on the field at once.

Inside Linebackers

Micah McFadden and Bobby Okereke should return as the starters, though Okereke’s being held out of the latter half of the spring did raise an eyebrow or two. 

The depth behind them includes second-year man Darius Muasau, who played well when pressed into a starting role, and Chris Board, who’s more of a special teams ace, but who can also give a team defensive snaps. 

Will there be a spot for Dyontae Johnson, who looked so good last summer until suffering a significant high ankle sprain that put him on IR for most of the season?

Cornerbacks

Despite adding Paulson Adebo to pair with Deonte Banks, there still seem to be many unanswered questions about this group. For one, will Shane Bowen have the two cornerbacks play sides, or will Adebo travel with the opposing team’s top receiver? 

In the past, Adebo has primarily played the bulk of his snaps at outside corner on the left side–per PFF, he has played 1,216 snaps at left cornerback over the last two years. Banks, in the last two seasons, has primarily played right cornerback, logging 1,044 snaps in that position.   

And speaking of Banks, where does Cor’Dale Flott fit into the picture? Flott, who appeared to have emerged as a competitor to Banks, has played both outside cornerback spots equally, but has had trouble staying on the field. Do the Giants have enough depth at this all-important position?

Slot Cornerback

Dru Phillips was another of the many bright spots from last year’s rookie class and should take a huge step forward. His backup is currently projected as Dee Williams, but if Flott loses out on the outside cornerback role, could Flott be the backup to Phillips? 

Safeties

Jevon Holland and Tyler Nubin are projected as the starters, and Dane Belton is behind them. Assuming Anthony Johnson, Jr. is recovered from his offseason shoulder issue, he should be the fourth safety, with rookie Makari Paige likely a practice squad candidate.

Specialists

The Giants have no competition in camp for long snapper Casey Kreiter, who last year had one of his most productive seasons, or Jamie Gillan. 

The kicker is another story. The Giants kept Jude McAtamney around to presumably push Graham Gano, who has the third-highest cap hit of all kickers in the league, but whose long-distance kicking the last two years had not been up to par. 

In the last two seasons (18 games played due to injuries), Gano has converted 12 of 17 on field goal attempts of 40+ yards, including 5 of 6 in 50+ yard attempts. 

The good news, according to special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial, is that Gano has looked more like his pre-injury self. We’ll get to see if that’s the case this summer.