The New York Giants host the Chicago Bears in Week 2 of the 2019 NFL preseason on Friday night with still plenty of questions to be answered and roster spots to be had.
Here are three players who have the most to gain in Friday’s game.
Gain: Linebacker Ryan Connelly
Connelly will get probably more reps since Alec Ogletree (calf) is unlikely to suit up. The fifth-rounder out of Wisconsin has been impressing the coaching staff from the moment he got here. He appears to be gaining their trust and could see a lot more reps as a rookie than we anticipated.
“I think he’s shown us that he belongs on the field,” said head coach Pat Shurmur. “Like any young player, when somebody goes down ahead of you, you get in there and take advantage of the reps you have.”
Lose: Linebacker B.J. Goodson
After a mixed performance in Week 1 of the preseason, Goodson will need to make his presence felt on Friday or risk taking another step closer to being left off the 53-man roster.
With the emergence of Connelly, improved play from Tae Davis and Nate Stupar also stepping up his defensive game, Goodson has been in a constant slide, even being relegated to third-team reps in practice.
Gain: Quarterback Daniel Jones
Jones was perfect in his debut last week against the Jets, hitting all five passes with smooth precision. He was so good that people forget he was on the field for only one possession and was playing with the second team.
This week, Shurmur has vowed to give Jones more snaps and some with the first team to see how he does.
There’s a chance that he could play behind the one (offensive) line,” Shurmur said. “The plan, obviously, last week was to play him longer. But with the delay, I shut down that whole group and restarted with a new group. That was the idea. Ideally, the way last week played out would have been for Eli to play a few more plays, and then Daniel Jones to play a few more plays.”
Lose: Quarterback Kyle Lauletta
Lauletta could just as easily being listed as a player with the most to gain, but because Eli Manning and Daniel Jones are locks for the 53-man roster, the second-year quarterback finds himself in precarious position.
In Week 1, Lauletta played unexpectedly well after dealing with injuries for much of the spring and summer, but it would be too little too late as veteran Alex Tanney also lit things up.
With a poor performance, Lauletta could end any hope of being named QB3 while also hurting his potential trade value.
Gain: Linebacker Jake Carlock
Carlock wowed onlookers with a nifty pick-six and a sack last week against the Jets. As a kid coming into camp as a long shot to make the team, he’s opening some eyes and could be in for more snaps vs Chicago. He’s got nothing to lose at this point.
“I knew it was going to be a challenge, for sure,” Carlock said. “I knew it was going to be tough coming from D2 (Division II), coming from a small school. But they gave me a shot, and them giving me a shot I’m so thankful for, and I knew I was going to give 100 percent every single day. Just to prove to them and give them a reason for me being here, so every day I think the same. I got a great group of guys and coaches around me and they help me so much. It’s easy coming out and working for them.”
The Giants are in the market for football players and Carlock is surely that. If he continues to make plays, he’ll be a hard guy to cut.
Lose: Running back Paul Perkins
After an unimpressive Week 1 performance, Perkins’ spot on the Giants suddenly seems to be hanging in the balance.
The Giants have very real issues at running back behind Saquon Barkley, who is unlikely to play this preseason, and there was a belief that Perkins could take over for Wayne Gallman as RB2. However, entering Week 2 of the preseason, depth at the position appears to be completely up in the air.
If Perkins struggles again against the Bears, he could slide further down the depth chart, behind both Gallman and Rod Smith, leaving him to battle things out with undrafted rookie Jonathan Hilliman for the final spot on the 53-man roster.
