The New York Giants released their very first depth chart ahead of the 2019 season on Tuesday afternoon and for the most part, it came with very few surprises.
That’s not to say there weren’t any, however. So let’s take a look:
Quarterbacks
Depth: Eli Manning, Daniel Jones, Alex Tanney
There’s really nothing that comes as any sort of eye-opener here. For those who refused to believe Manning was the starter — surprise! Beyond that, things shook out exactly the way we expected it to when it was revealed that Tanney had made the 53-man roster.
Running backs
Depth: Saquon Barkley, Wayne Gallman, Paul Perkins, Eli Penny
Again, the surprises here came during the 53-man roster reveal and not necessarily the depth chart reveal. It has long been thought that Gallman would be the primary backup to Barkley with Penny playing fullback. Perkins slides in as RB3.
Wide receivers
Depth: Sterling Shepard, Cody Latimer, Bennie Fowler, Russell Shepard, Darius Slayton, Cody Core
Golden Tate would be at the top of this depth if not for his four-game suspension, but once again, we already knew all of that. Latimer becomes the No. 2 alongside Shepard and Fowler the No. 3. The newly signed Core bottoms out the depth, but with lingering injuries to Slayton, could see some playing time.
Tight ends
Depth: Evan Engram, Rhett Ellison, Garrett Dickerson, Eric Tomlinson
The only surprise here is that the Giants are sticking with four tight ends, which likely stems from Dickerson nursing a hamstring injury. If he were completely healthy, it’s likely Tomlinson wouldn’t be here. But for the time being, this is how the depth at tight end shakes out.
Offensive line
Depth: Nate Solder (LT), Will Hernandez (LG), Jon Halapio (C), Kevin Zeitler (RG), Mike Remmers (RT), Spencer Pulley (C/G), Nick Gate (G/T), Chad Slade (G/T), Eric Smith (T)
No real surprises here, either. The only lingering question for the Giants was who would get the official starting nod at center, and that always seemed destined to be Halapio. Meanwhile, both Gates and Slade get dual designations, while the newly added Smith is listed as one-dimensional.
Defensive line
Depth: B.J. Hill, Dalvin Tomlinson, Dexter Lawrence, Olsen Pierre, R.J. McIntosh
Specifically, Hill and McIntosh are listed at left defensive end, Lawrence and Pierre at right defensive end and Tomlinson as the nose tackle. Of course, the Giants will rotate their linemen, including the three who start on gameday. This is essentially a position-less group depending on down and distance.
Linebackers
Depth: Markus Golden (OLB), Lorenzo Carter (OLB), Alec Ogletree (ILB), Tae Davis (ILB), Ryan Connelly (ILB), Kareem Martin (OLB), Oshane Ximines (OLB), Nate Stupar (ILB), David Mayo (ILB)
And there it is — Tae Davis gets the starting nod alongside Ogletree to start the season. That’s quite a climb for a guy who went undrafted in 2018, but one that’s well-deserved. Meanwhile, Martin and Ximines are rotational backups, while Ryan Connelly lands the ILB3 spot.
Cornerbacks
Depth: Janoris Jenkins, Deandre Baker, Antonio Hamilton, Grant Haley, Corey Ballentine
Jenkins is CB1, while both Baker and Hamilton are listed as CB2. Apparently the Giants have yet to decide which of those two start alongside the Jackrabbit. Meanwhile, Haley is listed as the starting nickel corner and Ballentine as depth. Make no mistake about it however, all five will play.
Safeties
Depth: Jabrill Peppers, Antoine Bethea, Michael Thomas, Sean Chandler, Julian Love
No real surprises here. Peppers and Bethea are the obvious starters, while Thomas and Chandler back them up. Love, who can play both safety and cornerback, is at the back-end of the depth chart as he continues to develop.
Specialists
Depth: Aldrick Rosas (K), Riley Dixon (P), Zak DeOssie (LS), Cody Latimer (KR1), Corey Ballentine (KR2), Jabrill Peppers (PR1), Darius Slayton (PR2)
This is the one most fans were waiting for. We knew who the kicker, punter and long-snapper would be, but what about the return men? Well, here you have it — Latimer and Peppers are the primary return men with Ballentine and Slayton slated to back them up.
Depth chart: Offense
| Starter | Backup | Depth | Depth | |
| QB | Eli Manning | Daniel Jones | Alex Tanney | |
| RB | Saquon Barkley | Wayne Gallman | Paul Perkins | Eli Penny |
| WR | Sterling Shepard | Darius Slayton | Cody Core | |
| WR | Cody Latimer | Russell Shepard | ||
| WR | Bennie Fowler | Golden Tate (susp) | ||
| TE | Evan Engram | Rhett Ellison | Garrett Dickerson | Eric Tomlinson |
| LT | Nate Solder | Chad Slade | ||
| LG | Will Hernandez | |||
| C | Jon Halapio | Spencer Pulley | ||
| RG | Kevin Zeitler | Nick Gates | ||
| RT | Mike Remmers | Eric Smith |
Depth chart: Defense
| Starter | Backup | Depth | |
| DE | B.J. Hill | R.J. McIntosh | |
| NT | Dalvin Tomlinson | ||
| DE | Dexter Lawrence | Olsen Pierre | |
| OLB | Markus Golden | Kareem Martin | |
| ILB | Alec Ogletree | Nate Stupar | David Mayo |
| ILB | Tae Davis | Ryan Connelly | |
| OLB | Lorenzo Carter | Oshane Ximines | |
| CB | Janoris Jenkins | Corey Ballentin | |
| CB | Deandre Baker Antonio Hamilton |
||
| CB | Grant Haley | ||
| SS | Jabrill Peppers | Michael Thomas | |
| FS | Antoine Bethea | Sean Chandler | Julian Love |
Depth chart: Special teams
| Starter | Depth | |
| K | Aldrick Rosas | |
| P | Riley Dixon | |
| LS | Zak DeOssie | |
| KR | Cody Latimer | Corey Ballentine |
| PR | Jabrill Peppers | Darius Slayton |
