The New York Giants pared their roster down to 53 players on Tuesday to comply with the league mandate.
Here are some surprise cuts the team made in order to reach that number.
Wide receiver Alex Bachman
Alex Bachman led all NFL players in the preseason with 19 receptions and two touchdowns. He showed reliability and resiliency during his breakout summer.
But the Giants have painted themselves into a corner at wide receiver. They are locked into Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney, who have been busts thus far and doubled back on Sterling Shepard.
They really like rookie Wan’Dale Robinson and free agent Richie James and are still deciding the fate of Darius Slayton, so they’ll part ways with Bachman — for now.
Linebacker Quincy Roche
The drafting of Kayvon Thibodeaux and the addition of free agent Jihad Ward made Quincy Roche’s return a bit more difficult. The Giants are still invested in Azeez Ojulari and Elerson Smith and like what they’ve seen out of Oshane Ximines. UDFA Tomon Fox has also had a good camp.
Quarterback Davis Webb
Tyrod Taylor is apparently healthy enough for the Giants to go with just two quarterbacks to open the season. That doesn’t mean Davis Webb is out of the picture. It’s unlikely another team will claim him and even more unlikely that he’ll accept. The prediction here is that Webb will hang around either on the practice squad and wait for another chance from Daboll and the Giants.
RB Jashaun Corbin
Jashaun Corbin showed good burst and goal line ability in the preseason but the Giants have four healthy backs in front of him in Saquon Barkley, Gary Brightwell, Antonio Williams and Matt Breida. No room at the moment, but he is expected to be added back to the practice squad.
DE Ryder Anderson
Ryder Anderson came on strong throughout the summer and appeared to have positioned himself for a spot on the 53-man roster. He led the team in tackles for a loss over the course of three preseason games but couldn’t beat out players like Oshane Ximines.
