Articles

By Michael Stewart/@golferbad

Introduction: With training camp just around the corner, New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman and Head Coach Pat Shurmur will be closely monitoring all the players assembled and as the year unfolds; will more than likely make decisions on who will return in 2020.  The development of the prospects from the 2019 draft class, along with the prospects on the practice squad could make an impact on what the Giants might do during the season and in the off season following the 2019 season. After reviewing all the players and positions on the Giants, I’ve come up with my Top 10 players that will not be on the Giants 2020 roster.

  1. Eli Manning (Quarterback): Might as well get the most obvious player out of the way first in Eli Manning. Manning is playing in his final year of a four year deal he signed in 2015 and the Giants drafting Daniel Jones 6th overall in the 2019 draft; it appears that the transition has already started. The only possible way for Manning to be resigned is if he leads the Giants into the playoffs and has a stellar season. Other than that, it would be hard to imagine a return to the Giants and the 2020 season with begin Daniel Jones legacy as the Giants quarterback.
  2. Janoris Jenkins (cornerback): The additions of youth and talent to the cornerback position through the draft and UDFA signing by Gettleman over the last two seasons, the writing is certainly on the wall for Jenkins. The Giants are banking on the young corners to develop quickly; which would lead to the Giants either trading Jenkins by the deadline or releasing him at the end of the season. The Giants would save $11.25M on Jenkins towards the cap.
  3. Rhett Ellison (Tight End): Ellison is another player that is on his way out of New York; especially if UDFA signee Tight End C.J Conrad continues to impress the coaching staff. Ellison would need to have the best year of his entire career in 2019; which is highly unlikely. The Giants would save $5M in cap space by either trading him or releasing him.
  4. Kareem Martin (Outside Linebacker): Martin’s first season with the Giants in 2018 was uneventful and unproductive. The Giants are counting on Martin to be more of an impact player in 2019; especially with the departure of Olivier Vernon. However; if Martin continues to struggle as a pass rusher in 2019, he will see his playing time diminish and will likely be released. The Giants would save $4.8M by releasing Martin before the start of the 2020 season.
  5. Antoine Bethea (Safety): Bethea signed a two-year deal with the Giants and would provide much needed experience to help tutor Jabrill Peppers in 2019. The Giants are banking on Bethea to give them one more productive season as they are high on last season’s UDFA signee Sean Chandler and this year’s draft pick Julian Love; who is projected to move to safety in 2020. The Giants would save $2.75M by releasing Bethea before the start of the 2020 season.
  6. Markus Golden (Outside Linebacker):  The signing of Markus Golden by Gettleman to a one-year deal was based on his production in 2016 (12.5 sacks) before he suffered an ACL injury. So Golden is on a one-year audition to prove his worth and to get a multi-year deal from the Giants. My guess here is that Golden will not be re-signed either way. Good year would raise his value and probably be priced too high for the Giants to consider a return.
  7. Wayne Gallman (Running Back): Gallman is from the Reese-McAdoo regime and that usually doesn’t bold well for any player on the Giants roster. Gallman really hasn’t established himself as a suitable backup for Saquon Barkley in 2018 and is more than likely on a very short leash. The addition of running back Rod Smith could determine Gallman’s fate as Smith can provide better production in short yardage situations and is a productive receiver. The Giants would save $735K by releasing him before the 2020 season.
  8. Paul Perkins (Running Back): Perkins is in a similar position as Gallman as he was drafted by former GM Jerry Reese. Perkins has been plague by injuries in 2018 and must have an eye-popping training camp just to make the 2019 53 man roster. If so, Perkins would need to contribute enough in 2019 to even be considered a returnee in 2020. My guess here is that Perkins doesn’t do enough and the Giants save $720M by releasing Perkins before the start of the 2020 season.
  9. Mike Remmers (Offensive Tackle/Guard): The decision to either bring back Remmers or not for 2020 will solely depend on his performance in 2018. Remmers would really need to have a solid season to be considered at all by the Giants in 2020. My guess here is that the Giants will bring in a younger Right Tackle either via 2020 draft or someone in-house like George Asafo-Adjei to fill the position long term. If not, free agency could be an option as the Giants will have more cap space available.
  10. Dalvin Tomlinson (Defensive lineman): Tomlinson struggled after the Giants traded away Damon Harrison when he moved to nose tackle for the remainder of the season in 2018. The drafting of defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence who is much more suited to play nose tackle could be the beginning of the end for Tomlinson as a Giant. Lawrence will more than likely see his playing time increase; especially on 1st and 2nd downs and Tomlinson would need to provide production in both run and pass defense to justify his playing time. 2019 will be a defining moment for Tomlinson on whether he returns in 2020. Giants would save $1.088M in cap space by either trading or releasing him before the start of the 2020 season.
  11. Alec Ogletree (Inside Linebacker): Olgletree had a PFF rating in 2018 of 50.6; which ranked him #81 among linebackers. This was not a fluke as Ogletree had the lowest PFF rating among the starters for the Rams defense and overall ranking of #80 in the league among linebackers in 2017. Ogletree will be monitored very closely in 2019 and if this trend continues, the Giants would definitely consider releasing or trading Ogletree before the start of the 2020 season. Although it’s still early, the Giants like 5th round selection Ryan Connelly and have put together an instructional tape on Connelly on proper pass-coverage technique. The Giants would save $8.25M by trading or releasing Ogletree before the 2020 season.
  12. Evan Engram (Tight End): Engram is entering his third season with the Giants and thus far his career can be best described as inconsistent. The talent is certainly there with his blazing 4.4 speed at the tight end position, but Engram has a history of dropped balls (11 in his rookie season) and also a visit to the injury list in his first two seasons. Engram was drafted by former Giant GM Jerry Reese, so we could see current GM Dave Gettleman get his own tight end in 2020, if Engram can’t put it all together.

Final Thoughts: I didn’t include quarterback Kyle Lauletta as I believe he will not make the 2019 53-man roster and could either be moved to the practice squad, traded or released before the 2019 begins. It’s also important to mention that since the arrival of GM Dave Gettleman, the Giants only have 14 players remaining on the roster that has former GM Jerry Reese fingerprints on them. Which translate that Gettleman is not afraid to turn over the roster and make moves that he believes will benefit the team not only in 2019, but for the long term. The list above has 7 players selected by Jerry Reese during his tenure as the Giants GM, so I expect to see that number of 14 decrease by the start of the 2020 season.