The New York Giants are set to begin their preseason schedule against the Jacksonville Jaguars this Friday, and the Giants official site has released an unofficial depth chart for the game. There are some interesting story lines to be sure, so let’s take a look at who will be getting what kind of reps come Friday.
We’ll start with the offense.
Quarterback
Starter – Eli Manning
Backups – David Carr, Ryan Perrilloux
My Take: Nothing to see here. The Giants will bring two quarterbacks for the regular season, leaving Perrilloux to make the practice squad. But Perriloux has not done much with his opportunities in camp, so the Giants just may cut him outright in September.
Wide Receivers
Starters – Victor Cruz, Domenik Hixon
Second String – Jerrel Jernigan, Ramses Barden
Third String – Rueben Randle, Isaiah Stanback
Remaining – Brandon Collins, David Douglas, Dan DePalma, Hakeem Nicks, Julian Talley
My Take: Nicks is saying he plans on playing week one, so don’t freak out about him not even being listed on the third string. He likely will not play Friday. Randle may be behind Jernigan and Barden, but he is a rookie and he’ll have to earn the team’s respect before he gets serious consideration for the second string. Jernigan and Barden have apparently looked good in camp, so this first game will be a test for them to impress the coaches.
Runningbacks
Starter – Ahmad Bradshaw
Second String – David Wilson
Third String – D.J. Ware
Remaining – Da’Rel Scott, Andre Brown, Joe Martinek
Fullback – Henry Hynoski, (Joe Martinek)
My Take: I’m actually surprised to see Wilson as Bradshaw’s backup, not because of lack of ability but because he is a rookie and I did not think he would be the backup until some point midway through the season. Obviously what he’s done in camp has impressed enough to gain the coaches confidence.
Tight Ends
Starter – Bear Pascoe
Second String – Martellus Bennett
Third String – Adrien Robinson
Remaining – Christian Hopkins, Ryan Purvis, Larry Donnell, Travis Beckum
My Take: I’m still surprised to see Pascoe ahead of Bennett on the depth chart, but I expect that to change at some point during camp or the preseason. Jerry Reese raved about how good of a blocker Bennett is, even going so far as to compare him to former Giants tight end Howard Cross. Robinson still has a long way to go, but it is encouraging to see him ahead of Hopkins.
Offensive Line (Starter to Third String)
LT – Will Beatty, James Brewer, Matt McCants
LG – Kevin Boothe, Selvish Capers, Brandon Mosley
C – David Baas, Chris White, Jim Cordie
RG – Chris Snee, Mitch Petrus, Steve Goodin
RT – David Diehl, Sean Locklear, Joel Reinders
My Take: No surprises at all from the starters standpoint, though with Beatty’s injury concerns I’m surprised they are going to play him Friday. Both Locklear and Brewer have seen time behind Beatty, so it’s anyone’s guess as to who will start if Beatty misses time. My money is on Locklear, since he has more experience.
It is also very much a surprise to see Petrus behind Snee instead of Boothe, though that could be just to keep things consistent on the site. Petrus is likely the backup for both guard spots. It also is clear that fourth round pick Mosley is making the move to guard despite playing right tackle in college. The Giants like his versatility, so he should make the final roster.
Jeff is an NFL Featured Columnist for www.RantSports.com. He contributes mainly to the New York Giants and NFL Rumors pages. He also will occasionally touch on the NBA and humorous videos involving all sports.
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