Giants' John Harbaugh facing tough decisions in trimming roster. Will Odell Beckham Jr. make the team?
Giants' Odell Beckham Jr. reacts after a first down during the second quarter against the Jets during a preseason game at MetLife Stadium on Friday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Giants training camp is over. The next question is whose Giants time also is over.
John Harbaugh’s next major decisions as head coach will be trimming the roster to 53 players. By 6 p.m. Sunday, he’ll have his first official team.
“They’re all tough [decisions],” he said Saturday of the cuts. “To say that one’s tougher than another or more challenging or more difficult, in all honesty, they’re all tough. Because all these guys are really good players.”
So let’s figure out Harbaugh’s major choices. Odell Beckham Jr.’s best preseason game came with praise Friday but not a promise of a roster spot. Harbaugh said he did enough to make an NFL roster, but he didn’t say if it would be his roster.
Beckham was proud of what he did in camp and hoped it was enough to keep him here.
“It’s in God’s hands,” he said. “This is where I want to be. This is where I want to give my everything to.”
It will be a shock if Beckham doesn’t stay on the team. He played second-team reps throughout camp, and his dropped deep pass Friday was as much on Jameis Winston being slightly off target as Beckham’s failure to catch it. So barring a surprise, expect good news for Beckham’s comeback to continue.
Another obvious decision was made, with Harbaugh saying undrafted rookie Dominic Zvada won the kicking battle. Zvada was more accurate in camp than Ben Sauls, and he made field goals of 53 and 46 yards Friday.
Neither kicker missed in preseason, but Zvada’s total body of work won the job and Harbaugh’s trust.
As for some obvious cuts? Two longtime Giants in Evan Neal and Jalin Hyatt likely are facing the end of their tenures.
It was surprising when Neal was re-signed to a one-year deal. The 2022 first-round pick, who hasn’t played since Week 17 in 2024, mostly did third-team reps at guard and did little to move up in the rotation.
Rookie J.C. Davis, by contrast, did impress playing left tackle the last two games. The sixth-round pick should make the team. Neal likely won’t, which will end his disappointing tenure.
Hyatt hasn’t practiced since suffering a leg injury on Aug. 10. Even when healthy, he couldn’t move up from the third-team receiver group.
Since being drafted in the third round in 2023, Hyatt has yet to produce consistently or much at all. The injury might seal his fate to be waived.
Another possible cut? Linebacker Darius Muasau. He has started 18 of his 27 games in two seasons but has been mostly on third-team duty in camp. He didn’t help his case Friday by not stopping Jordan Stout’s 81-yard punt from going into the end zone.
Sixth-round pick Jack Kelly played ahead of Muasau on Friday. That’s a sign that Muasau could be among the roster cuts.
Some might wonder about Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s fate after his missed block and fumble in the first two preseason games. His spot in the running back rotation might be in doubt, but his roster spot is not.
Harbaugh had four running backs last season in Baltimore. Also consider that Tracy is the closest thing to a home run threat in the backfield. He should be safe.
Finally, there is receiver Darius Slayton. The current Giant with the longest tenure played 33 snaps Friday but wasn’t targeted. Most of the other veterans sat out Friday or were pulled in the first quarter.
Slayton, who signed a three-year deal last season, has been passed by rookie Malachi Fields in the rotation. He also is set to make $12.3 million this season, with $9.7 million guaranteed.
If he’s waived, the team will save $3.16 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap.com. They also would absorb a cap hit of up to $12.7 million in dead money.
Harbaugh hasn’t been loyal to players he inherited. After all, Dexter Lawrence was traded. But Slayton should have a chance to prove he can bounce back after battling a sports hernia that limited him last year.
However, the fact that his job may be in jeopardy is why Harbaugh was hired. He was tasked to improve the Giants immediately. That’s why his decisions by Sunday night are crucial. As Beckham’s play showed, a player’s past resume won’t matter as much as their present production and future potential.
Giants waive eight players
The Giants waived eight players Saturday ahead of Sunday’s deadline to trim rosters to 53 players.
Cornerback Ugo Amadi, running back Damon Bankston, tight end Josiah Deguara, defensive tackle Leki Fotu, wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes, linebacker Anfernee Orji and receiver Kobe Prentice were cut. Deguara and Prentice were signed this past week.
Ravens DT Okoye acquired
The Giants acquired Ravens defensive tackle C.J. Okoye in a trade Saturday for a 2028 seventh-round draft pick, a league source confirmed to Newsday.
Okoye, who is 6-6 and 365 pounds, played 13 games last season for the Ravens and had a fumble recovery in their preseason game Friday night. The Nigerian native came to the United States in 2023 through the International Player Pathway Program and spent two seasons on the Chargers’ practice squad.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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