The Giants already made seven cuts on Monday, but will need to make 20 more before 4 p.m. Tuesday to pare down their roster to the 53-man limit.
And, as head coach Brian Daboll said in his Monday Zoom meeting with the media: general manager Joe Schoen’s phone is live.
“I think that we’re open to really improving our team any way we can,” Daboll said. “We’re looking to improve however we can…I think Joe is open for business.”
The Giants’ limited cap space kept them from making too big of a splash in the free agent market – in fact, two of their biggest offensive additions, tight ends Ricky Seals-Jones and Jordan Akins, went to IR and were released, respectively – but their 11-man draft class and lot of young talent in camp has infused a new attitude as well.
The reality is, though, that as other teams make their cuts down to 53, some of those who get released could end up on other 53-man rosters, so some of the balancing act of the cutdowns is trying to find a way to keep a few who could make a major impact somewhere else.
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“I think Joe and his staff, we’ve been meeting all morning on different things,” Daboll said. “They’ve been doing a really good job of their communication and talking to the coaches and looking at different players to evaluate.”
Wide receiver could be one of those spots where Schoen is most “open for business,” as the Giants will keep likely six out of the 10 left on the roster as of Monday afternoon – but two veterans, Darius Slayton and Kenny Golladay, are questionable to be among them.
Slayton, in the final year of his rookie deal, has been hampered by injury over the last two seasons, and would be less than $60K in dead cap hit if released. Golladay, meanwhile, is just in Year 2 of a four-year, $72 million deal, but after disappointing in 2021 and being a non-factor in camp, his spot has already been questioned by the media.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Giants have been getting trade calls on Slayton, which could be another route, but the reality is four or five tough decisions are coming.
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“I think it’s a competitive spot," Daboll said about his receivers. "I think those guys have picked up our system well, I think there’s different skill sets in that unit. I think they’re smart and I’m excited to work with them."
And although Daboll said Sunday that “the next 48 hours will be tough,” he also noted Monday that it’s going to be exciting – as will the post-deadline fallout as players become available from elsewhere.
“It’s an exciting time. Any time you’re starting out a season and you’re putting together a team it’s certainly exciting,” Daboll said. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done and we know that it’s never final. You're always trying to manage your roster and upgrade the best you can but I think all of us are ready to get going here in the regular season.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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