New York Giants 53-man roster projection -- pre-training camp edition

The New York Giants report for their 2015 training camp in less than two weeks. Yes, football is that close. With that in mind, and with some recent roster moves changing things ever so slightly, let's

Offense

Quarterbacks (2) -- Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib

Umm, not much to say here. Pretty obvious.

Running backs (4) -- Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen, Andre Williams, Orleans Darkwa

The only question here is can undrafted free agent Akeem Hunt take a spot from Darkwa. I say no.

Fullback (1) -- Henry Hynoski

Yes, the Giants will still use a fullback.

Tight ends (4) -- Larry Donnell, Adrien Robinson, Jerome Cunningham, Matt LaCosse

The Giants have six tight ends, including several talented young ones, on the roster. That probably dooms veteran Daniel Fells. I don't know if they have a use for four tight ends, but in the end I don't think they will want to part with either Cunningham or LaCosse.

Offensive line (9)

Starters -- Ereck Flowers, Justin Pugh, Weston Richburg, Geoff Schwartz, Marshall Newhouse

Reserves -- John Jerry, Brett Jones, Brandon Mosley, Michael Bamiro

I left the starters the way they were during the spring, though that clearly could change. The Giants seem to like the 6-foot-8, 340-pound Bamiro. Don't be surprised at all, though, if a veteran who isn't currently on the roster ends up on the final 53-man roster. Maybe even in the starting lineup.

Wide receivers (6) -- Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle, Dwayne Harris, Corey Washington, Geremy Davis

It is tough -- really tough -- for me to cut Preston Parker. The presence of Harris and the return of Cruz limit Parker's usefulness, however. Washington's potential is too much to ignore, and it was clear in the spring that the Giants are grooming Davis to be an important part of their kickoff and punt coverage teams.

Defense

Defensive tackle (4) -- Johnathan Hankins, Jay Bromley, Kenrick Ellis, Cullen Jenkins

Sorry, Markus Kuhn. Jenkins' ability to perhaps play some defensive end in short-yardage situations keeps him on the roster another year.

Defensive ends (5) -- Robert Ayers, George Selvie, Damontre Moore, Kerry Wynn, Owamagbe Odighizuwa

No Jason Pierre-Paul to start the season. I won't believe JPP will be in a Giants uniform Week 1 until I see it.

Linebackers (6) -- Jon Beason, Devon Kennard, J.T. Thomas, Jonathan Casillas, Jameel McClain, Mark Herzlich

Cross your fingers that Beason's brittle body holds together and that Kennard becomes the dominant force he showed flashes of being a year ago. Oh, and that J.T. Thomas III isn't just Jacquian Williams II.

Cornerbacks (5) -- Prince Amukamara, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Trumaine McBride, Josh Gordy, Mike Harris,

I would really like to have six corners. So much time is spent now with three corners on the field, and Amukamara, Rodgers-Cromartie and McBride all dealt with injuries last season. Unfortunately, it's hard enough to come up with two reserves from among the group the Giants currently have, much less three.

I went with Gordy because he can play inside and outside, has done a little work at safety and has played successfully in the past for Steve Spagnuolo. Harris did a nice job for the Giants late last season.

Want a sixth corner? Take your pick from Chykie Brown, Chandler Fenner and Jayron Hosley. Good luck. This is another spot the Giants might look to fortify with a veteran once roster cuts are made.

Safeties (4) -- Landon Collins, Jeromy Miles, Nat Berhe, Cooper Taylor

No Mykkele Thompson or Bennett Jackson here. Maybe you can cut one of the four tight ends. Maybe you could keep Thompson instead of Gordy. Right now, I don't like those options.

Specialists (3) -- Placekicker, Josh Brown;  Punter, Steve Weatherford; Long snapper, Zak DeOssie

The status quo.

Practice Squad

S Bennett Jackson, S Mykkele Thompson, OL Bobby Hart, OL Eric Herman, WR Ben Edwards, RB Akeem Hunt, TE Will Tye, CB Chandler Fenner, LB Cole Farrand, DE Jordan Stanton