Big Blue View - Giants' 2016 90-man roster breakdown: Player-by-player profilesYour place for year-round New York Giants discussion and informationhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47371/bigblueview_fave.png2016-07-26T11:54:54-04:00http://www.bigblueview.com/rss/stream/114394072016-07-26T11:54:54-04:002016-07-26T11:54:54-04:00Kerry Wynn gives Giants DE depth
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<img alt="Kerry Wynn" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GFtmnBDylKga1MgaKNLm_ta8bBY=/0x127:1829x1346/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50133343/usa-today-8944105.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kerry Wynn | Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>This is the final post in our roster profile series.</p> <p>Every team needs rotational defensive linemen who, at the least, understand their assignments, can play the run, play physically and give maximum effort. That is what defensive end <span>Kerry Wynn</span> does for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigblueview.com/">Giants</a>.</p>
<p>Let's take a closer look at the 25-year-old Wynn, entering his third season with the Giants after making the roster in 2014 as an undrafted free agent. This is the finale in our series profiling all of the players who comprise the 90-man roster the Giants will bring to training camp.</p>
<h4>2015 Season in Review</h4>
<p>Wynn played 578 snaps last season, more than any other Giants defensive end. In fact, Wynn played more snaps than Giants defensive lineman except <span>Cullen Jenkins</span>, who played 732. And that was a major part of the problem as a defensive line largely incapable of pressuring the quarterback or holding the line of scrimmage against the run was largely responsible for the Giants finishing last in the league defensively.</p>
<p>That is not to say it was Wynn's fault. It wasn't. The fact is, though, he is a role player much more suited to the 184 snaps he played in 2014 than the major role he was forced to play throughout much of 2015, especially before <span>Jason Pierre-Paul</span> returned for the second half of the season.</p>
<p>Wynn had no sacks and only two quarterback hits in 2015. He made 53 tackles, all but one on running plays, and had five tackles for loss against the run.</p>
<h4>2016 Season Outlook</h4>
<p>As things stand entering training camp, Wynn should be the Giants fourth defensive end. <span>Olivier Vernon</span> and Jason Pierre-Paul should bookend the edges of the Giants' four-man front. <span>Owamagbe Odighizuwa</span>, the 2015 third-round draft choice who missed most of last season with hamstring and foot injuries, is expected to be the third defensive end, sliding in to a defensive tackle spot in pass-rush situations.</p>
<p>That would put Wynn comfortably, and properly, in the role of fourth defensive end and special teamer. Used in spot duty Wynn has value because he can play the run and he won't make egregious mistakes. Over used he becomes a liability as he isn't a dynamic athlete or great pass rusher.</p>
https://www.bigblueview.com/2016/7/26/12205286/giants-roster-preview-de-kerry-wynnEd Valentine2016-07-26T10:00:03-04:002016-07-26T10:00:03-04:00Winging it! Brad Wing settles in with Giants
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<img alt="Brad Wing" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vn6izDu3WEblLcIeu8t2I2dxH40=/0x0:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50133341/usa-today-8919109.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Brad Wing | Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>After a good 2015 season, Wing got a three-year deal from the Giants</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigblueview.com/">New York Giants</a> have already let us know what they think of punter Brad Wing. The three-year, $6.425 million contract the Giants just gave Wing tells us they are happy enough with the 25-year-old that they want to keep him around for a while.</p>
<p>Let's take a closer look at Wing as we near the end of our player-by-profiles of the 90-man roster the Giants will bring to training camp.</p>
<h4>2015 Season in Review</h4>
<p>After a year in which he struggled to find consistency while punting with a severely injured left ankle (his plant foot) and eventually a back injury, the Giants gave popular punter <span>Steve Weatherford</span> an opportunity to show that he was once again healthy and could resume kicking as proficiently as he had during his first few seasons with the Giants. Unfortunately for Weatherford, he continued to punt the ball inconsistently throughout training camp and the preseason.</p>
<p>The Giants ultimately decided to move on from Weatherford, acquiring the left-footed Wing from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/">Pittsburgh Steelers</a> in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick. Trading for a punter might be considered an unusual move, but Wing justified GM Jerry Reese's decision by having an excellent season.</p>
<p>Wing isn't a bomber, he is more of a hang-time, directional punter, but he averaged a respectable 44.5 yards per punt, with a net average of 38.9 yards. Wing's specialty was dropping punts inside the 20-yard line. Thirty-three of his 76 punts (43.4 percent) were downed inside the 20. Thirteen of those were downed inside the 10-yard line. While not generally a threat to hit long, awe-inspiring punts, Wing proved adept at limiting returns. He finished eighth in the league in punts fair caught, with 21, or 27.6 percent.</p>
<p>When I spoke to Wing during the 2015 season, he said his job was simple."<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bigblueview.com/2015/10/2/9435253/ny-giants-punter-brad-wings-steve-weatherford-jordan-berry-dwayne-harris">Eliminate return man</a>" as much as possible.</p>
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<p>"The whole thing that I'm trying to do is just eliminate return man. That's everybody on the punt team. We just want to take their returners out of the game, that's the main focus," Wing said. "You don't want to hit an 80-yard punt and have it run back 50. That's kind of pointless. It's finding a good balance in between and just letting the guys go hunt."</p>
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<p>Wing also smoothly transitioned into holding for Giants' placekicker <span>Josh Brown</span>.</p>
<h4>2016 Season Outlook</h4>
<p>Wing did good work in 2015. Special teams coordinator Tom Quinn saw signs in the spring that Wing might be even better going forward.</p>
<p>"He is better directionally than he was," Quinn said. "He is doing more things with the ball coming off of his foot, so I have been very pleased with what he has done this spring, he has been very solid."</p>
<p>During my conversation last season with Wing, it was obvious he understands there is more to punting than just blasting the ball down the field.</p>
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<p>"Direction and hang time, they are areas of my game that I have spent a lot of time on over the past couple of years.""It's not just standing back there and punting the ball down the field. There's some times where the punt may require a little more hang time or a little more direction. Not every situation requires the same punt. You have to have a bag of tricks, just be able to deliver different types of punts in the situation of the game whether it be a short punt from midfield or a backed up punt coming out of the end zone.</p>
<p>"You have to hit different punts to get a good result."</p>
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<p>Perhaps there are a few more of these in his -- and the Giants -- future.</p>
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https://www.bigblueview.com/2016/7/26/12205284/giants-roster-preview-punter-brad-wingEd Valentine2016-07-26T08:09:18-04:002016-07-26T08:09:18-04:00Ishaq Williams trying unusual comeback
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<img alt="Ishaq Williams during a 2013 game with Notre Dame" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/p7FPVS6bV0ydORU9_oc7j_2xsK0=/0x216:2807x2087/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50129797/GettyImages-185451661.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Ishaq Williams during a 2013 game with Notre Dame | Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Can Williams complete unlikely comeback?</p> <p><span>Ishaq Williams</span> of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigblueview.com/">New York Giants</a> is not your typical NFL rookie. Thanks to the fallout from an academic cheating scandal while at Notre Dame, Williams has not played football since 2013. Still, the Giants saw enough from the Brooklyn native to <a href="http://www.bigblueview.com/2016/5/8/11634530/ishaq-williams-says-giants-have-signed-him-after-tryout">sign him to a contract after rookie minicamp</a>.</p>
<p>Can Williams, so far removed from actually having played football, actually shake off the rust and make the Giants' 53-man roster? The Giants, obviously, are curious. They are. however, far from certain.</p>
<p>"It (football) is not something that you can go out to the playground and play. You need it to be on a team and be around a team. It is tough to simulate the game," coach Ben McAdoo said during the spring. "That is why having the big lapse between the end of the season and the off-season program is such a challenge."</p>
<p>Let's take a closer look at Williams as we continue profiling the players who will make up the 90-man roster the Giants will bring to training camp in just a few days. We will dispense with the usual "2015 Season in Review/2016 Season Outlook" format, since there was no 2015 season for Williams.</p>
<p>If you want to know more about how Williams, so far removed from football, got an opportunity with the Giants, Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/vacchiano-ishaq-williams-signs-giants-complete-comeback-article-1.2628938">posted an excellent look at his journey</a> during rookie minicamp. For our purposes, let's focus on the opportunity at hand.</p>
<p>A 6-foot-4, 253-pound 23-year-old, Williams is listed on the teams' official web site as a defensive end. Throughout the spring, however, Williams appeared to work mostly as a linebacker, specifically as a WILL, with the Giants apparently looking to see if his athleticism will make him a fit on the edge.</p>
<p>Dave-Te Thomas of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft">NFL Draft</a> Report <a href="http://nfldraftreport.sportsblog.com/posts/17640956/the-nfl-draft-report-s--needle-in-a-haystack--series---after-two-years-on-the-sidelines--ex-notre-dame-five-star-recruit--ishaq-williams-hopes-to-suit-up-one-day-for-the-new-york-giants.html">posted a lengthy piece of Williams</a> after the Giants signed him. Here are details from that.</p>
<p><b>2016 Notre Dame Pro Day results</b> -- 4.83 in the 40-yard dash...1.79 10-yard dash...2.90 20-yard dash...4.45 20-yard shuttle...7.51 three-cone drill...31-inch vertical jump...10'-00" broad jump...Bench pressed 225 pounds 25 times...33 1/8-inch arm length...9 ½-inch hands...81 ¼-inch wingspan.</p>
<p>Those were good enough to earn him the tryout with the Giants.</p>
<p>Thomas also included a complete scouting report on Williams from his 2013 season with the Fighting Irish. Of Williams' chance to stick with the Giants, Thomas says "Williams faces long odds in his quest for a roster spot. Obviously, with just one quarterback sack in 35 college games, one would assume that the Big Blue did not bring the Brooklyn native on board for his pass rushing skills."</p>
<p>If the Giants are indeed hoping to teach Williams the WILL position, perhaps his best hope will be to latch on to a practice squad spot. The Giants already have more veteran linebackers than they can use, and the practice squad might give Williams an opportunity to fully re-introduce himself to the daily football routine.</p>
https://www.bigblueview.com/2016/7/26/12200554/giants-roster-preview-de-lb-ishaq-williamsEd Valentine2016-07-25T12:47:07-04:002016-07-25T12:47:07-04:00Do Giants really believe in Andre Williams?
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<img alt="Andre Williams carries the ball during minicamp" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lhzatqewimR_dEIf7uXOnmB08Go=/0x297:1689x1423/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50128151/usa-today-9341975.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Andre Williams carries the ball during minicamp | William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Where does Williams fit in crowded backfield?</p> <p><span>Andre Williams</span> was clearly the least effective player in the much-maligned, abandoned-much-too-late four-man committee the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigblueview.com/">New York Giants</a> used at running back in 2015. The numbers are stark. Williams averaged 1.5 yards less per carry than <span>Rashad Jennings</span>, <span>Shane Vereen</span> and <span>Orleans Darkwa</span>, who combined to average 4.36 yards per carry while Williams averaged 2.9</p>
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<p>The Giants have yet to see more than small flashes of the back they hoped they were getting when they selected the former Boston College star in the fourth round of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft">2014 NFL Draft</a>. He led the Giants in yards rushing in 2014 with 721, but averaged a puny 3.3 yards per carry. Over two seasons, Williams has rushed 305 times for 978 yards, an average f just 3.2 yards per carry.</p>
<p>Let's look more closely at the former Heisman Trophy candidate as we continue our player-by-player profiles of the 90-man roster the Giants will bring to training camp in just a few days.</p>
<h4>2015 Season in Review</h4>
<p>Williams regressed in 2015. After showing glimpses of becoming a capable NFL back with a couple of late-season 100-yard games in 2014, Williams was not good in his second season. His carries dropped from 217 as a rookie to just 88 and after catching 18 passes in 2014 he had just one reception in 2015.</p>
<p>Using its DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) formula, Football Outsiders judged only two of 105 running backs graded last season to be less effective than Williams.</p>
<p>There are a number of theories. Was he impacted by the four-man committee, simply not getting enough opportunities? Since he is not an adept pass-catcher, do teams crowd the line of scrimmage anticipating run up the gut when he is on the field? Does he need to be used more often out of single-back sets? Because there isn't a lot of what scouts call "wiggle" in his game, was he impacted by the struggles to get consistent blocking from the fullback and tight end spots? Does he just not have the vision or quickness to quickly identify a hole and hit it?</p>
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<link href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3608425/mustreads.css" rel="stylesheet">
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<h4>2016 Season Outlook</h4>
<p>Rather than pare down the committee the Giants used last season, they added competition to the mix. They drafted UCLA's Paul Perkins and signed veteran change-of-pace back Bobby Rainey. Toss in UDFA Marshaun Coprich and that's seven guys for what will probably be four spots.</p>
<p>Where does Williams, coming off his sophomore stinker, fit?</p>
<p>The Giants' brain trust said repeatedly throughout the spring that they were not ready to toss in the towel on Williams.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"I think a lot of people may be willing to give up on Andre. I think it may be early for that," head coach Ben McAdoo <a href="http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2016/02/ben_mcadoo_dont_give_up_on_giants_running_back_and.html" target="_blank">said at the combine</a>." I look forward to Andre bouncing back this year and having a bounce-back year."</p>
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<p>Offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan summarized the organization's stance on Williams with this comment prior to the commencement of OTAs:</p>
<p>"Very diligent, very competitive, and he's only a third-year player. We're looking forward to seeing the next step that he's able to take. There is a power factor, a size factor, a strength factor that he brings to the table."</p>
<p>Listed at 5-foot-11, 230 pounds, Williams told reporters in the spring that he had dropped about 10 pounds and was lighter than he was when he entered the league in 2014.</p>
<p>Sullivan said the Giants have noticed, but that doesn't mean Williams is guaranteed anything.</p>
<p>"I think Andre, a little bit lighter, is hitting the holes better and we want to see where he progresses once we get into training camp," Sullivan said. "I do know he has lost some weight. He does look quicker. He's worked very, very hard, but again there's a lot of young men in that room and it's going to be a very good competition."</p>
<p>To be honest, where Williams ends up in that competition is anyone's guess. He could end up as the No. 2 back, as he was in 2014, resting Jennings and filling in if the veteran is banged up. He could end up out on the street looking for a new team.</p>
<p>We will just have to wait and see how it all shakes out.</p>
https://www.bigblueview.com/2016/7/25/12199168/giants-roster-preview-rb-andre-williamsEd Valentine2016-07-24T09:00:03-04:002016-07-24T09:00:03-04:00Can Whitlock prove Giants still need a fullback?
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<img alt="Nikita Whitlock" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MoirzOccRGsjQVK0IOcyBkKwEH8=/0x119:1521x1133/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50124945/usa-today-9327339.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Nikita Whitlock | Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Giants have been signaling they may be moving away from using a traditional fullback</p> <p>During training camp and preseason a year ago, observers like myself and others kept watching <span>Nikita Whitlock</span>, and thinking "he needs to make the team, but how?" The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigblueview.com/">New York Giants</a> already had incumbent fullback <span>Henry Hynoski</span>, and the Hynocerous had become of the NFL's better fullbacks.</p>
<p>No way the Giants could keep two fullbacks. And they wouldn't cut Hynoski for a stumpy 5-foot-10 kid who played defensive tackle in college and had never played a regular-season snap at fullback. Would they? Well, as we know now, they did exactly that.</p>
<p>Whitlock won the job, as we know. The Giants decided they would live with his growing pains as a fullback because of the other things Whitlock brought to the table. Those would be his ability to make plays on coverage teams, and his ability to rush the passer when used in that role from the defensive tackle spot.</p>
<p>Whitlock's all-around efforts also won the hearts of Giants fans.</p>
<p>Now, the question for Whitlock is whether or not he can hold onto his job. Let's take a closer look at that situation as we continue profiling the players on the 90-man roster the Giants will bring to training camp.</p>
<h4>2015 Season in Review</h4>
<p>Whitlock played in 14 games, starting five, before finishing the season on IR with a knee injury. The Giants didn't use the fullback a great deal on offense, as Whitlock played only 132 offensive snaps. That's 11.85 percent of the team's offensive snaps, an average of 9.4 per game. He played 276 snaps on special teams, fourth-most on the team. He played 61 fun-to-watch snaps as a pass rush specialist, using his spin move to net one sack and four quarterback hits.</p>
<h4>2016 Season Outlook</h4>
<p>Now we come to the tricky part. Whitlock earned the adoration of the fans for what he did last season, and the admiration of the coaching staff. He earned praise from then-coach Tom Coughlin for his improvement as a fullback. Yet, his roster spot appears to be in serious jeopardy as training camp closes in.</p>
<p>Why? Mostly because of the presence on the 90-man roster of <span>Will Johnson</span>. A four-year veteran with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/">Pittsburgh Steelers</a>, <span>Johnson</span> was signed as a free agent during the offseason. Listed as a fullback, the 26-year-old <span>Johnson</span> is really much more than that. He is a hybrid fullback/tight end/H-Back. He spent the spring practicing with the tight ends, but during 11-on-11 drills the Giants would often line up with a tight end in the backfield rather than a fullback, sometimes two tight ends.</p>
<p>Fullback, of course, is a vanishing position in the NFL. The Giants are one of only a few teams that still used one in 2015. If the Giants are ever going to move away from utilizing a traditional fullback, the presence of Johnson and the overall depth of the tight end group the Giants have on their 90-man roster, would make now the time.</p>
<p>Whitlock has done nothing wrong, it's simply that he appears to be a more limited offensive player than Johnson and a couple of the other tight ends who may be able to lead block from the backfield.What about defense, you ask? Whitlock did bulk up to around 260 pounds, but that is still too small to play defensive tackle regularly. He did so to be a more forceful blocker. With some of the additions the Giants have made, it seems unlikely Whitlock's role as a pass-rush specialist will be reprised in 2016.</p>
<p>All of that could, unfortunately, leave Whitlock as the odd man out when the 53-man roster is finalized. I wouldn't, however, count him out. Remember, few people thought he would knock Hynoski off the roster a year ago.</p>
https://www.bigblueview.com/2016/7/24/12195860/ny0giants-roster-preview-2016-fb-nikita-whitlockEd Valentine2016-07-23T10:00:02-04:002016-07-23T10:00:02-04:00Can Myles White hold off challengers for WR job?
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<img alt="Myles White makes a leaping catch last season vs. the New England Patriots" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pLNtgrcY41oLy-Fqfk_Z6czkkvc=/0x152:1797x1350/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50121461/usa-today-8929086.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Myles White makes a leaping catch last season vs. the New England Patriots | Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>White in heated competition for final couple of wide receiver roster spots</p> <p>During all of our discussions this offseason about the competition for the final couple of roster spots at the wide receiver position, there is one player we have mentioned but pretty much glossed over. That would be <span>Myles White</span>, who played in 12 games and caught seven for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigblueview.com/">Giants</a> last season.</p>
<p>Let's rectify that today by taking a closer look at White as we continue profiling the 90 players the Giants will bring to training camp later this month.</p>
<h4>2015 Season in Review</h4>
<p>A 6-foot, 190-pounder out of Louisiana Tech, White entered the NFL in 2013 as an undrafted free agent with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/">Green Bay Packers</a>. He caught nine passes that year, but spent 2014 on the Green Bay practice squad. The Packers cut White at the end of the 2015 preseason, and he quickly landed on the Giants' practice squad. That, perhaps, was logical because then-offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo was familiar with White from his time with the Packers. White, of course, already knew McAdoo's offense.</p>
<p>White benefitted from the calf injury that cost <span>Victor Cruz</span> the 2015 season. Needing an extra wide receiver, the Giants added White to the active roster when <span>Daniel Fells</span> was placed on IR with MRSA in early October.</p>
<p>White's seven catches came on 20 targets, a completion percentage of only 35 percent. White had multiple receptions in only one game, the Week 16 game during which Odell Beckham Jr. was suspended. White caught two passes in four targets that night for 34 yards and a touchdown.</p>
<p>One significant note from last season. White did dress for the final seven games of the season. Then-rookie sixth-round pick <span>Geremy Davis</span> was inactive for the final six games.</p>
<h4>2016 Season Outlook</h4>
<p>So, here is the question. Does White's familiarity with the offense and his prior connection to McAdoo, now the head coach, give him an advantage in the competition for the last couple of receiver spots on the 53-man roster? The answer is -- we'll find out in a few weeks.</p>
<p>Coming out of spring practices White, <span>Davis</span>, <span>Darius Powe</span> and <span>Roger Lewis</span> would appear to be the four receivers with the best shots at those final roster spots. White has 4.42 speed, the McAdoo connection and familiarity with the offense. His biggest disadvantage might be size, as Davis, Powe and Lewis are all bigger. With Sterling Shepard, Victor Cruz, <span>Dwayne Harris</span> and Odell Beckham Jr. all capable of rotating into the slot, the Giants could be looking for a couple of bigger-bodied receivers to fill out the roster.</p>
<p>White will also have to show that he can be a more reliable target for <span>Eli Manning</span> than he was last year. The 35 percent catch rate included two drops in 20 targets, an unacceptable 10 percent.</p>
https://www.bigblueview.com/2016/7/23/12192054/giants-roster-preview-wr-myles-whiteEd Valentine2016-07-22T14:00:02-04:002016-07-22T14:00:02-04:00Trevin Wade should get chance to stick around
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<img alt="Trevin Wade" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qquPisnIavcLLVALgMljN_CWjE4=/0x123:2365x1700/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50118543/usa-today-8764223.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Trevin Wade | Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Right now, Wade looks like the Giants' fourth cornerback.</p> <p>Perhaps the player most directly impacted by the first-round draft selection of <span>Eli Apple</span> is cornerback <span>Trevin Wade</span>, If everyone is healthy, Wade, who manned the slot for the <a href="https://www.bigblueview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Giants</a> much of last season, would seem likely to be the player who loses the most snaps.</p>
<p>Let's take a closer look at Wade as we continue our player-by-player profiles of the 90-man roster the Giants will bring to training camp in just a few days.</p>
<h4>2015 Season in Review</h4>
<p>A 2012 seventh-round pick by the <a href="https://www.dawgsbynature.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cleveland Browns</a>, Wade bounced from the Browns to the <a href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New Orleans Saints</a> to the practice squad of the <a href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Detroit Lions</a> before being signed to a reserve/futures contract by the Giants in 2015. Wade took advantage of the opportunity, earning a spot on the 53-man roster as a reserve cornerback.</p>
<p>Wade ended up as a valuable member of the secondary, playing in all 16 games and starting three. After playing no defensive snaps the first two weeks, he played sparingly in the next three games.He became the team's primary slot corner in Week 6 and remained there the rest of the season. He ended up playing 529 snaps, or 45.8 percent of the defensive plays.</p>
<p>Wade finished the season with 48 tackles, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, six passes defensed and five quarterback hits as a blitzer off the edge.</p>
<h4>2016 Season Outlook</h4>
<p>Wade, who turns 27 on August 1, should make the team. With Janoris Jenkins, <span>Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie</span> and Apple expected to see most of the playing time, however, his role could be limited. That could change if there is an injury or if Apple struggles as a rookie, but right now Wade appears to be ticketed for special teams duty and work as an emergency fill-in at corner. Fortunately for the Giants, the 5-foot-10, 192-pound Wade can play in the slot or on the outside.</p>
https://www.bigblueview.com/2016/7/22/12188348/ny-giants-roster-preview-cb-trevin-wadeEd Valentine2016-07-21T06:21:23-04:002016-07-21T06:21:23-04:00Olivier Vernon: Big deal, bigger expectations
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<figcaption>Olivier Vernon | William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>To do so, the high-priced free agent defensive end might need to have the best season of his career</p> <p><span>Olivier Vernon</span> has never been an All-Pro. He has never been to a Pro Bowl. He has never played on a team that reached the playoffs, or had a dominant defense. He had just 7.5 sacks last season and has only reached double digits in sacks (11.5) once in his four-year career.</p>
<p>Why then did the <a href="https://www.bigblueview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New York Giants</a> break -- no, absolutely demolish -- the bank to sign the 25-year-old defensive end as a free agent, signing him to a market-altering five-year, $85 million deal with an outlandish $52 million guaranteed?</p>
<p>"Because all of the offensive coaches thought that he was the toughest player to play against last year. I thought that said it all," defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said during mandatory minicamp. "Then you put on the tape and he is one of those guys that has a high motor and he makes a difference in the football game. Jerry Reese saw the same thing, Ben saw the same thing, everybody kind of felt the same way when we watched him."</p>
<p>Fact is, there really weren't any true difference-makers on the Giants' defense in 2015. It was a year when this proud franchise with a long, rich history of quarterback-terrorizing, defense-driven championships finished last in the league in yards allowed per game and consistently failed to get stops at critical game-turning junctures. </p>
<div class="pullquote">Vernon is a young pass rusher with all the tools ... We believe he's right at the beginning of his prime. <span>- Jerry Reese</span>
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<p>This was a team that didn't just need defensive players -- it needed special defensive players. A bunch of 'em, in fact. That's why <span>Janoris Jenkins</span>, a playmaking corner, replaced Prince Amukamara. It's why <span>Damon Harrison</span>, thought by many to be the best run-stuffing defensive tackle in the league, replaced the aging <span>Cullen Jenkins</span> and try-hard-but-wasn't-good-enough <span>Markus Kuhn</span>.</p>
<p>It's why the Giants were willing to change the economic structure of the defensive end position to sign Vernon, an ascending player they believe can help transform a putrid defense into a powerful one and help remind people of the not-so-long-ago days when Giants' defensive ends were feared.</p>
<p>"Vernon is a young pass rusher with all the tools," GM Jerry Reese said when the Giants announced Vernon's signing. "He makes plays, and he plays the game with an edge. We believe he's right at the beginning of his prime and will continue to improve."</p>
<p>Can Vernon live up to the expectations? Will he be worth the gargantuan amount of money the Giants bestowed upon him? Can he help save Spagnuolo's job? Let's take a closer look at Vernon as we continue our series of player-by-player profiles of the 90-man roster the Giants will bring to training camp in just a few short days.</p>
<h4>2015 Season in Review</h4>
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<p>Vernon had 7.5 quarterback sacks in 2015, a number that looks fairly pedestrian. There were, in fact 26 players who had more sacks last season than Vernon.</p>
<p>To understand what Vernon did and why the Giants are betting that entering his fifth season is just becoming a star player, you must look much deeper. So, let's do that.</p>
<p>Vernon had 18 tackles for loss in 2015. Only Khalil Mack, <span>J.J. Watt</span> and <span>Aaron Donald</span> had more. Only Watt and Donald surpassed Vernon's 36 quarterback hits. Only four defensive ends made more than Vernon's 61 tackles.</p>
<p>Those are all dominant numbers. We haven't, though, gotten to the best part. That would be the destructive force Vernon became over the final eight games of last season. <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641761&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.profootballfocus.com%2Fis-olivier-vernons-elite-contract-year-worth-a-long-term-deal%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bigblueview.com%2F2016%2F7%2F21%2F12165032%2Fny-giants-roster-preview-can-olivier-vernon-meet-giant-expectations" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Take it away, Pro Football Focus</a>:</p>
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<p>Over the first eight games of the 2015 season, Vernon's cumulative PFF grade was +1.3, and he had two sacks and 24 total pressures to his name. Over the final eight games of the season that grade was +53.6 and he had eight sacks and 57 total pressures.</p>
<p>His grade for the final eight games of the season alone would have ranked second-best among all edge rushers over the season, trailing only Oakland's Khalil Mack.</p>
<p>We undoubtedly saw an incredible peak to Vernon's play this past season. At his best, he was -- and is -- a devastating pass rusher who plays the run extremely well. He showed play that can rival any edge defender in football, but did so over just eight games.</p>
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<p>That stretch is why the Giants, in Reese's words, believe that Vernon is "right at the beginning of his prime."</p>
<p>That is the player the Giants paid for, and that they will be expecting to get.</p>
<h4>2016 Season Outlook</h4>
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<p>Michael Strahan. Leonard Marshall. George Martin. Osi Umenyiora. Justin Tuck. For a time and hopefully once again, Jason Pierre-Paul. For you old-timers, Andy Robustelli and Jim Katcavage. This is the pantheon of great Giants defensive ends.</p>
<p>The expectation for Vernon, given the most guaranteed money ever for a defensive end, is that in 2016 he will be dominant. That he will begin to etch his name on the tablet that includes the names of all of those great Giants defensive ends just named.</p>
<p>Vernon understands <a href="http://www.bigblueview.com/2016/3/10/11197420/antrel-rolle-helped-sell-olivier-vernon-on-ny-giants-rumors-news">what he has gotten himself into:</a></p>
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<p>"There's always going to be expectations, right," he said way back in March. "I know what work I have to put in to get to where I want to get to. It's all about having patience and working hard and being myself. Not having any type of outside influence faze me."</p>
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<h5>Out of his comfort zone</h5>
<p>Everything is new to Vernon as he starts his Giants career.</p>
<p>In Miami, Vernon was never the headliner on defense. In Vernon's first three seasons with the <a href="https://www.thephinsider.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dolphins</a> defensive end <span>Cameron Wake</span> was the headliner, making the Pro Bowl in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and being named All-Pro in 2012. Wake played only seven games in 2015, but the headliner was <span>Ndamukong Suh</span>, by virtue of the monstrous six-year, $114.375 million ($59.955M guaranteed) free-agent contract Suh signed with Miami before the season.</p>
<p>Now, Vernon, by virtue of his own free-agent mega-deal, is the headliner. When a play needs to get made the Giants will look to him to make it. When pressure needs to be applied, the Giants will expect him to be bearing down on the opposing quarterback.</p>
<p>How will he handle that? </p>
<div class="pullquote">There's always going to be expectations. <span>- Olivier Vernon</span>
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<p>"I have worked for everything. Coming into the league my first year, I was on special teams. I had to work to get my playing time on the field and that is what I did come my second year and I have just been working for everything that I have gotten right now, so nothing has been given to me. I had to take everything, so right now this is just another opportunity for me to just prove my talents and go out there with something to prove," Vernon said in the spring.</p>
<p>There is one other major adjustment Vernon has to make -- being out of Miami for the first time in his life. The 25-year-old was born in Miami, played collegiately at Miami, was drafted in the third round of the 2012 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft" class="sbn-auto-link">NFL Draft</a> by the Dolphins and spent his first four seasons with Miami.</p>
<p>The New York City/New Jersey area -- for a lot of reasons -- is not Miami.</p>
<p>"It's something that I wanted to do as far as have a change of pace," Vernon said during his introductory press conference. "My mom (Bernadette), she kind of mentioned it to me as well. She said I should see something different. There's a whole different world out there, and there isn't any better place to live than New York for the time being."</p>
<p>Vernon was again asked about the transition when OTAs began.</p>
<p>"I spent my whole life there. My whole life in Miami. 25 years. It's different. It's a different chapter. Being able to see something different, a bigger city, a faster pace, but it's always good to have a change of scenery from time to time and I'm glad I chose this spot to make my home."</p>
<p>The Giants are banking on Vernon having a long, successful stay in New York. And, hopefully, adding his name to that list of great defensive ends to have played -- and won championships -- with the Giants."I remember watching the games when I was younger, watching the games of them in <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl" class="sbn-auto-link">the Super Bowl</a>, them in the spotlight," Vernon said. "Those guys, they got after it. They set the standard of what a D-line should be, especially on the big stage like that. We just got to get back to that."</p>
<p>The Giants are paying him to lead the way. Soon enough, we will find out if their money was spent wisely.</p>
https://www.bigblueview.com/2016/7/21/12165032/ny-giants-roster-preview-can-olivier-vernon-meet-giant-expectationsEd Valentine