Training camp is just around the corner and the New York Giants need to prepare to make some difficult decisions at the end of the offseason. Each team will need to trim their rosters down from 90 to 53 players prior to the start of the 2023 regular season. When evaluating New York’s roster ahead of the summer practices, three players stand out as potential cut candidates.
Is Elerson Smith out of time?
The Giants drafted Elerson Smith out of Northern Iowa in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Since then, the 6-foot-6, 262-pound athlete has played in only 13 games, logging just 121 career defensive snaps.
Smith has struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. He missed the entirety of the 2022 season with a season-ending injury suffered in the preseason. If he cannot get healthy and make an impact during training camp and the 2023 preseason, Smith is at risk of being cut in favor of younger, healthier talents on the team’s roster.
The Giants could save money at slot cornerback
Darnay Holmes has been the Giants’ primary slot cornerback for the past few years, but the team could elect to go in a new direction this season. Holmes struggled in coverage in 2022, surrendering a career-high 435 yards in coverage.
Holmes is due to make $2.9 million against the cap this season; a high price to pay for an inconsistent player. Releasing Holmes would save the Giants $2.74 million in salary cap space and allow them to go with younger talent at the position, like second-year CB Cor’Dale Flott.
Shane Lemieux’s final chance to show up
Shane Lemieux is another Giants player that has struggled with injuries throughout his career. Lemieux has played in only two games across the past two seasons, despite opening each of the last two regular seasons as the team’s presumed starter at left guard.
Entering 2023, Lemieux has an uphill battle to make the roster. He will be competing against Ben Bredeson and Joshua Ezeudu for the open left guard job this summer. However, Bredeson and Ezeudu are the favorites to win the position. Lemieux may ultimately end up as the odd-man-out and the Giants could release him to save $1 million against the cap.