The New York Giants are heading into their final preseason game. They will face off against the New England Patriots on the road tonight at 7:30 p.m. All NFL teams must make their final roster cuts by Saturday, so the final preseason game is crucial for those players on the roster bubble.
The Giants have plenty of talented players on the bubble this year. The team has a lot of depth which should leave the front office with multiple tough decisions. Here are three players on the bubble to watch in the Giants’ final preseason game:
Alex Tanney/Kyle Lauletta
The Giants’ real quarterback competition is behind Eli Manning and Daniel Jones. Eli is the starter in 2019 and Daniel Jones will be backing him up for the foreseeable future. But the real question is whether or not the Giants will keep three quarterbacks on the roster.
Some fans argue that this would be unncessecary. Eli Manning has never missed a game due to injury in his 15 seasons of football and Daniel Jones is a first-round talent that looks ready to play if he must. The Giants might choose to keep a third quarterback for added security, but they might not need to.
If they do keep a third quarterback, there is a competition for that spot between Alex Tanney and Kyle Lauletta. Tanney is a veteran quarterback who could provide some added leadership for Daniel Jones in the future. But Lauletta was the Giants’ fourth round pick last year and has potential to serve as a long-term backup.
Both quarterbacks have looked good throughout preseason, but this battle is not yet won. The competition has been close, but should be decided in tonight’s preseason game.
Rod Smith/Paul Perkins
Saquon Barkley is arguably the best running back in the NFL. His job is secured and so is Wayne Gallman’s backup position. But like the quarterback competition, the real battle is for third-string.
Paul Perkins was the forgotten man in the Giants backfield heading into the offseason. But, after a strong training camp, Perkins has started jogging people’s memory. Perkins had a shaky start to preseason against the Jets, fumbling the ball away in that game.
But in week two, Perkins responded with 6 carries for 35 yards against the Bears. Perkins is the favorite to make the team due to seniority, but he has received some competition from Rod Smith.
Smith was signed to the Giants during the offseason. He had a solid 10 carry, 42 yard game against the Bears in the second week of preseason, but like Perkins, had a lackluster week three. The two will battle it out tonight against the Patriots and the better performer will most likely be the running back that stays with the Giants.