The end of the preseason is one of the roughest times to get cut. A number of players managed to battle through training camp and through four preseason games, which in a way are more important to the bubble players than anyone else, to stay on the team until the week before the regular season.
NFL roster rules, though, means that a team can’t take everyone into week one. Cuts are needed to get the squad down to 53 players, and the New York Giants have just wrapped up a recent round of cuts for that reason. Some of the names were expected to end up on the cut list, other ones are more surprising.
Wide receiver Roger Lewis is perhaps one of the surprising ones. The Giants chose to trim down their receiving corps by getting rid of Lewis, Alonzo Russell, Marquis Bundy, Kalif Raymod, and Amba Etta-Tawo. Interestingly, Hunter Sharp has not been cut, meaning the Giants value the versatility of the inconsistent return man slash receiver rather than the more specific skillset of Lewis. They also saw enough talent in Russell Shepard to keep him around, rather than a bubble player.
Lewis, 24, played college football at Bowling Green State and would have entered his third year with the Giants. He put up strange statistics over his first two years, registering two touchdowns in both 2016 and 2017. The difference between those two years? Lewis had 36 receptions compared to 7, but couldn’t get more than two touchdowns even with Odell Beckham Jr. injured for much of the season.
Additionally, his catch percentage was one of the lower ones on the team during the 2017 season, which might be part of the reason behind him falling out of favor. He failed to pick up the performances during the 2018 preseason, recording no catches against New England and one each against the Jets and Lions.
Still, Lewis took the time to thank the team on Twitter, despite being cut.
thank you new york giants for giving a kid from columbus,ohio an opportunity this past three years..teammates turned into brothers, fans turned into family loved every second. GOD always come shining through adversity, my next opportunity going be special… GOD’s plan..🤫 pic.twitter.com/VOa0QemjKW
— Roger Lewis (@OttoLewis_) September 1, 2018