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It's game week. Doesn't it feel good to say that again, Giants fans?
Leading up to Friday's preseason opener in Cincinnati, the New York Giants released their first unofficial depth chart for the base offense, defense and special teams. As training camp is fully underway at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, one thing to keep in mind is that depth charts are always fluid, changing constantly based on performance and health.
**>> VIEW GIANTS UNOFFICIAL DEPTH CHART**
The Giants depart Monday to hold two joint practices with the Bengals before their game at Paul Brown Stadium. But before then, here are five takeaways from the initial depth chart:
OFFENSE | ||||
WR | Rueben Randle | Corey Washington | Geremy Davis | Derrick Johnson |
LT | Ereck Flowers | Emmett Cleary | Sean Donnely | Will Beatty (PUP) |
LG | Justin Pugh | Adam Gettis | Michael Bamiro | |
C | Weston Richburg | Dallas Reynolds | Brett Jones | |
RG | Geoff Schwartz | John Jerry | Eric Herman | |
RT | Marshall Newhouse | Brandon Mosley | Bobby Hart | |
TE | Daniel Fells | Larry Donnell | Adrien Robinson | Jerome Cunningham |
Will Tye | ||||
QB | Eli Manning | Ryan Nassib | Ricky Stanzi | |
RB | Rashad Jennings | Andre Williams | Shane Vereen | Orleans Darkwa |
Akeem Hunt | Kenneth Harper | |||
WR | Victor Cruz | Preston Parker | Julian Talley | |
WR | Odell Beckham Jr. | Dwayne Harris | Juron Criner | James Jones |
FB | Henry Hynoski | Nikita Whitlock | ||
DEFENSE | ||||
LDE | Kerry Wynn | Owa Odighizuwa | Brad Bars | |
LDT | Cullen Jenkins | Markus Kuhn | Kenrick Ellis | Dominique Hamilton |
RDT | Johnathan Hankins | Jay Bromley | Carlif Taylor | |
RDE | Robert Ayers | Damontre Moore | George Selvie | Jordan Stanton |
SLB | Devon Kennard | Mark Herzlich | Victor Butler | |
MLB | Jon Beason | Jameel McClain | Uani 'Unga | Tony Johnson |
WLB | JT. Thomas III | Jonathan Casillas | Cole Ferrand | |
LCB | D.Rodgers-Cromartie | Jayron Hosley | Trumaine McBride | Josh Gordy |
SS | Bennett Jackson | Mykkele Thompson | Jeromy Miles | Justin Currie |
FS | Landon Collins | Cooper Taylor | Nat Berhe | Justin Halley |
RCB | Prince Amukamara | Chykie Brown | Chandler Fenner | Trevin Wade |
Mike Harris | ||||
SPECIALISTS | ||||
P | Steve Weatherford | Robert Malone | ||
H | Steve Weatherford | |||
K | Josh Brown | Chris Boswell | ||
LS | Zak DeOssie | |||
KR | Dwayne Harris | Preston Parker | Orleans Darkwa | Andre Williams |
PR | Dwayne Harris | Rueben Randle | Jayron Hosley | Odell Beckham Jr. |
1. Giants list 12 starters on offense.
Wide receiver is one of the deepest positions on the Giants' roster, so naturally coach Tom Coughlin and second-year offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo want as many on the field as possible. Victor Cruz, who is returning from a knee injury; Odell Beckham Jr., the reigning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year; and Rueben Randle, who was just shy of a 1,000-yard season in 2014, are all listed on the first team as starters. In a two-wide receiver formation, veteran Henry Hynoski, who played all 16 games with four starts last season, lines up in the backfield.
2. Offensive line stayed the same; Fells top tight end.
Recent injuries in training camp have caused some shuffling, but the first-team offensive line remains intact on the depth chart: left tackle Ereck Flowers, left guard Justin Pugh, center Weston Richburg, right guard Geoff Schwartz and right tackle Marshall Newhouse. While limited, Flowers (hip flexor) and Richburg (knee) returned to practice over the weekend, but Schwartz (ankle) did not. Meanwhile, veteran Daniel Fells is listed as the top tight end, ahead of Larry Donnell, who missed all of spring drills but has been on the field from the start of training camp. Donnell played all 16 games with 12 starts in a breakout 2014 campaign.
3. Collins and Jackson are starting safeties.
After returning no starters at the position, safety was one of the main questions heading into the offseason. While safeties coach David Merritt called it a "wide open" competition, the initial top tandem consists of rookie Landon Collins and Bennett Jackson, a second-year pro who is transitioning from cornerback. However, Jackson did not practice on Saturday with a quad issue, while Nat Berhe, who is listed on the third team, continues to deal with a calf injury.
4. Top two draft picks are projected to start; two more on second team.
In addition to Flowers, the ninth overall draft choice, and Collins, whom the Giants traded up to select with the first pick of the second round, safety Mykkele Thompson (fifth round) and defensive end Owa Odighizuwa (third) are both listed on the second team at their respective positions. As for the rest of the Giants' 2015 draft class, wide receiver Geremy Davis (sixth) is on the third team and Bobby Hart (seventh) is listed as the third right tackle behind Newhouse and Brandon Mosley.
5. Ayers and Wynn bookend JPP-less defensive line.
With the ongoing Jason Pierre-Paul situation, veteran Robert Ayers Jr. and Kerry Wynn are the starting defensive ends. Ayers is on the right side, where Pierre-Paul, who suffered serious hand injuries in a July 4 fireworks accident, started all 16 games last season. Meanwhile, Cullen Jenkins and Johnathan Hankins man the middle as the top defensive tackles. Damontre Moore is listed second at right defensive end.