Big Blue View
Which one has a better chance of being correct?
Projections of what the New York Giants’ 53-man roster might look like are standard fare at this time of year, with spring practices concluded and a break of several weeks before the beginning of training camp.
I did one recently. If you haven’t read it, well, get to it. Patricia Traina of Giants on SI also did one.
If you have followed Big Blue View for any length of time you know that Traina and I are friends, that we were long-time podcast co-hosts, that we still swap appearances on each other’s shows, and that when it comes to the Giants we manage to agree a high percentage of the time.
As such, it is no surprise that her 53-man projection and mine are eerily similar, with differences mostly in places where I admitted things could turn out differently in September than I projected in late June.
I thought it might be fun to compare some of the places where Traina and I differ, and offer some of my thoughts.
This is the major difference between Traina’s predictions on the offensive side of the ball and mine. Patty has Gray making the roster as a fourth running back. I have three running backs (Tyrone Tracy, Cam Skattebo, Devin Singletary) with a fourth tight end making the roster in Fidone. Patty keeps only three tight ends (Theo Johnson, Daniel Bellinger, Chris Manhertz).
Here’s why Patty kept Gray:
The wild card in this mix is Skattebo, not because I don’t think he makes the roster, but because he didn’t practice all that much during the spring, which puts him behind the curve.
For that reason, I’m projecting that four running backs will be kept, at least until we gain clarity on what Skattebo has been dealing with and if it will keep him out of practice when the team starts up again next month.
Here’s why she hopes to get Fidone through waivers to the practice squad:
I have Fidone going to the practice squad so he can work on polishing up his game and adding some bulk to better hold up in line. But, like running backs, there is a question about Chris Manhertz, who didn’t work much this past spring.
If Manhertz is ready to roll, then I think you have to consider the future of this position in terms of who the team keeps and who it does not. The Giants will probably have two openings at tight end next year if they move on from Daniel Bellinger and Manhertz, so I think Fidone is more for the 2026 roster than he is for this year.
I get the debate about Fidone, and I agree that he was drafted with 2026 (when Bellinger can be a free agent and Manhertz might not be re-signed) than for 2025. In my post-draft 53-man roster projection, I also had Fidone going...
