Position groups to watch in first preseason game
EAST RUTHERFORD » If you’re planning on a first look at the 2017-18 Giants in person Friday night at MetLife Stadium, don’t expect to see too much starpower.
Head coach Ben McAdoo said Wednesday that the Giants will treat their first preseason game “very similar” to last year’s. That would likely mean no Eli Manning, no Odell Beckham and limited action for the likes of Jason Pierre-Paul and Landon Collins.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh PostGazette is reporting that Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and other Steelers starters will not play. Le’Veon Bell is still holding out from training camp for a new contract.
Still, most of the Giants’ starters should play at least a few series, and there are plenty others vying for jobs over the next few weeks. Because of an NFL rule change, there is now just one set of roster cuts — from 90 to 53 — following the fourth and final preseason game.
Here are key position groups to watch when the Giants host the Steelers:
OFFENSIVE LINE
The Giants’ Super Bowl aspirations partly stem from a belief the offensive line will be better this season. And while the question marks won’t be answered until the regular season, Friday will offer a glimpse into the potential of five returning starters.
The first unit (left tackle Ereck Flowers, left guard Justin Pugh, center Weston Richburg, right guard John Jerry, right tackle Bobby Hart) should see a fair amount of snaps together. The Giants ranked 29th in rushing last season, and McAdoo harped Wednesday on the importance of setting the tone in the run game early.
Keep an eye on D.J. Fluker, a former first-round pick and hulking 6-foot-5, 345-pound guard/ tackle whom the Giants signed in the offseason for competition. Rookies Chad Wheeler and Adam Bisnowaty have also impressed in camp with their physicality at left and right tackle, respectively.
TIGHT END/FULLBACK
A group that was decimated by injuries last season is suddenly rejuvenated and crowded.
The Giants want to be more multiple on offense this season, much of which is predicated on versatility at the tight end/fullback position.
First-round pick Evan Engram, a speedy seam buster, has a safe roster spot. So does offseason signee Rhett Ellison, a blocking specialist with some pass-catching ability. Don’t be surprised to see both on the field together at some point Friday.
Beyond them, Matt LaCosse, Jerell Adams, Will Tye and Colin Thompson are all closely battling to make the team.
LaCosse, who came on strong in the offseason after two injuryplagued years, has been a playmaking receiver in camp, and McAdoo has called him a conscientious, smart player. But LaCosse, like the others, needs to emerge in games now.
Jacob Huesman and Shane Smith are competing to make the roster as a true fullback, something the Giants didn’t have last season. One of them has to contribute effectively on special teams for that to happen.
WIDE RECEIVER
The Giants also have a bit of a logjam with their wide receivers.
Tavarres King, Roger Lewis, Darius Powe and Travis Rudolph are considered the frontrunners for essentially two spots if the team decides to retain six receivers. The preseason will go a long way toward sorting that out.
King emerged late last season and caught a touchdown in the Giants’ playoff loss to the Packers, but he’s been nursing an ankle injury and should be considered questionable against the Steelers.
After a year on the practice squad, Powe has been a star in camp with his length (6-foot-3) in the receiving game. Rudolph, an undrafted rookie out of Florida State, is a shifty player who has shown flashes.
Keeon Johnson, Jerome Lane, Kevin Norwood and Kevin Snead will also have ample opportunity with Sterling Shepard (ankle) likely out. Brandon Marshall, though, should see some snaps in the preseason opener.
CORNERBACK
The Giants waived oft-injured Mykkele Thompson on Thursday, leaving Michael Hunter and Donte Deayon as the favorites to make the team behind the star-studded trio of Janoris Jenkins, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Eli Apple.
The Giants entered camp with arguably more depth concerns at corner than any other position. Hunter and Deayon, two secondyear players, both signed futures contracts in January but have only a combined 17 regular-season snaps between them.
They’re two to eyeball carefully Friday. Last week, McAdoo touted Hunter’s length and physicality, and praised Deayon’s passion and energy.
Valentino Blake is another player in the mix at corner. He’s a five-year veteran who played 364 snaps on defense with the Titans last season, grading 79th among 111 qualifying corners by Pro Football Focus.
LINEBACKER
The corresponding move with Thompson on Thursday was the signing of rookie Jimmy Herman, a Purdue product.
Herman gives the Giants some depth at linebacker, where Keenan Robinson (concussion) and Mark Herzlich (stinger) are nursing injuries. J.T. Thomas has been on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list for the duration of camp.
Herman is likely a longshot to survive roster cuts, but he’ll be in the mix with Curtis Grant, Stansly Maponga, Calvin Munson and Deontae Skinner in the preseason.
An exciting development for fans is second-year player B.J. Goodson, whom teammates have raved about as a vocal leader throughout camp. The Clemson product is projected to be the team’s new starting middle linebacker. His first test of relaying calls to the defense in a game comes against the Steelers.
KICKER
The Giants signed 13-year veteran kicker Mike Nugent last week to challenge Adrick Rosas. McAdoo said Tuesday that it will be a “tight competition.”
Rosas, 22, has shown off a powerful leg throughout the offseason and camp but hasn’t kicked in a game since last preseason. The Titans cut the undrafted rookie out of Southern Oregon last September, but he’ll have a legitimate chance with the Giants, who lost Robbie Gould in free agency.
Nugent spent the last seven seasons as the Bengals’ kicker. Persistent struggles in 2016 culminated with five missed extra points in five games, prompting Cincinnati to release the 35-year-old in December.