With the start of the NFL season getting closer and closer, teams across the NFL begin to make roster moves and cuts to solidify their 53-man roster. As for the New York Giants, they’re looking to build a roster that can produce much better results than how the team performed last season in 2023. After going 6-11 this past season and missing the playoffs, Joe Schoen and company knew that they had to build a roster that was capable of competing in the ultra-competitive NFC East.
With some new faces on this team from the draft and in free agency, the Giants knew that they had to make some costly roster cuts to players who have contributed to this team. These three players in particular who were also big parts of New York’s 2022 playoff success, had to be let go by the team in the latest strings of roster cuts.
1. Tight End Lawrence Cager
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This move should not come as a huge surprise for Giants fans, Lawrence Cager, who the Giants signed to their practice squad in 2022, was going to have a hard time finding a place on this roster. Especially with the Giants drafted tight end, Theo Johnson, out of the fourth round in this past year’s NFL Draft, Cager was just not going to work out.
Despite recording his first NFL touchdown in a Week 10 matchup against the Houston Texans in 2022 that helped him get elevated to the active roster for New York, he was pretty much non-existent last season for the Giants on offense. Cager just had four receptions for 36 yards last season and a touchdown so it was going to be hard for him to stay on the team. Especially with Cager dealing with a hamstring injury throughout training camp, it was almost going to be a miracle if he stayed on this team for the start of the regular season.
2. Wide Receiver Isaiah Hodgins
Isaiah Hodgins became a fan favorite when the Giants claimed him off waivers in 2022. Hodgins, who Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll knew during their days with the Buffalo Bills together made an instant impact on the Giants offense when he came to New York. 2022 was a career year for the wideout as he had 33 receptions for 351 yards and four touchdowns. Hodgins also played a major role in the Giants’ playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings last season as he had eight receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. But this move was expected that the Giants would make.
After New York brought him back on a one-year deal in 2023, Hodgins was quiet on the receiving side for New York as he only had 21 catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns. It was a disappointing season for the former sixth-round pick, so cutting Hodgins was the right thing to do, considering that there were already four wide receivers ahead of him on the depth chart. Those four wide receivers are Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Jalin Hyatt, by far give the Giants the best chance to be successful on offense.
3. Cornerback Darnay Holmes
The Giants selected cornerback Darnay Holmes with their fourth-round draft pick back in 2022 and had an up-and-down tenure in New York and last Saturday’s preseason game was also a sign of things to come for Holmes’ future for the Giants.
Holmes, who started on defense in their game against the New York Jets, failed to tackle Jets running back Israel Abanikanda who took a play that should’ve been for a minimal gain, to a 45-yard touchdown. Holmes also left the game for the Giants with a neck injury, so this move should not come to much of a surprise.
