The New York Giants will pass another major checkpoint on their road to the 2022 regular season when they host the Cincinnati Bengals for their second of three preseason games tomorrow at 7:00 pm ET. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has already stated that he won’t be playing most of his starters, so Giants coaches will again have to settle for an evaluation of their starters against second stringers. Projecting wins, losses, and final scores is always pointless for preseason games. So, let’s jump right into the three questions to keep in mind on Sunday as the Giants continue to shape their team for the regular season.
Who Plays Center and Left Guard?
Big Blue is dealing with more than their fair share of injuries, especially at the interior offensive line. Jon Feliciano and Shane Lemieux, the presumed starters at center and left guard respectively, will miss tomorrow’s game. Primary o-line backups Josh Ezeudu, Ben Bredeson, and Jamil Douglas are all also on the mend.
Players ruled out for Sunday:
• RB Matt Breida
• RB Gary Brightwell
• WR Kadarius Toney
• WR Darius Slayton
• TE Ricky Seals-Jones
• TE Andre Miller
• OL Jon Feliciano
• OL Ben Bredeson
• OL Josh Ezeudu
• OL Shane Lemieux
• OL Jamil Douglas
• OL Garrett McGhin— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) August 19, 2022
Journeyman Max Garcia will probably start at center, and reserve tackle Devery Hamiltion may have to slide over to left guard. The situation along the offensive line has gotten so dire that Giants head coach Brian Daboll stated he’ll have to reconsider if it’s worth playing quarterback Daniel Jones and the rest of the offensive starters.
Daboll said the plan is for Daniel Jones to play Sunday (Schoen said on the radio this week the plan was for Jones to play more than the opener) but they’ll have to discuss that considering the state of the O-line. The Giants are on their sixth center (Max Garcia).
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) August 19, 2022
New York’s shaky offensive line depth is showing its warts early. It may force general manager Joe Schoen to scour the waiver wire once teams cut down to their 53-man rosters.
Who Wants the Fifth and Sixth Receiver Spots?
There are four receivers that are virtually guaranteed roster spots on the Giants: Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard, and rookie Wan’Dale Robinson. It’s unlikely that the Giants will keep more than six receivers, so there are two more spots up for grabs.
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Collin Johnson made the strongest case for one of those spots last week against the New England Patriots, when he caught seven passes for 82 yards, despite a fumble. Former San Francisco 49er Richie James also made a strong impression, catching a touchdown after a beautiful route. Darius Slayton has been a prominent part of this team the last few years, but isn’t assured a roster spot with a new coaching staff in place. C.J. Board is also heavily in the mix thanks to his special teams prowess.
Johnson, James, Slayton, and Board are fighting for those two spots, so we’ll see who makes the strongest impression tomorrow.
Will Tyrod Taylor See First-Team Reps?
When asked earlier this week, Daboll mentioned he might throw Taylor in with the first team some time this preseason. Despite the best efforts of some to spin that quote into a full-blown quarterback controversy, it’s clear when listening to Daboll that the idea is to merely simulate the possibility of Taylor coming in mid-game should Daniel Jones go down.
Brian Daboll says Tyrod Taylor "might" receive reps with the first-team offense. Is that an indictment on Daniel Jones?
"Absolutely not" pic.twitter.com/llRHGfDPg3
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) August 16, 2022
Nevertheless, it’ll be interesting to see Taylor get first-team reps in the event that he is pressed into action. Of course, if the first-team offense doesn’t play thanks to their offensive line injuries, then this is a moot point.
– Ryan Cuneo is the Managing Editor of Full Press Giants. He covers the New York Giants. Like and follow on Follow @ryan_cuneo Follow @FullPressGiants and Facebook.