The Giants.com crew members react to the initial 53-man roster.

John Schmeelk: I've been at this game of trying to predict the initial 53-man roster for more than a decade. No one ever gets all 53 correct. The amount of institutional knowledge about these players inside the building between the front office and coaches dwarfs whatever anyone not involved in those continuous offseason discussions knows. Whenever I try to come up with my list, I try to take 25 offensive players, 25 defensive players and then the three specialists. Usually, the final numbers wind up somewhere in that window, though this year was a bit of an exception.

The Giants kept 26 offensive players with only 24 coming on defense, but there should be a few notes. Though Gunner Olszewski is technically an offensive player, most of his contributions are likely to come on special teams. The Giants also only kept three safeties, making it possible they bring in a fourth player at that position, with a corresponding roster move that may trim an additional offensive player off the roster.

On offense, I thought it was noteworthy that Beaux Collins was the only undrafted free agent to make the team. The fact he made it as the team's sixth wide receiver shows how much the team thought of him and their concern another team might claim him if he showed up on the waiver wire. With his combination of size and speed, he will have a chance to develop slowly behind an experienced group of wideouts without needing to be forced into action too soon.

The same can be said of Thomas Fidone II, who has the physical tools and athleticism to become a good tight end in the league even if he isn't ready to contribute right away. He is the fourth tight end in a group behind three players with various skillsets in Theo Johnson, Daniel Bellinger and Chris Manhertz. He will be able to get stronger as a blocker and develop as a two-way player without immediate pressure to contribute right away.

The Giants' decision to keep only three running backs, even after Dante "Turbo" Miller had a strong offseason and contributed on special teams, reflects their confidence in the top three (Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Singletary, Cam Skattebo) to give the team the production they need at the position. It would also indicate a measure in confidence in Skattebo being healthy after he missed a large portion of training camp but was able to back on the field in time for the third and final preseason game.

Finally, I'm not sure I remember the Giants keeping 11 players on the offensive line, even considering the fact Josh Ezeudu was placed on injured reserve and designated to return. Their willingness to keep so many players at the position speaks to their confidence in the skills of the group. Injuries always happen at the position, and the Giants want to make sure they are not scrambling to grab someone off the couch like they had to with Justin Pugh two years ago. With the 10 active players, they are three deep (including Greg Van Rotten) at center, and five deep at both tackle and guard given the multi-position flexibility from many of their players. The fact that 10 of the team's best 53 players (11 of 54 if you count Ezeudu) were offensive linemen should provide some relief to anyone doubting the group.

Marcus Mbow provides that developmental player in the offensive line group, while Jaxson Dart does the same at quarterback. All in all, it is a good combination of veteran players that can help the team win now, and talented young players that develop in the future.

Dan Salomone: Of the 23 players released, 14 had appeared in a regular-season game for the Giants: defensive linemen Elijah Chatman, Cory Durden, Elijah Garcia and Jordon Riley; quarterback Tommy DeVito; tight end Greg Dulcich; outside linebacker Tomon Fox; cornerbacks Tre Hawkins III and Dee Williams; guard Jake Kubas; safety Raheem Layne; kicker Jude McAtamney; running back Dante Miller; and wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette.

Perhaps the most recognizable name on that list is DeVito, the New Jersey native who famously won three consecutive games as an undrafted rookie in 2023 and started eight games over the past two seasons. His release means the Giants will move ahead with the three-man quarterback room of Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart.

DeVito was the only quarterback with previous Giants experience heading into the offseason, which has now culminated in a complete overhaul of the quarterback room.

At least nine teams are projected to start a new quarterback in Week 1, according to NFL Research. For context, there has been only one instance (12 in 2012) in the Super Bowl era of double-digit teams starting someone who made zero starts for them the previous season.

The question for the Giants quickly becomes who will be QB2 behind Wilson.

Winston, the veteran and former No. 1 overall pick, was listed second on the unofficial depth chart throughout the preseason. Dart, the rookie, was third but showed excitement for the future with his play throughout the summer.

As a reminder, under league rules, a club may designate a quarterback as an inactive/emergency third quarterback for a regular-season or postseason game. The player must be listed on the gameday administration report, which is submitted 90 minutes before kickoff.

The emergency third quarterback must be on the club's 53-player roster; the player cannot be an elevated practice squad player. The club's starting quarterback (QB1) and its backup quarterback (QB2) must also be on the club's 53-player roster.

Something to keep in mind come Sept. 7.

Matt Citak: John and Dan took care of the offense, so now let's take a look at the defensive side of the ball, where there were not a whole lot of surprises. Up front, the Giants decided to go with a more veteran defensive group. Outside of Darius Alexander, the team's rookie third-round pick, the only other player still on their rookie contract is D.J. Davidson, who is heading into Year 4. At 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, he seems to be the most likely candidate to line up at nose tackle for the handful of snaps when Dexter Lawrence needs a breather. Newcomers Roy Robertson-Harris and Chauncey Golston join Lawrence and Rakeem Nunez-Roches in a unit that is all of a sudden one of the most experienced on the roster. This group will be flanked by what is likely the Giants' biggest strength – the edge rushers. Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter were always going to be the top three outside linebackers, with Golston getting some snaps as the fourth edge rusher while also lining up on the inside at times. Elijah Chatman was likely one of the tougher cuts, but there's only so much depth you can keep at each position.

Moving to the linebackers, Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden are the incumbents while Darius Mausau, who showed flashes as a rookie last year, slots in behind them. These three were always going to anchor the middle of the defense as they have been sitting atop the team's unofficial depth chart for weeks now. Chris Board and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles were veterans that were signed in the offseason that bring a ton of special teams experience to the team, so their inclusion on the 53 should not come as a surprise.

As for the secondary, let's start at cornerback, where we knew Paulson Adebo, Dru Phillips, Deonte Banks and Cor'Dale Flott were going to be the top four corners. The CB2 competition between Banks and Flott has been one of the most intense position battles since the start of training camp, and we still don't have an answer for who will start opposite Adebo in Washington next Sunday. Meanwhile, Art Green looked solid all summer, and both Nic Jones and Korie Black showed flashes at times during camp. Between Jevón Holland, Tyler Nubin, and Dane Belton, the only surprise at the safety position is that there are only three on the initial 53.

It remains to be seen how exactly things shake out, but given the breakdown of the initial 53-man roster, I'd expect the practice squad to lean a little more heavily towards the defense.