The New York Giants were one of five teams to join the NFL back in 1925, and they are the only team of that group that still remains today. This is a storied franchise with a rich history and a lot of success -- even if the last few years have told another story. So when tasked with coming up with the ultimate Giants depth chart, and then narrowing it down to a 53-man roster, while also including one special teams ace only (and quite possibly the most electric Giant with the ball in his hands), I certainly had my hands full.
After taking the time to consider all of the all-time Giants greats from a 30,000-foot view, it was easy to see a few trends on both sides of the ball. For example, the Giants have been at their best with some variation of a run-and-shoot style of offense. Tall, big-armed quarterbacks (more on that below) who are fearless throwing into tight windows and taking chances have meshed well with a ground attack led by a bevy of talented running backs. And for the most part, these backs have found success behind a power/gap blocking scheme. It's not quite smashmouth football, and I think the Giants truly reached their offensive peak for a small sample size of games when former offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride's run-and-shoot offensive system really clicked (see: 2008, 2011).
On the defensive side of the ball, the Giants have found success with both odd and even-man defensive fronts. Bill Belichick led a 3-4 defense that some say revolutionized the way NFL teams played defense. Years later, the Giants rebranded on defense with an even front that featured defensive ends with their hand in the dirt on every snap. At one point, the Giants had three defensive ends who could start on any roster on the same team. They even created something called the "NASCAR" package which occasionally kicked those defensive ends inside to tackle on obvious passing downs, creating havoc for opposing offensive lines -- most notably in Super Bowl XLII.
The Giants have seen 28 of their own players inducted into the Hall of Fame, so those were the easy locks. Narrowing it down to just 53 players though? Not such an easy task, but arguably one of the most fun projects I've tackled since joining CBS Sports. So without further ado, let's reveal the depth charts on both sides of the ball and on special teams.
Offense: Run and shoot
| Position | Starter | Backup | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Eli Manning | Phil Simms | Fran Tarkenton |
| RB | Tiki Barber | Frank Gifford | Rodney Hampton |
| WR | Amani Toomer | Del Shofner | |
| WR | Odell Beckham Jr. | Homer Jones | |
| WR | Plaxico Burress | Victor Cruz | |
| TE | Bob Tucker | Mark Bavaro | Jeremy Shockey |
| OT | Rosey Brown | David Diehl | |
| G | Chris Snee | Doug Van Horn | |
| C | Mel Hein | Bart Oates | |
| G | William Roberts | Darrell Dess | |
| OT | Jumbo Elliot | Doug Reisenberg |
With an expanded roster, a strong case can be made that Y.A. Tittle belongs on this list at quarterback, but his Giants tenure wasn't all that expansive, and who carries four quarterbacks on any roster anyway? Manning has delivered the franchise two Super Bowls and one Super Bowl MVP but the reason he is No. 1 is for nearly single-handedly carrying the 2011 team to a championship. Yeah, you read that right: nearly single-handedly. To be frank, the 2011 roster was a disaster outside of Manning, a couple receivers, and a few linemen (on both side of the ball). Let's put this into perspective using the stats: In 2011, the Giants' rushing offense ranked dead last (No. 32) in the NFL. The Giants also ranked dead last in pass protection, according to Pro Football Focus. Although some NFL fans like to remember the 2011 Super Bowl run as another one carried by the defense, the facts don't align. The defense ranked No. 27 overall in 2011. Manning played at an MVP level in the regular season and in the postseason -- it was without a doubt the greatest performance by a Giants quarterback in any single season.
While Manning, Simms, and Tarkenton all had a similar gunslinger trait to them, the stable of Giants running backs all offered a bit of a different skillset. And while it seems almost inevitable that Saquon Barkley will one day make this depth chart, it's another plus-receiving back who tops our list despite falling out of favor with some fans due to his post-career commentary. Barber tops the list in part due to his longevity (154 career games), but his impact on the field on a per-game touch was even more impressive. Barber was the first dual-threat running back of Sean Payton's career as an offensive mastermind (Payton was the Giants' offensive coordinator 2000-02). During the Giants' 2000 Super Bowl run, Barber was the focal point of the offense. Barber leads the Giants in all-time rushing yards (10,449), he's second all-time in rushing touchdowns (55), and he was just recently surpassed by Saquon Barkley for the most rushing yards per game.
I can't help but imagine how fun it would be to watch Jones -- arguably the fastest player in the NFL in his era -- in a vertically-oriented passing attack like the Giants ran with Simms and Manning -- and with the arm talent both Simms and Manning possessed. The wide receiver corps is not as loaded as other franchises, but it's a diverse group with a lot of speed.
On the offensive line, it took everything in my power not to include Shaun O'Hara, but doing so would be a disservice to the older eras of Giants football -- Hein and Oates are two of the best players in franchise history, regardless of position.
Defense: Dominance up front
| Position | Starter | Backup | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE | Michael Strahan | Justin Tuck | Osi Umenyiora |
| DT | Keith Hamilton | John Mendenhall | |
| DT | Rosie Grier | Erik Howard | |
| DE | Leonard Marshall | Jim Katcavage | |
| LB | Lawrence Taylor | Brad Van Pelt | |
| LB | Harry Carson | Sam Huff | |
| LB | Carl Banks | Jessie Armstead | |
| CB | Dick Lynch | Mark Collins | |
| CB | Mark Haynes | Jason Sehorn | |
| CB | Erich Barnes | ||
| S | Emlen Tunnell | Spider Lockhart | |
| S | Jimmy Patton | Terry Kinard |
If you were to ask me which side of the football defined the Giants franchise, it's an easy decision. And while this franchise has enjoyed some talented and productive players at the third level in the secondary, it is quite obviously defined by the players who made up the various front sevens. As we discussed above, the Giants have found success with both odd- and even-man fronts. While creating this 53-man depth chart, we had to omit borderline stars in the front seven including Andy Robustelli, George Martin, Pepper Johnson, and Gary Reasons because of how loaded the roster was at their respective positions.
Outside linebackers are the cream of the crop on the Giants defense from a positional standpoint. Taylor was a two-time Super Bowl champion and 10-time Pro Bowl honoree, Taylor's visionary play helped bring about changes in how teams rush and block for the pass. He finished with 1,088 total tackles and 132.5 quarterback sacks. Banks played on the same dominant Giants defense with Taylor and is more than deserving of the No. 1 spot on any outside linebacker depth chart that doesn't include Taylor. Van Pelt was a coverage specialist at linebacker in an era where linebackers were mostly built to stop the run. Armstead was selected in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft before he went on to rack up five Pro Bowl and four first-team All-Pro appearances.
Special teams: Small but speedy
| Position | Starter | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| K | Pete Gogolak | |
| P | Jeff Feagles | |
| LS | Zak DeOssie | |
| KR | Dave Meggett | Odell Beckham Jr. |
| PR | Dave Meggett | Odell Beckham Jr. |
Small but electric and explosive, we had to find a spot on this 53-man roster for Meggett even knowing he wouldn't contribute much on the offensive side of the ball. Meggett was not only the franchise's greatest punt returner but a strong case can be made that he was also the team's most efficient kick returner. On a roster that won with defense, ball control, and a few big chunk plays per game, Meggett fit right in.
The Giants had a few candidates for the punter position, but Feagles' longevity pulled him ahead. Gogolak is a legend in Giants lore and belongs. He'll most likely find himself on this list for a long, long time.