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Kris Adams was signed to a reserve/futures contract in January by the Giants. Does he have a chance to make the team this season?


Today we begin a player-by-player look at the prospects for each of the players currently on the New York Giants' 90-man roster heading into training camp.

This will be done in alphabetical order, which means we start with a brief look at wide receiver Kris Adams. Adams is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound 25-year-old. He began his NFL career in 2011, spending time with the Chicago Bears, Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings. He spent 2012 with the Indianapolis Colts.

2012 Season In Review

Adams played three games for Indianapolis in 2012, catching two passes for 26 yards. Those are the only games he has spent on an active NFL roster.

2013 Outlook

Adams signed a reserve/futures contract with the Giants in January. The former UTEP star seems like a long shot to make the roster, though there does appear to be competition for the final receiver spot. Perhaps he could find his way onto the practice squad. Adams did not appear to stand out during the recent mini-camp.

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The second player we will feature in our breakdown of the entire 90-man roster for the New York Giants is third-year cornerback Prince Amukamara. We featured Amukamara over the weekend and we know his goals are to become "the number one corner on this team" and eventually "the number one corner in the whole league."

Can he get there? Let's take a brief look.

2012 Season In Review

Amukamara played well in 2012, establishing that he is at least a capable starting cornerback in the NFL and despite his deference to Corey Webster showing that he is the best cornerback the Giants have. Quarterbacks had only a 74.5 passer rating while targeting Amukamara 63 times in 13 games. He missed three games with leg injuries after playing only nine games as a rookie due to a broken foot. Overall, though, Amukamara's Pro Football Focus grade was a pedestrian +0.5.

Amukamara had seven passes defensed, and 25 cornerbacks had more. He also had only interception.


2013 Outlook

Amukamara should take another step forward, and it would be in the Giants' best interest to begin giving Amukamara the responsibility for covering the opposition's best receiver. Can that step forward take the 2011 first-round pick (19th overall) all the way to stardom? I don't know. Amukamara seems to have the physical skills to be a top flight corner. Does he have the swag, the attitude, the confidence to be a dominant shut down corner? Can he increase the number of turnovers he generates?

Those are the things we will find out.

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The 2011 second-round pick has had two disappointing seasons with the Giants. Will that change in 2013?


Next up in our player-by-player breakdown of the 90-man roster the New York Giants will bring to training is Marvin Austin, the thus-far disappointing defensive tackle who has yet to make any real impact after being drafted in the second round in 2011, 52nd overall.

2012 Season In Review

Austin played in eight games, totaling five solo tackles and three assists in 103 snaps. That is all the production the Giants have gotten from Austin in two seasons. He spent his rookie season on IR with a torn pectoral muscle. Markus Kuhn, the 2012 seventh-round pick, played 173 snaps and registered 12 tackles and four passes defensed, illustrating exactly how far down the depth chart Austin was.

2013 Outlook

Forget being a dominant player. The 2013 NFL season is likely Austin's last real chance to prove that he can be a useful NFL player. What to expect? Who knows? The eight games he played last season are the only real football he has played in three seasons, having missed his senior season at North Carolina after being suspended for accepting illegal benefits.

Linval Joseph, Cullen Jenkins and this year's second-round pick Johnathan Hankins figure to receive signficant playing time in the defensive line rotation. That leaves Austin fighting for playing time -- and maybe even a roster spot -- with Mike Patterson, Shaun Rogers, Kuhn and five-year veteran Frank Okam.

I think Austin makes the team. The Giants history is to show tremendous patience (too much patience?) with their high draft picks. It has been a long time since Austin made an impact on a football field, however, and I don't see that changing. It would be nice if he proves me wrong, but I don't see him as more than a bit player and an occasional part of the defensive tackle rotation.

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David Baas enters his third season as the New York Giants' starting center in 2013.


Our breakdown of the New York Giants' 90-man roster continues with a look at starting center David Baas, who is entering his third season after coming to the Giants from the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent.

2012 Season In Review

Baas played all 16 games for the Giants despite a myriad of injuries that led to several offseason surgeries, including to his elbow and knee. Since moving from guard to center as a member of the San Francisco 49ers in 2010 Baas has historically been a better run blocker than pass blocker and that held true in 2012. His Pro Football Focus scores were +10.2 in run blocking (9th in the league for centers) and -9.1 while pass blocking, worst among the 36 centers who played at least 25 percent of their team's snaps. His overall +3.3 grade placed him 22nd, roughly middle of the pack.

2013 Outlook

The 2013 season will be Baas' 10th in the league. At this point it's hard to expect much different from him than what we have already seen. He has tremendous toughness and is an excellent run blocker. Perhaps if he is healthier than he was in 2012 he will be able to move a little better and, consequently, pass block a bit more efficiently. Baas is in the third year of a back-loaded five-year, $27.5-million contract. He carries a cap hit of $8.25 million in 2014 and $8.475 million in 2015, so this is an important season for him if he wants to see that money.

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Ramses Barden is back with the New York Giants for a fifth season, hoping to prove that things can be different ater four mostly unproductive seasons.


Ramses Barden is the next player on our list as we continue to break down the 90-man roster the New York Giants will bring to training camp at the end of July.

2012 Season In Review

The 2012 season was Barden's best as a pro, and that's really an indictment of the 6-foot-6, 230-pound receiver's four seasons with the Giants. He caught 14 passes, bringing his four-year total to 29. Nine of those receptions came in a Week 3 victory over the Carolina Panthers, when Barden replaced an injured Hakeem Nicks.

Barden caught only five balls the rest of the season, however, and by season's end had been passed on the depth chart by Domenik Hixon, rookie Rueben Randle and Jerrel Jernigan. He did not play in the final three games of the season.

2013 Outlook

The fact that Barden is back with the Giants is a bit surprising. He became a free agent in the offseason, and expected to sign elsewhere.He apparently found little to no interest in his services, however, and came back to the Giants hoping to continue his career.

After four years of watching, waiting and hoping for Barden to learn how to use his size and athleticism to become a consistent target for Eli Manning only to be consistently disappointed it is difficult to expect anything else. Barden will most likely fight Brandon Collins, Kris Adams and Jeremy Horne for the final wide receiver spot on the 53-man roster. If he makes the team he will most likely sit and watch Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Randle, Jernigan and Louis Murphy get nearly all of the playing time.

Quote (silent9 @ Jun 18 2013 01:22pm)

are you going to post all 90 in this thread? lol.

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Randle, the second-round draft pick from a year ago, will go into training camp this summer competing for the third receiver role with veteran and newcomer Louis Murphy. While his rookie season had its ups and downs – Randle started to show flashes of being a receiving threat once the punt return duties were removed from his plate, he’s looking to build on a solid finish. Recently, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride praised Randle, saying that the second-year receiver has earned the right to play more.

Q: Coach Coughlin has said that this spring has been a big opportunity for the young receivers to step up. What are your thoughts about the circumstances and how you’ve responded to them?
A: I feel pretty good. I just want to go out there and make plays, make an impression, let the guys know that I’m ready to step up and make more plays this year.

Q: You’re going into your second year. How important is it to you to contribute on the offense this season?
A: I think it’s a collective thing. We’ve all gotta band together and get the job done. I don’t think they’re really going to rely on one person. For me, they wanted me to come in and make an impact – that’ why they drafted me. So I’ve just gotta go out there and do my job, do it to the best of my abilities.

Q: How different are you as a player from a year ago?
A: I’m a lot more confident in what I do. I see a lot of things that I did wrong. Going out there and making more plays, understanding the offense and more on the same page with Eli (Manning). I’m a more mature player than I was last year, so I’m looking forward to taking a leap this year (by) getting more trust from the coaches, and going out there and getting more reps so I can show my ability more.

Q: What are some of the things that were wrong that you now see?
A: Just little things like how I study, taking care of myself, and stuff like that. Like I said, I’m more mature than I was last year and I understand that I have to earn the trust of my coaches and quarterback.

Q: What has been your focus this offseason as far as improvement?
A: Be in better shape and overall a better receiver. Just going over the plays in my head, not trying to get away from the game at all. Be better at running routes, be more explosive in my breaks. I just really wanted to focus on my game and just get better at understanding the offense, being a better overall player myself.

Q: You weren’t part of the receiving group that worked out with Eli at Duke. Any reason?  Do you feel that set you back any this spring?
A: Yeah, I had an issue. I know I’ve continued to work hard regardless [of not being there], and I know in this situation they’re going to come to me to make plays. I’m going to be ready to make plays.

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Will Beatty emerged as a quality left tackle during the 2012 season. Can he continue that growth in 2013 and gain a reputation as one of the league's elite offensive linemen?


We continue rolling through players in our breakdown of the New York Giants' 90-man roster. Here, we focus on starting left tackle Will Beatty.

2012 Season In Review

Beatty began 2012 with questions hovering over him. He had started 10 games in 2011 before going down to a detached retina. He missed most of the offseason program with a back injury, and did not start Week 1 as he was still rounding into shape. Once he took over at left tackle in Week 2, however, he answered all the questions.

Beatty allowed only three sacks and no hits on Eli Manning in 967 snaps, and graded out at +22.3 in the Pro Football Focus scoring system, eight among the league's left tackles. His +10.9 score for run blocking was fifth-best among all tackles, left or right.

2013 Season Outlook

Provided that he stays healthy I see no reason why Beatty should not take another step forward and become acknowledges as one of the league's best left tackles. At 28, he should be entering his best years. That should make the Giants, and Eli Manning in particular, feel good.