EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Projecting 53-man rosters in the NFL has become more complicated with rules that allow for greater practice squad flexibility. Decisions aren’t made entirely based on assembling the best 53-player team, as there are considerations for which bubble players could be poached if they don’t make the roster.

There was an example of this dance last summer when the New York Giants initially kept rookie seventh-round pick Korie Black on their 53-man roster. Black was cut the next day after the Giants made waiver claims. The Giants planned to slide Black to their practice squad, but he instead elected to sign with the Jets’ practice squad (the Giants eventually signed him back to their active roster during the season).

It’s challenging to forecast these roster gymnastics when projecting a 53-man roster, but here’s my best shot at nailing down who will be on the Giants’ roster after Sunday’s 6 p.m. deadline for cuts:

Quarterbacks: 2

In: Jaxson Dart, Jameis Winston
Out: Brandon Allen, Jake Haener

There’s no thought of keeping three quarterbacks. Winston is arguably the best backup in the league, which is especially valuable considering how many hits Dart takes. The Giants can sign Allen to the practice squad if they want to keep him in the quarterback room.

Running backs: 4

In: Cam Skattebo, Najee Harris, Devin Singletary, Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Out: Eric Gray, Damon Bankston

Harris’ signing combined with Tracy’s high-profile preseason gaffes has caused a stir in the running back room. But it would be an overreaction to cut Tracy, especially with the limited upside of Harris and Singletary. Tracy looked explosive while carrying the ball four times for 37 yards and a touchdown in Friday’s preseason finale against the Jets. He left early to get evaluated for a concussion, but he was cleared. Coach John Harbaugh said after the game that Tracy had a stinger.

One of these running backs will likely be a healthy scratch on game day. Tracy’s role on special teams could help him avoid that fate.

Wide receivers: 6

In: Malik Nabers, Malachi Fields, Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton, Braxton Berrios, Odell Beckham Jr.
Out: Dalen Cambre, Isaiah Hodgins, Xavier Gipson, Jalin Hyatt, Kobe Prentice

Calvin Austin III’s torn ACL was a blow, but it cleared up the cloudy picture for the sixth wide receiver spot that was likely going to come down to Berrios vs. Beckham. Now, Berrios is a near lock to make it as Austin’s replacement as the top punt returner. Beckham should be safe as well, especially coming off his best week of camp. That carried over to three catches for 53 yards in Friday’s preseason finale.

It could come down to Beckham vs. Slayton for one jersey on game day. Cambre is a special teamer, but he hasn’t been starting on those units during camp. He’s an ideal player to stash on the practice squad.

Odell Beckham Jr.’s best week of camp has come this week, coach John Harbaugh said. #giants pic.twitter.com/n0BWHvGkiK

— Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) August 26, 2026

Tight ends: 4

In: Isaiah Likely, Theo Johnson, Chris Manhertz, Pat Ricard
Out: Thomas Fidone II, Tanner Conner, Grant Finley, Josiah Degaura

This is a crowded room since Ricard, a fullback, is grouped with the tight ends. Manhertz was voted to the team’s eight-man leadership committee and is valued for his blocking ability in what promises to be a run-heavy offense. The only question is how the Giants handle Fidone. He has flashed dynamic physical traits when healthy, so it would be risky to expose the 2025 seventh-round pick to waivers, especially with former coach Brian Daboll hoarding Giants players in Tennessee. This could be a situation where the Giants keep five tight ends initially to shield Fidone and then finagle the roster leading into the opener.

Offensive linemen: 9

In: Andrew Thomas, Jon Runyan, John Michael Schmitz Jr., Francis Mauigoa, Jermaine Eluemunor, Marcus Mbow, Aaron Stinnie, Lucas Patrick, JC Davis
Out: Bryan Hudson, Evan Neal, Jake Kubas, Brenden Jaimes, Ryan Schernecke, Jarrod Gray

The recent trades of Daniel Faalele and Josh Ezeudu cleared up the offensive line picture. The five starters are locked in, while Mbow and Stinnie will serve as the top backups. Davis is likely headed for a redshirt year as the fourth tackle after an impressive preseason. The battle between Patrick and Hudson for the backup center job is coming down to the wire.

Patrick replaced Schmitz on the Giants’ third drive in the preseason finale. Patrick played the rest of the first half before Hudson took over in the third quarter.

A case can be made for either player. Patrick’s experience (65 career starts) playing guard and center is an advantage. However, his “old knees,” as Harbaugh called them, had to be managed throughout the offseason. It would be concerning to rely on a 33-year-old with an injury history as the backup center, especially considering Schmitz has missed multiple games in each of his three seasons and was sidelined by a concussion this summer. Hudson is eight years younger, so he presents far more upside, but he lacks game experience.

There’s a scenario where the Giants keep Patrick and Hudson, but that feels like overkill. Center injuries around the league raise the odds of the loser of the competition getting scooped up. Patrick’s experience makes him a greater risk to be claimed, so I think the Giants will roll the dice on sliding Hudson through to the practice squad.

Defensive linemen: 5

In: DJ Reader, Shelby Harris, Chauncey Golston, Darius Alexander, Bobby Jamison-Travis
Out: Leki Fotu, Marlon Davidson, Zacch Pickens, Josh Tupou, Anquin Barnes Jr., Ben Barten

The Giants are banking on Reader and Harris to anchor the defensive line. There are concerns with the team managing the 35-year-old Harris’ reps throughout the summer. Dexter Lawrence played 754 snaps in the middle last season. Harris played 509 snaps, and Reader played 583, so even if the vets stay healthy, there are a lot of snaps that will be left to an uninspiring supporting cast.

Alexander’s struggles led to the 277-pound Golston sliding to defensive end from outside linebacker. Jamison-Travis isn’t ready to contribute now, but it could be risky to expose the sixth-round rookie to waivers. He’s a candidate for the aforementioned Black roster move, where he makes the initial 53-man roster and then is passed to the practice squad when an addition is made after cut day. It would be shocking if there isn’t a defensive lineman added before the opener, whether that’s via the waiver wire or a trade.

Outside linebackers: 4

In: Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Caleb Murphy
Out: Khalid Kareem, Trace Ford

Golston’s shift to the defensive line opened a spot at outside linebacker, and Murphy appears ready to seize it. He has moved into a core special teams role, which is crucial for backup linebackers seeking a roster spot.

Inside linebackers: 5

In: Tremaine Edmunds, Arvell Reese, Micah McFadden, Jack Kelly, Zaire Barnes
Out: Darius Muasau, Anfernee Orji, Chandler Martin

McFadden and Kelly will be core special teamers and quality backups at inside linebacker. Barnes has emerged as a core special teamer ahead of Muasau. The Giants could also carry Muasau, but that seems heavy at this position.

Cornerbacks: 6

In: Greg Newsome II, Deonte Banks, Dru Phillips, Paulson Adebo, Colton Hood, Nic Jones
Out: Korie Black, Art Green, Ugo Amadi, JT Woods

Newsome, Banks, Phillips, Adebo and Hood are locks, although the competition for the starting outside corner jobs continues. Jones, Green and Black all have a case for the final corner spot. Green is the most accomplished special teamer in that trio, but he has ceded first-team reps lately. He got hurt in the fourth quarter of the preseason finale, which could seal his fate. Black is the best corner of the group, but he hasn’t been a factor on special teams. Black pulled his groin in the preseason finale, which could eliminate him from the competition. Meanwhile, Jones has maintained his role as a core special teamer. He also offers depth at slot corner, which boosts his cause.

Safeties: 5

In: Jevon Holland, Tyler Nubin, Ar’Darius Washington, Jason Pinnock, Elijah Campbell
Out: Beau Brade, Raheem Layne

Nubin’s hold on the starting spot next to Holland has grown stronger, but Washington and Pinnock are still in the mix. Campbell has emerged as a core special teamer to force his way onto the roster.

Specialists: 3

In: K Dominic Zvada, P Jordan Stout, LS Ben Mann
Out: K Ben Sauls

Mann’s name hasn’t been mentioned once this summer. That means he’s doing his job. Zvada out-performed Sauls throughout the lengthy kicking competition. Harbaugh eliminated any suspense by declaring Zvada the kicker after the preseason finale. Ideally, the Giants will be able to trade Sauls before final cuts.

Rory Best says Joe Schmidt’s new role with Ulster is a case of “small steps” as the province seek to use the former Ireland coach’s expertise to build a platform for long-term success.

Schmidt was appointed Ulster’s coach development adviser last month after ending his two-year stint as Australia boss, a newly created role focused on the province’s coaching pathway.

The 60-year-old is one of Ireland’s most successful coaches having led the national team to three Six Nations titles – including the 2018 Grand Slam – during a six-year spell and Leinster to two European Cups.

“I don’t want to just be successful this season or in a year or two, it has to be a continuous process and to do that we need continuity of what’s coming behind it and that’s why Joe is here,” said Ulster general manager Rory Best, who was appointed Ireland captain by Schmidt in 2016.

“Joe was the best coach I worked under as a head coach. Since then, he’s went on, he’s coached the All Blacks, Australia. He’s across the New Zealand underage system, the Australian underage system, from his time in Leinster the Irish underage system.

“So to bring all the best practices together, ultimately what you want to do is to create a conveyor belt. The lift it gives everyone around the place is brilliant. We’re delighted to have him.

“Obviously the next step is to get him head to toe in Ulster gear, but it’s small steps.”

Schmidt was present at an open training session for Ulster’s senior men’s team in Banbridge on Friday as Murphy’s side ramp up preparations for the 2026-27 season.

Murphy – who worked alongside the Kiwi at Leinster and Ireland – said it was a “genius idea” by Best to get Schmidt involved.

“Myself and Joe go back a long time. Besty, I thought it was a genius idea bringing him over,” he said.

“He’s helping through the pathway and having a look at that area and making sure we have a supply of players to feed this Ulster senior team.

“He’s here today to have a look at training and we’d be crazy not to use a person like that in relation in giving us a bit of feedback about how we go about our business.”

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Good morning! Break your day into five sets today, and try to win three. Inside:

Now Serving: Why we think volleyball is about to explode

If any sport looks primed for a breakout right now, I think it’s women’s volleyball.

More high school girls now play it than any sport except track. ESPN boasts of huge annual ratings jumps for college matches. Two pro leagues have emerged in the past few years; Major League Volleyball and LOVB Pro have an uneasy coexistence, but are both betting on growth.

I didn’t just start thinking about this over the past few days. This week, I was part of a team that launched a new women’s volleyball podcast, “Six Zone Duo.” Volleyball’s rise has been on my mind for nearly a year. Still, it’s scary to try a new thing.

So imagine how excited I was when, within minutes of that launch, Dan Shanoff’s latest MoneyCall newsletter arrived like manna from heaven: “The next big college sport is already here” was the headline, and guess which one he meant. I fired off a Slack message:

Me: i was very pumped to be validated by moneycall hitting my inbox today

Dan: I cannot validate the idea more – I think there is a massive potential audience for the show, and the college VB community is so tight/collegial as the sport accelerates to its new level that I think you will get a ton of word of mouth.

I appreciate our Pulse team for encouraging me to share this background with you, even though that podcast isn’t a property of The Athletic. The point is that Dan and I found ourselves independently locked in on this one sport’s vast potential.

Executives at Fox and ESPN seem to be thinking along similar lines, as they’ve decided to load up your screens (in addition to some big stadiums) with matches this week and season.

Is this, in fact, the country’s next big sport? I asked Dan, a much wiser sports biz person than me, how bullish he is about it on a 1-to-10 scale:

💬 9. Start with the grassroots impact: Volleyball is the most popular youth sport for girls in the country. The pipeline of interest and investment (as all volleyball parents know firsthand 💸) is massive — and growing. Partly due to club participation and partly due to it being fun as a TV product, college volleyball TV ratings are trending way up. Two well-capitalized pro leagues should probably be one, truth be told, but it speaks to the high ceiling for the larger market.

(Read Dan all the time in MoneyCall, by the way. Free signup here.)

The shining example of what volleyball could be is Nebraska, where the Huskers crossed 350 consecutive home sellouts last season. The Athletic’s Mitch Sherman, who’s based in the state, observed at the last NCAA tournament that the SEC ecosystem has started to take the sport extremely seriously.

“It’s truly been an ‘If you build it, they will come’ type of environment,” Erin Sorensen, another Nebraskan and one of Six Zone Duo’s hosts, told me. “But having been surrounded by it, there’s no reason that attention and curiosity and love for the game can’t, and doesn’t, already exist everywhere else.”

The No. 1 Huskers are the sport’s closest thing to a Caitlin Clark, even though they haven’t won a national title since 2017. Sunday, they play No. 2 Texas, which has won it twice since then.

News to Know

Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

Skubal’s emotional return

Ever thought about how we only say “smattering” to describe crowd things? Boos, applause, etc. Anyhow, it was hard to judge which smattering was loudest as Tarik Skubal took the mound in his return to Comerica Park yesterday, especially since “Skuuub” sounds like “boooo.” But it’s fair to say emotions were high for all involved. Skubal, who has said he’s open to signing with Detroit again this offseason, went six innings and struck out seven in the Dodgers’ 2-1 win, allowing just four — is that a smattering? — hits.

Chaos, how we missed you

William & Mary scored a road upset against FCS No. 7 Villanova last night despite trailing by 10 with less than a minute left, thanks to this ridiculous sequence: field goal, onside kick recovery, 37-yard touchdown pass, interception, game-winning field goal. Happy times:

Also worth mentioning: Villanova’s sixth-year quarterback Pat McQuaide was ineligible to play until a preliminary injunction hours before kickoff. The 2026 college football season, everyone!

The NHL’s first $20 million player

Colorado’s Cale Makar signed an eight-year, $163.2 million extension that will make him the highest-paid player in league history and, for the Avs, lock down one of the world’s premier defensemen through age 36. All eyes now turn to Minnesota’s negotiations with defenseman Quinn Hughes, whose eyebrows will be raised. More on the record contract and its implications here.

More News

• Solid chance you had a better workday than home plate umpire Bill Miller, who went 0-for-8 on ABS challenges.
• The Tampa Bay Rays’ proposed $2.4 billion stadium now has both city and county approval. Details here.
• Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa was booed in his return to Miami. He was classy about it, at least.
• One of 10 victims who accused former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky of sexual abuse is preparing to recant his testimony. Read the full story.
• Mizzou now claims the 1960 football national title following a highly trivial and unserious U.S. Senate resolution on the matter.
• Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander threw off a mound as he works toward at least one more appearance before he retires.
• An MLB investigation found that a Dominican prospect’s trainer helped fake the player’s death — with a tombstone and everything — to give him a new, younger identity. Wild.
• New Seahawks owner Vinod Khosla took to social media to defend his 50-year Steelers fandom while using the delightfully anachronistic phrase “column inches.”

📰 Find more news here 24/7.

Watch Guide

It’s “Week 0” in college football, that special little preview before the action gets going in earnest next week. FCS action is already underway, and FBS, the top half of Division I, begins today. I refer you to Jason Kirk’s Watch Grid in our Until Saturday newsletter, where I’ll join him frequently this season. Great time to subscribe for free.

CFB: North Carolina vs. TCU
12 p.m. ET on ESPN
The season kickoff in Dublin, Ireland, is often surprising. It’ll have to be that way again for Bill Belichick’s Heels not to start his second year with a loss. UNC’s roster is iffy, and the program’s defensive coordinator and maligned general manager are both absent.

CFB: Jacksonville State at North Dakota State
5:30 p.m. ET on CBSSN
NDSU is FCS’ greatest dynasty ever, winning 10 titles there since 2011. Having conquered that level, the Bison moved to FBS and the Mountain West this year. The Fargodome should be rocking for an opener against a consistently good Jacksonville State team.

Get tickets to games like this here.

Pulse Picks

Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Neal Simpson, Sportsphoto; Dylan Buell; Minas Panagiotakis; Alain Jocard, AFP / Getty Images Dylan Buell/Getty Images Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images Alain Jocard / AFP

As the U.S. Open starts tomorrow in New York, here are 30 of the most interesting players to watch — from home favorites to rising talents and those in it for one last hurrah.

Test your knowledge of this week’s sports news with our quiz.

Wild Pink’s new album “Still Coming Down.” This New York-based indie band does not miss. My top track is “Like Water,” but the whole album is worth a spin. — Alex Iniguez

The key to having more perfect days might just be writing down what that really means to you. Another simple tip from an elite athlete that anyone can try.

Uncrustables aren’t just for kids. After taste-testing more than 20 crustless sandwiches — including a few dupes of the Smucker’s classic — my fellow kitchen experts at Wirecutter and I found five that we’d happily toss into a lunch box (for ourselves or a kid). — Antara Sinha

Related: It’s always a good time to revisit Jayson Jenks’ 2024 investigation into how many Uncrustables NFL players eat.

RIP to the great Tim Curry. A good reminder that few movies age better than “Clue,” one of the most distinct comedies of all time. Stream it ASAP. — Chris Sprow

Chris Sale lit up the radar gun for the Braves on Thursday like he was 27, not 37. Here’s how.

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our guide to all 138 FBS teams.

📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, and check out our other newsletters.