The New York Giants are heading into training camp with a roster that looks more settled than you’d expect from a team that has posted back-to-back seasons with four wins or fewer. That’s good news for Joe Schoen, but it makes life tougher for the late-round rookies trying to force their way onto the 53-man roster.
One of the players facing the steepest climb is sixth-round defensive tackle Bobby Jamison-Travis. He landed in what looks like the Giants’ weakest position group, but even with draft status on his side, nothing is guaranteed once camp opens.
Jamison-Travis has to beat out veterans if he wants to stick. DJ Reader is set as the starting nose tackle, with Shelby Harris and Darius Alexander working next to him.
Behind that trio, Leki Fotu and Sam Roberts are the top depth options on the interior. That leaves Jamison-Travis in the next wave, where he’s fighting Josh Tupou, Chauncey Golston, and Zacch Pickens for position.
Golston is listed more as a 4-3 defensive end, but his contract suggests he’s still going to take up one of the Giants’ defensive line spots.
The numbers don’t exactly help the rookie’s case, either. New York carried only six interior defensive linemen on its initial 53-man roster last season, and that benchmark makes Jamison-Travis look like a long shot right now.
Still, the Giants clearly see something in him. He has the size and strength to handle nose tackle work, and he flashed some pass-rushing ability in college when he lined up as a 3-technique. That kind of versatility gives him a path to becoming a useful depth piece.
But the path is narrow. He was taken in the sixth round, though some evaluators thought even that was rich value. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had him graded as an undrafted free agent.
So while Jamison-Travis has picked up some offseason buzz as a rookie who could make noise, buzz won’t secure a roster spot. He’s going to have to turn that attention into real production fast, or his first NFL season could end up on the practice squad.
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