Giants Keep Odell Beckham Jr., Release Evan Neal in Initial 53-Man Roster

The New York Giants finalized their initial 53-man roster ahead of the NFL's 6 p.m. ET deadline Sunday, keeping Odell Beckham Jr. and Darius Slayton while releasing 2022 first-round pick Evan Neal and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, according to Giants.com. The Giants open the regular season Sept. 13 at home against the Dallas Cowboys.

The roster is not final. Players released Sunday can be claimed off waivers until 1 p.m. Monday, and the Giants pick fifth in the claiming order, Giants.com reported. Teams can then build 17-player practice squads.

Who made the roster

Odell Beckham Jr. signed with the Giants June 1 with no roster spot guaranteed. He made the 53 after catching three passes for 53 yards in Friday's preseason finale against the Jets.

“I think he has done enough to make an NFL roster, for sure. He's played well, and he's gotten better as his camp's gone along. He deserves credit for that. He's done a really good job with it,” coach John Harbaugh said after that game, according to Giants.com. Beckham last played a regular-season game for the Giants on Dec. 2, 2018.

Darius Slayton also made the roster after the New York Post and Big Blue View both reported the Giants were considering releasing him. The Post, in an Aug. 29 report, put Slayton's contract value at $36 million; Spotrac lists his 2026 salary-cap hit at $15.9 million, a separate figure measuring one year rather than the deal's total value.

All seven of the Giants' 2026 draft picks made the initial roster, along with undrafted rookies Dominic Zvada at kicker and Ben Mann at long snapper, Giants.com reported. Rookie sixth-round picks J.C. Davis (offensive line) and Bobby Jamison-Travis (defensive line), along with 2025 seventh-round pick Thomas Fidone II at tight end, also made the 53, according to Giants.com's draft coverage. Big Blue View's Ed Valentine wrote that the team likely kept that group rather than risk exposing them to waivers.

The Giants also added defensive lineman C.J. Okoye in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens over the weekend and settled their kicker competition in Zvada's favor over Ben Sauls — both already covered in full in GiantsGator's earlier reporting.

Who was cut

Evan Neal, the 2022 No. 7 overall pick, was released Sunday. Giants.com listed his release as one of nine “terminated, vested veteran” transactions, a category reserved for players with enough accrued NFL seasons that they aren't subject to waivers. The others in that group were quarterback Brandon Allen, wide receiver Braxton Berrios, tight end Tanner Conner, defensive lineman Marlon Davidson, outside linebacker Khalid Kareem, safety Raheem Layne, offensive lineman Lucas Patrick and defensive lineman Josh Tupou.

Jalin Hyatt was among 18 players Giants.com listed as “waived, no recall,” a group that also included running back Eric Gray, wide receiver Xavier Gipson, wide receiver Dalen Cambre and linebacker Darius Muasau.

Berrios was terminated as a vested veteran, not waived, so no other team can claim him off waivers. Adam Schefter reported Berrios is expected to return to the Giants' roster before Week 1, Big Blue View's Ed Valentine wrote Sunday.

Isaiah Hodgins and Kobe Prentice were among eight players the Giants released Saturday, a day before the deadline, along with cornerback Ugo Amadi, running back Damon Bankston, tight end Josiah Deguara, defensive lineman Leki Fotu, offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes and linebacker Anfernee Orji, according to Giants.com.

Cornerback Art Green and kicker Ben Sauls were released via injury settlement, a separate transaction type from the rest of Sunday's cuts, Giants.com reported. Cornerback Korie Black was placed on injured reserve, designated for return, after a groin injury in Friday's preseason finale.

Wide receiver Calvin Austin III went on injured reserve for the season after tearing his ACL in a non-contact practice injury Aug. 25.

“It's definitely impactful to our team because he was playing so well,” Harbaugh said, according to Giants.com. “He was doing a great job across the board, offense and special teams. He had definitely carved out a role for us on our team, and then to see that happen, especially just a non-contact type of an injury, it's just kind of shocking to see. So, you feel bad for him. I mean, that's the biggest thing. He and I were texting last night and even more this morning, so I think he's in a better place now than he was yesterday. But it's going to be a long road back, but he'll get back. He'll get back, and we'll be behind him the whole way.”

With Austin, Hyatt and Berrios off the active roster, the Giants carry five wide receivers on the initial 53: Malik Nabers, Malachi Fields, Darnell Mooney, Slayton and Beckham, per Giants.com.

The Giants also traded away two offensive linemen this month: Daniel Faalele to the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier in August and Joshua Ezeudu to the Kansas City Chiefs earlier in the week, both for late-round draft picks, according to Giants.com.

The full 53-man roster

What's still moving

Berrios is expected back on the Giants' roster before the Sept. 13 opener, per Schefter's reporting relayed by Big Blue View.