The New York Giants released their full list of initial roster cuts on August 22, a few hours after some names had already surfaced earlier in the day. These moves came shortly after the team wrapped up its preseason finale against the New England Patriots.
Team reporter Dan Salomone shared on Giants.com that eight players were waived ahead of Tuesday’s 53-man roster deadline:
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WR Jordan Bly
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ILB K.J. Cloyd
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CB O’Donnell Fortune
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ILB Dyontae Johnson
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C Jimmy Morrissey
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WR Zach Pascal
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WR Montrell Washington
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OL Jaison Williams
Washington’s release was the first to break on social media Friday morning, with Williams and Bly following soon after.
Not long after, news came that linebacker Dyontae Johnson was among the cuts. Johnson, once viewed as a fan favorite, failed to stand out this summer the way he had in past preseasons.
“LB Dyontae Johnson was waived, per source,” ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported before the team’s official announcement. He added that Johnson had a legitimate shot at the roster last year before a preseason injury derailed him. Though healthy this offseason, he struggled to gain momentum as the Giants added several veteran linebackers.
Johnson, an undrafted free agent out of Toledo, impressed with 15 tackles and a quarterback hit during three preseason games in 2023. He followed that up with four more tackles and another QB hit in a 2024 preseason start before getting hurt. After returning from injury, he logged 11 tackles across two regular-season games last year and added 12 more tackles during this year’s preseason.
The decision to move on from Johnson and Cloyd strengthens the chances of veteran linebackers and special-teams contributors Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and Chris Board, along with rookie draft pick Darius Muasau, making the roster.
Veteran WR Zach Pascal’s Late Push Isn’t Enough to Make the Roster
In the matchup against the Patriots, Pascal hauled in a couple of late receptions for 21 yards, but the bigger takeaway may have been that the veteran was still on the field in the second half.
Brought in during free agency as a possible special teams fixture and depth option at wide receiver, Pascal struggled to make much of an impression throughout the spring and summer, while younger players like Beaux Collins and Dalen Cambre frequently stood out.
Although Pascal produced a pair of 600-yard seasons earlier in his career, his value as a 53-man roster piece appears to be dwindling. Even with Thursday’s late effort, he closed out the 2025 preseason with just 5 receptions for 57 yards.
No Surprise Roster Cuts for Giants So Far
Looking over the Giants’ first round of roster cuts, nothing really stands out as a surprise.
The most notable names were Johnson, Washington, and Pascal, but none were expected to stick, as The Athletic’s Dan Duggan had left them off his 53-man projection after the preseason finale on August 21.
Depth players and rookies like Morrissey, Cloyd, Bly, Fortune, and Williams were also long shots to make the Week 1 roster.
On the interior linebacker competition, Duggan explained:
“Board and Flannigan-Fowles were brought in for their special teams value. Board is locked in as a core contributor, while Flannigan-Fowles’ chances are murkier since he missed most of camp and all three preseason games with an undisclosed injury.
Johnson, meanwhile, failed to build on last year’s flashes and spent the summer buried with the third team. For now, Flannigan-Fowles gets the nod, but that spot could easily go to a waiver claim.”
Whether Flannigan-Fowles makes it past Tuesday’s cutdown — and the waiver wire shuffle afterward — remains to be seen.
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