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New York Giants Positional Breakdown: Special Teams

Special teams preview

Throughout the past several weeks, I’ve been breaking down the Giants’ roster, position by position. We’ve looked at what each player brings to the table, their chances of making the roster and, if applicable, their roles on the 2015 team. Finally, we’ll take a look at the special teams.

 

Josh Brown

Roster odds: 100%

Brown is entering his third year as the Giants’ kicker, and is coming off a great 2014 campaign.

Last year he made 24-of-26 field goals, including a perfect 4-of-4 from 50 or more yards out. Especially impressive considering MetLife Stadium is one of the toughest places to kick. He also made all 44 of his extra point attempts.

Photo: AP

Photo: AP

His 92.3% conversion percentage was not only a career high, but fourth in the NFL last year.

Brown has just second-year kicker Chris Boswell to compete with, so barring an injury, Brown will be the Giants kicker once again this season.

 

Zak DeOssie

Roster odds: 100%

DeOssie is entering his ninth season as Big Blue’s long snapper. He is a two-time Pro Bowler, and has served as a team captain for the Giants for several years. Obviously, DeOssie has nothing to worry about.

 

Steve Weatherford

Roster odds: 100%

Among the special teamers, Weatherford faces the stiffest “competition”, with veteran Robert Malone also on the roster, but it would be absolutely stunning to see Weatherford lose his job.

Since joining the Giants before the 2011 season, Weatherford has been a vocal leader for the Giants, and a fan favorite. His numbers last year weren’t great (his 38.6 yard net punting average was 24th in the NFL), but it will take some serious regression for Malone to beat out Weatherford. #WeatherfordWednesday isn’t going anywhere.

 

Robert Malone

Roster odds: 1%

Like I said above, it’s not impossible for Malone to make the squad, but highly, highly unlikely. He has 31 games of NFL experience, but none since 2013. Even then, he appeared in just two games for the Jets. His career 39.1 yard net punting average is pretty uninspiring, so it will take an injury to Weatherford for the former Fresno State Bulldog to make the team.

 

Chris Boswell

Roster odds: 0%

Boswell is a second-year undrafted free agent out of Rice. He spent some time on the Texans’ practice squad last year, but never made it into a game. He’s on the roster to give Brown a breather during the preseason, and for emergency depth in case Brown gets injured.

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