Anthony Johnson Jr.

For one reason or another, the Giants had only two safeties active in their final preseason game Thursday night. Because of this, the team will reportedly be looking to add some quality safety depth on waivers, according to Ryan Dunleavy of New York Post Sports.

While presumed starters Jevon Holland and Tyler Nubin, and likely third safety Dane Belton, were probably unavailable due to their importance to the Week 1 roster, Raheem Layne and Anthony Johnson Jr. were unavailable, presumably, for health reasons. This left Makari Paige and K’Von Wallace to play the entire game as the only two active safeties, leading them to the waiver wire.

NFL Players with fewer than four accrued seasons under their belt (and some injured players) are subject to the waiver wire, while vested veterans immediately become free agents that can sign a new contract at their own whim. This is a unique time of year to utilize the waiver wire, though.

Usually, waivers claims are processed at the end of a 24-hour period, claimed players are awarded to new teams, and teams with successful waivers are sent to the back of the priority list. What makes this time of year unique is that, from the final week of preseason games to the day after the roster cut deadline, any waived players will remain on the waiver wire, potentially for days, available to be claimed.

This gives the New York brass ample time to examine the young safeties available to be claimed. With the waiver order on Wednesday being based on 2024 records, the Giants should boast the third-highest waiver priority when claims begin processing.

The Giants should be pretty secure in their group of three safeties at the top of the depth chart. Holland came in this offseason from Miami on a sizeable three-year, $45.3MM deal. He had alternating seasons of outstanding and average play in Miami, which, if the pattern stays true, means the New York should expect the best from Holland in 2025. He should be the easy answer to slide in next to Nubin, the returning starter from last year, replacing Jason Pinnock, who now resides in the Bay Area. Belton has been a frequently used third safety in New York, rotating in often, and starting as an injury replacement as needed in his first three years with the team.

Of the safeties currently in the building, Wallace probably stands the best chance at staying as a fourth safety. After three seasons as a rotation safety in Philadelphia, Wallace started 12 games in a 2023 season that he spent with both the Cardinals (seven games) and Titans (10 games). Unfortunately, neither opportunity led to further contracts, and in 2024, he had a regressive year as an injured depth piece in Seattle.

Layne and Johnson have been depth pieces so far in their short time in New York, and Paige is an undrafted rookie out of Michigan. If the Giants decide that they don’t believe any combination of the four can effectively fill out their 53-man roster, they will have the next four days to evaluate the litany of players who end up on waivers.