The answer is … never.
The question: When was the last time you went into cut-down day not knowing if your spot on the roster was secure?
This is uncharted territory for Allen Robinson, who has done so much in his decade in the NFL but has not gone through this before.
“No, I haven’t,” he said Saturday night, standing in front of a locker he might or might not inhabit on game days for the Giants this season.
It can be an anxious few days for so many players as the Giants and the rest of the league go through a bloodletting, reducing from 90 to 53 players to assemble initial rosters.
Players will then be coming and going via the waiver wire before the actual first-game roster is set before the Giants take on the Vikings on Sept. 8 at MetLife Stadium.
The Giants cut 12 players on Sunday and Robinson lives for another day.
There is no one in the building with Robinson’s pedigree, as far as a wide receiver.
He has 562 career receptions for 7,028 yards and 43 touchdowns across 10 seasons with the Jaguars, Bears, Rams and Steelers.
He was signed in early May to a one-year deal worth $1.4 million and the Giants guaranteed only $25,000 of it, meaning he arrived having to show that there was life in his legs and he could offer something to the team.
Robinson accomplished the hard part, remaining healthy throughout the summer, never missing a thing as he turned 31 on Saturday.
He was a reliable but not explosive pass catcher and did not turn heads with any playmaking verve.
Robinson did make a strong impression with his leadership and class and there is no doubt these traits would be welcome in a wide receiver room filled with youth.
Rookie Malik Nabers is 21, Jalin Hyatt is 22, Wan’Dale Robinson is 23 and only Darius Slayton (27) has a voice of experience at this position group.
“I want to be the best teammate I can because when you’re around these guys for three, four, five months you’re able to create that bond,” Allen Robinson said. “It’s not a value thing for me. It’s whenever you’re in a room like this and you spend the amount of hours as you do around these guys any way I can help guys get better, on the field, off the field, whatever that may be, football, recovery, life I try to always keep it that.”
Go behind the scenes with Big Blue
Sign up for Inside the Giants by Paul Schwartz, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.
Thank you
Robinson played 28 of the 67 snaps on offense as the Giants closed out their preseason with a 10-6 loss to the Jets.
The more playing time in this particular game, the less of a chance the player will stick around. Robinson gained 10 yards on an end-around and caught one pass for four yards on his only target.
In the preseason, Robinson caught three passes for 23 yards. He clearly is a long way from his peak — 80 receptions for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Jaguars in 2015 — and he might more resemble the player who didn’t do much (34 catches for 280 yards in 17 games) last season for the Steelers.
“This is going into year 11 for me, being able to be available every training camp practice, being able to make plays, so on and so forth each and every day and showing consistency,” Robinson said. “I think that’s the biggest thing in this league, how consistent can you be? I’ve always challenged myself as a player to be that.
“I feel like I’ve made plays. I feel I was able to stack days together during training camp.”
The problem is there probably is no room for Robinson, the way the Giants roster is constructed at the position.
Four spots are set — Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, Hyatt and Slayton — and two spots figure to get claimed by special teams-centric players — Miles Boykin and either Gunner Olszewski or Isaiah McKenzie, most likely Olszewski.
If the Giants opt to go with seven receivers, Allen Robinson and Isaiah Hodgins will be considered for the final spot.
It does not help either of them that they do not contribute on special teams — a huge detriment for a back-of-the-roster player. Another receiver, Bryce Ford-Wheaton, 24, is an improving special teams performer.
Robinson says making the team has not consumed his thoughts: “It’s hard to look outside at things when you’re in the midst of a race, it’s hard to look right, it’s hard to look left, at least for me it is.’’
The good or bad news will come soon enough.
“Whatever is going to happen is going to happen,” Robinson said. “If you asked me this a few weeks ago, as far as how I approach it, I would have said, ‘Put together good days in training camp, be consistent.’ At this stage of the game whatever is meant to be is meant to be.’’
