New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen said at the time of his hiring that some tough decisions need to be made on the roster, which had to be trimmed to create more cap room this offseason. From cutting players to trading others, Schoen made it clear that all options would be on the table.

On Wednesday, Schoen began the process of making roster cuts perhaps sooner than many thought by releasing two offensive players from the Giants, as reported by Zach Rosenblatt of NJ Advance Media. Rosenblatt said the team is cutting backup running back Devontae Booker, which will create about $2.1 million in cap room. Booker tied with Saquon Barkley for the team lead in rushing yards.

Booker wasn't the only Giants player to become a cap casualty on Wednesday, though, as tight end Kyle Rudolph was also released. Like Booker, Rudolph will also cost the Giants some dead money, though releasing him also frees up as much as $5 million. Rudolph only had 257 receiving yards this season and played a small role relative to his salary.

He took to Twitter to express his gratitude to the Giants, although he also admitted that he didn't expect to be cut.

 

While these decisions certainly weren't tough ones for Schoen to make, they are a good start towards his declared goal of freeing up as much as $40 million in cap room for the Giants.

It will be interesting to see what Schoen's next move is during the Giants' offseason.