Nat Berhe

Nat Berhe could start at free safety in the Giants' season opener at Dallas on Sunday. (John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

A Giant is set to make his first career start at free safety in Sunday's season opener at Dallas. It's just not the player everyone expected.

Nat Berhe is listed as the starting free safety on the depth chart released by the Giants on Tuesday afternoon. Behre takes the place of rookie Darian Thompson, who was limited in Monday's practice by a shoulder injury.

Thompson was locked in as the Giants' starting free safety until he injured his shoulder in the second preseason game on Aug. 20. The third-round pick has not been a full participant in practice since suffering the injury.

Berhe missed the entire 2015 season with a calf injury. A fifth-round pick in the 2014 draft, Berhe appeared mostly on special teams as a rookie.

Thompson's status should come into focus on Wednesday when the first injury report of the week is released.

Other notes from the depth chart:

*Victor Cruz is listed as one of three starting wide receivers alongside Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard. Cruz said he expects to be a full participant in his first game after a nearly two-year layoff.

*Kelvin Sheppard is listed as the starting middle linebacker. That comes as no surprise after middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley was released on Monday.

*Recently reacquired offensive lineman Will Beatty is listed as the backup at both tackle spots. Beatty is expected to push Marshall Newhouse for the starting right tackle job.

Here is the full depth chart for the opener (starters in italics, backups grouped by second and third teams):

OFFENSE

QB: Eli Manning/Ryan Nassib/Josh Johnson

RB: Rashad Jennings/Shane Vereen/Orleans Darkwa/Bobby Rainey, Paul Perkins

TE: Larry Donnell/Will Tye/Jerell Adams

WR: Odell Beckham Jr./Roger Lewis

WR: Sterling Shepard/Dwayne Harris

WR: Victor Cruz/Tavarres King

LT: Ereck Flowers/Will Beatty

LG: Justin Pugh/Bobby Hart

C: Weston Richburg/Brett Jones

RG: John Jerry/Bobby Hart

RT: Marshall Newhouse/Will Beatty

DEFENSE

DE: Jason Pierre-Paul/Kerry Wynn/Romeo Okwara

DE: Olivier Vernon/Owa Odighizuwa

DT: Damon Harrison/Jay Bromley

DT: Johnathan Hankins/Robert Thomas

SLB: Devon Kennard/Mark Herzlich

MLB: Kelvin Sheppard/B.J. Goodson

WLB: Jonathan Casillas/Keenan Robinson/J.T. Thomas

CB: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie/Eli Apple/Leon Hall

CB: Janoris Jenkins/Trevin Wade

SS: Landon Collins/Nat Berhe

FS: Nat Berhe/Mykkele Thompson/Darian Thompson

SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Josh Brown*

P: Brad Wing

LS: Zak DeOssie

*Suspended: Will be replaced by Randy Bullock

TALK IS CHEAP, E63: Giants season preview and predictions

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Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.