The Giants are heading into 2026 with a roster that could go in very different directions, and a handful of players are right at the center of that uncertainty. John Harbaugh has a team that could make a real run at a surprise playoff spot - or unravel fast enough to force a cleanup job next offseason.
That puts real pressure on several players whose futures in New York may depend on what they do this year. The Giants have taken a swing on these five, and 2026 may decide whether those bets pay off.
CB Deonte Banks is one of the clearest examples. Earlier this offseason, he looked like a player ready to turn a corner under a new staff.
He became one of the stories of training camp, earning praise from defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson for his physical play and his approach. As Wilson told the New York Post, "I think he had a helluva offseason.
[Banks] has been one of those guys that's kind of been running to coaching. He's not running away from it."
That momentum didn’t carry over into the preseason. Banks failed to lock down a starting cornerback job even with Paulson Adebo and Greg Newsome II leaving openings behind them. He’s still in line for a rotational role, but if he can build on what he showed earlier in the offseason, the Giants may feel forced to keep him around beyond this year.
QB Jaxson Dart is in a different kind of spotlight. The rookie season was uneven, and the doubts haven’t gone away. His game still comes with the kind of risk that produces both big-time highlights and rough mistakes, which is a tough formula for a team trying to push toward the postseason.
Reports from the offseason have pointed to Dart taking time to adjust to offensive coordinator Matt Nagy’s system. The preseason only reinforced that image, with Dart bouncing between impressive throws and obvious errors.
What the Giants need now is cleaner football: operating within the offense, working through reads, and finding his targets with more consistency. His ability to create off script still matters, but he can’t make a living playing backyard football.
If that growth doesn’t show up, Harbaugh may not wait around long.
C John Michael Schmitz is also running out of runway. He’s in the final year of his rookie contract, and after three seasons the second-round pick has been a below-average starter at center.
The task got tougher with a new scheme to learn, and a concussion in training camp cut into his offseason work. Schmitz is the starter for now, but he hasn’t done enough to make a second contract feel likely.
If year four doesn’t bring a major jump, the Giants could move on in 2027.
WR Darius Slayton finds himself in a precarious spot as well. He’s fallen down the depth chart and could even be a healthy scratch in Week 1. Rookie third-round pick Malachi Fields outplayed him consistently through camp and the preseason, and that’s hard to ignore.
Even so, Slayton still has a path back into the mix. The receiver room is thin enough that opportunities should be there. It’s difficult to imagine the Giants rushing to give him a new deal after overpaying before, but a solid season could be enough to convince Harbaugh and Joe Schoen to let him finish out the final year of his contract.
Of the group, Likely may have the safest standing. The Giants gave him a three-year, $40 million deal this offseason, and he’s expected to be Dart’s No. 2 target behind Malik Nabers. Training camp reports also said the tight end has been Dart’s favorite target, which gives the pair a real chance to carry that connection into the regular season.
In Other News...
Giants Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Receiver Room
The Giants made a notable roster move by releasing veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton, ending the run of the longest-tenured player on their roster. Slayton spent 106 games in New York and became a familiar part of the offense over the years, finishing with 296 catches for 4,435 yards and 22 touchdowns.
For a team trying to reshape its receiver room, the decision also carries a financial wrinkle. The move clears $3.16 million in cap space, but it comes with $12.75 million in dead cap money, a reminder that even straightforward personnel decisions can have a lingering cost as the Giants continue sorting out what comes next at the position. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Just Got A Painful Reminder About Their Evan Neal Bet
The Giants spent the offseason reshaping their roster, and one of the clearest signs of how far that process has gone came when they terminated Evan Neals vested-veteran contract while setting their initial 53-man group. Neal had been given multiple chances to win a tackle job and settle into a long-term role, but the consistency never really arrived, leaving the team to move on rather than keep waiting for the promise to catch up.
For a front office already trying to stabilize an offensive line that has been a constant concern, Neals departure adds another layer of work. The Giants now have to account for the vacancy he leaves behind and figure out how to patch it with the roster they have, a reminder that one of their bigger personnel bets did not produce the payoff they were hoping for. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Giants Just Got More Personal For George Pickens
Before the Giants and Cowboys even get to the scoreboard, there is already some edge in the air for New Yorks secondary. Greg Newsome II made clear he respects the challenge presented by CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, but he also sounded confident in the group he now helps anchor, which is exactly the sort of tone the Giants want heading into a Week 1 test against one of the NFCs most talented receiver rooms.
The matchup carries a little extra bite because Newsome and Pickens have crossed paths before, back when Newsome was with the Browns and Pickens was still in Pittsburgh. Now the two are on opposite sidelines in an NFC East showdown, with Pickens in Dallas and Newsome in New York, and that old history gives an ordinary season opener a more personal feel for a Giants defense trying to set its tone early. [Read more 🡒]