The wait is almost over for the Giants, and Sunday night’s opener against the Cowboys brings a pile of questions with it. Some are about health, some about roster construction, and some are about whether the Giants can finally flip the script when the lights are brightest.
The biggest one hangs over Malik Nabers. The Giants’ decision to release Darius Slayton sure looks like a signal that they expect Nabers, their most explosive offensive player, to be available.
But nothing is settled yet. Nabers is still working his way back from a torn ACL, and even if he suits up, the real unknowns start there: how many snaps he gets, how effective he is, and how he handles the first hit.
Slayton’s exit also opens up a roster spot the Giants have not filled yet. When they do, the most straightforward move would be to add another receiver, with Braxton Berrios and Dalen Cambre both in the mix for the 53-man roster.
If the Giants go that route, Cambre feels like the likelier name, since Berrios would carry a fully guaranteed salary for the season if he were signed to the 53-man roster before Week 1. The team could also go in another direction and use the spot on linebacker Malik Harrison or edge defender Trace Ford.
There’s also the Caleb Downs angle, which comes with a little extra bite for Giants fans. Early in Harbaugh’s tenure as head coach, podcast host Mike Francesa asked him about Ohio State Caleb Downs, and Harbaugh’s answer had people around the draft immediately linking Downs to the Giants.
“Big fan, big fan,” Harbaugh said of Downs. “We favor Hall of Fame safeties, so if we have a chance to draft a potential future Hall of Fame safety in Caleb Downs, that would be just fine with me.
“We’ll take the best player. You know, when you draft that high, you take the best player.
It’s not a need pick. It’s the best player pick because you’re going for the guy that’s going to be that kind of a player.
You’re talking about a guy that you would like to see someday wearing a gold jacket if possible. That’s what the goal is with that pick.
…
That guy would be just fine with me. I’d take him in a second.”
The Giants passed on Downs twice, taking linebacker Arvell Reese No. 5 and guard Sisi Mauigoa No. 10 instead. They like both players and believe each can live up to where they were selected. But Downs went to the Cowboys at No. 11, which means the Giants will be seeing him twice a year for the foreseeable future.
Another lineup question sits in the secondary. The unofficial depth chart lists Tae Banks as a starter over Paulson Adebo, and that would be a major twist considering how the last two seasons went for Banks.
With Adebo the highest-paid cornerback on the roster, Banks starting while Adebo sits would be a surprising result. Still, that appears to be where things are headed for Sunday night.
And then there’s the broader pattern the Giants are trying to break. Their slow starts have become too familiar, with the team opening 0-2 or worse in 10 of the last 13 years. They also haven’t fared well against Dallas in season openers, going 1-6 against the Cowboys in those games since 2012, with the lone win coming in 2016.
Primetime hasn’t been much kinder. Since 2014, the Giants are 11-36 in night games, a .234 winning percentage. Sunday gives them the full package: a primetime opener against the Cowboys, with plenty of questions and very little margin for error.
In Other News...
Giants New Pecking Order Is Already Turning Into A Real Camp Story
A fresh training camp approach has already started to show up on the Giants roster, with John Harbaugh and his staff giving opportunities to both familiar faces and players with no prior connection to him. The result is a group being judged less by old ties and more by how they fit what the coaches want, which is exactly the kind of reset that can change the tone of camp before the first full pads practice even settles in.
That shift has kept several key names in the mix, including Kayvon Thibodeaux and Deonte Banks, while also bringing in a few notable changes around the edges of the roster. Veteran lineman Daniel Faalele was dealt away, Najee Harris joined the backfield picture, and the bigger question now is how much this new pecking order will keep evolving once the competition really starts to sharpen. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Week 1 Depth Chart Just Raised Big Questions Before Cowboys
The Giants unofficial Week 1 depth chart offered an early look at how Brian Dabolls staff plans to line up against the Cowboys, and it came with a few notable wrinkles. Deonte Banks is now listed as a starting cornerback next to Greg Newsome II after moving up the chart, while Chauncey Golston is shown as the starting defensive end with Darius Alexander behind him. Cam Skattebo also appears as the starting running back, with several others stacked behind him, giving the backfield a layered look heading into the opener.
One of the more interesting details is what the Giants left off the chart altogether: there is no primary slot receiver listed, a sign they may rotate multiple players through that role. Depth charts this early can still shift before kickoff, but they can also hint at how a coaching staff sees its personnel after camp and the preseason. For a Giants team trying to settle key spots before facing Dallas, the chart raised as many questions as it answered. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Just Answered A Growing Concern On Their Defensive Line
The Giants added some needed experience up front by signing veteran defensive tackle Dean Lowry, a 32-year-old who has spent time with both the Packers and Steelers. He is expected to begin on the practice squad, but the move gives New York another seasoned body in a defensive line group that has been looking for more reliable depth and a steadier presence around the younger tackles.
Lowrys appeal is as much about what he can bring off the field as what he can do on it. The Giants view him as a versatile piece who can help against the run and offer the kind of leadership that can speed up the development of younger players, and in a room that has been under scrutiny, that sort of addition can matter as the season wears on. [Read more 🡒]