The Giants are about to open their 2026 regular season, and for all the noise around preseason reps and unofficial depth charts, the real answers only start coming once the Cowboys line up across from them.
That’s why this matchup should tell us a lot about where Big Blue actually stands. Three questions in particular hang over the roster as kickoff approaches.
The first centers on the receiver group, and that room still feels unfinished. The Giants added several veterans over the offseason, but even after roster cuts, the pecking order isn’t settled. Odell Beckham Jr. and Darnell Mooney could wind up carrying a real share of the passing game, especially because the wideout depth is so thin.
A lot of that hinges on Malik Nabers. He made it clear this week that whether he plays will be his call. If he’s out, Beckham Jr. and Mooney instantly become much bigger parts of the offense.
Then there’s the run defense, where the Giants are banking on DJ Reader and Shelby Harris to hold up the middle. Those two are not exactly the NFL’s most imposing run-stopping tandem on paper, but the linebackers behind them give this group a chance to survive.
The Cowboys will provide a serious test. They had one of the league’s most efficient rushing attacks last season, and if Reader and Harris can’t stand up to that challenge, the same problem that troubled New York in 2025 could show up again fast.
The last big question is what to make of Paulson Adebo. On the Giants’ unofficial Week 1 depth chart, he showed up as a backup, with Deonte Banks and Greg Newsome II listed as the starting outside corners.
That’s a sharp fall for a player who signed a $54 million contract with Big Blue last offseason and has disappointed over the last year. With a new coaching staff now in place, it looks like Adebo has already slipped out of favor.
The real mystery is how far he’s dropped. If Banks and Newsome II are the starters, is Adebo still rotating in regularly?
Or has he already fallen behind rookie second-round pick Colton Hood? The snap counts against Dallas should give a clearer read on how this staff views its most expensive cornerback.
In Other News...
Giants Just Added Real Suspense To Malik Nabers Week 1 Status
The Giants made a roster move ahead of Week 1 by promoting wide receiver and special teams contributor Dalen Cambre from the practice squad to the 53-man roster before facing the Cowboys. It was the kind of depth-chart shuffle that usually slides by unnoticed, but this one landed with extra weight because it came amid lingering questions around Malik Nabers and the offenses opening-night plans.
Nabers has practiced fully and is not on the injury report, yet his status for Sunday still has not been made fully clear because New York has not announced its final lineup. For a Giants team trying to settle its pecking order before a division game, that leaves at least one of its most important offensive pieces in a bit of suspense right as the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Just Created New Week 1 Tension Around Malik Nabers
The Giants made a small but telling roster move ahead of Week 1, elevating wide receiver and special teams contributor Dalen Cambre from the practice squad to the 53-man roster before their matchup with the Cowboys. It is the kind of transaction that usually flies under the radar, but at this point in the calendar every promotion and depth-chart shuffle gets a closer look, especially when it comes this close to opening weekend.
What makes the move worth watching is the uncertainty still hovering around Malik Nabers. He has been a full participant in recent practices and does not carry an official injury designation, yet the Giants still have not said whether he will be active for the opener. The final answer will come before kickoff, but until then the team has left a little tension hanging over a game that already carries plenty of attention. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Just Caught A Huge Break Before Rams Matchup
The Giants will not have to deal with one of the leagues most disruptive pass rushers when they line up with the Rams, as Myles Garrett is undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery and has been placed on injured reserve. That moves him out for at least the next four games, which includes the upcoming meeting with New York, and it gives the Giants a little more room to breathe as they prepare for a defense that can still create problems in other ways.
Aaron Donalds status for that game is still unclear, which keeps plenty of attention on the Rams front even without Garrett in the picture. There is also the off-field uncertainty involving potential NFL discipline cases for Puka Nacua and Alaric Jackson, adding another layer of questions around a matchup that already looks different than it did a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]