The Giants have one preseason game left before the roster gets cut down to 53, and that makes Friday night against the Jets a pressure point for a handful of players who still have something to prove. Some are fighting to stay on the team.
Others are trying to turn a decent camp into a real role. And a few are trying to avoid sliding backward when the season is almost here.
Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the names sitting closest to the center of that conversation. Calvin Austin’s injury changes the numbers at wide receiver, and while Beckham still had a real fight on his hands before that, the path looks a little clearer now.
There’s still a difference between making the roster and actually being part of the weekly plan, though. Beckham has mostly put good work on film, despite the drop against the Miami Dolphins.
His routes have been sharp, he’s shown the kind of savvy and nuance that made him special a decade ago, and he even hustled to block downfield against Miami in a way that stood out. Playing him from the slot might be the best fit right now.
If he wants to matter beyond simply making the team, he needs to prove he’s one of the Giants’ four best receivers on the field.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. is in a very different spot. He’s not in danger of getting cut, but his preseason has included a brutal missed block and a bad fumble, and that can push a player down the depth chart fast.
The Giants may not want to move him, but if trust keeps slipping, he could find himself on the inactive list while Cam Skattebo and Devin Singletary - maybe even Najee Harris - take over the work. That would be a major fall for the only player from his draft class to top 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons.
There’s also another angle here: teams like the Raiders and Cardinals could come calling after injuries to Jeremiyah Love and Ashton Jeanty, and Tracy’s receiving background could appeal to offenses in the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree. A clean game Friday could help him lock back in with the Giants or raise his value elsewhere.
Darius Alexander is another player with a lot riding on this one. The noise around him has gotten louder, but there’s a difference between a player needing to improve and a player being bad.
Alexander has shown enough to suggest more is there, and this game is a chance to keep building that case. He needs to keep showing growth as a run defender, and he needs to remind the Giants that their defensive line doesn’t have to send them shopping.
Trust is easier to build than rebuild, and Alexander has to keep himself near the top of the rotation.
The cornerback situation is just as interesting, with Deonte Banks and Paulson Adebo both carrying plenty into this game. Adebo has slipped and needs to show he still deserves to start rather than simply rotate.
Banks, on the other hand, has done a lot to earn trust already. He’s been active in spring practices and camp, sticky in coverage, and physical at the line.
He started with limited chances and forced his way up the depth chart. Still, the next stage matters, especially with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens looming.
If Banks doesn’t play against the Jets, that will say plenty. If he does, he has to keep making the most of every rep.
The Giants could view Banks, Adebo, and Greg Newsome II as starting-caliber corners and mix and match with Newsome’s inside-out versatility, but that kind of flexibility only works if the coaches trust all three.
Bryan Hudson may not have the same name recognition, but his spot is very much in play. He has been taking the second-team reps at center even with Lucas Patrick healthy, and that matters.
Patrick has been dealing with “an old knee,” and Hudson has taken advantage. If he gets a chance with the second team Friday, he could do more than make the roster - he could push Patrick out entirely.
Hudson can play center and has guard experience too, which only helps his case on a line where versatility carries real weight.
And yes, there’s one more detail worth clearing up: Bryan Hudson is not James Hudson III. Different men, different spots on the roster, same last name. A strong showing Friday would go a long way toward making that distinction stick.
In Other News...
Giants Face A Shocking Backfield Decision After Costly Mistakes
Tyrone Tracy has become one of the more unexpected names to watch as the Giants sort through their backfield decisions, even after showing enough in past seasons to look like part of the answer. The conversation around him is not just about one bad stretch, either. Coaches John Harbaugh and Matt Nagy have pointed to recent mistakes while still noting Tracys overall contributions and the way he approaches the work, which only adds to the sense that this is a complicated call rather than a simple one.
For the Giants, the timing makes everything trickier. Depth chart changes are already reshaping the room, and salary cap considerations are part of the equation as the front office weighs whether keeping Tracy is the smarter move or whether a surprise cut could be on the table. For a team trying to stabilize its offense, it is the kind of roster question that can linger until the last possible moment. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Are Already Facing A Brutal Reality About Their Rebuild
The Giants spent the offseason trying to reset the roster, adding new pieces through trades and the draft in hopes of stabilizing a team that has spent too long searching for traction. Even so, the outside view has not moved much. Mark Powell of FanSided recently put New York among the NFL teams that are unlikely to contend for a Super Bowl this season, a reminder that a makeover on paper does not always translate into instant progress on the field.
For a franchise trying to rebuild around a new foundation, the more immediate question may be less about wins and losses than about evaluation. Powell suggested the coaching staff could spend this year sorting through the roster and determining who fits long term, including whether Jaxson Dart can develop into the franchise quarterback. Until that becomes clearer, the Giants figure to remain underdogs in the preseason conversation, no matter how much they reshaped the roster over the summer. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Have A Rare Cutdown Advantage Joe Schoen Could Still Cash In
The Giants still have a little maneuvering room before the cutdown deadline, and general manager Joe Schoen said the club is weighing three to five key roster calls before it locks in the 53-man group. For a team that has already shown it can turn surplus into future value by dealing Daniel Faalele to Jacksonville for a 2027 sixth-round pick, the final stretch is less about simply surviving cuts and more about deciding where the roster can still be leveraged.
Schoen has made clear the decision-making will not be one-dimensional. Contract control matters, special teams value matters, position flexibility matters and health will matter too, which gives the Giants a broader lens as they sort through the bubble. With more than one possible trade path still open, the next move could say as much about roster building for the future as it does about the team they plan to put on the field right away. [Read more 🡒]