Braxton Berrios wasted no time making his case when Giants camp opened, and the first big splash came in the one place New York needs him most. He hauled in the longest pass of the day, a Jameis Winston throw down the middle for a touchdown, and Giants.com’s John Schmeelk named him the standout of Day 1 in the team’s practice report.
That catch matters less as a sign of a new receiving role and more as a reminder that Berrios can still do a little bit of everything. The Giants did not sign the 30-year-old to chase a pile of targets. They brought him in to stabilize a return game that lost its expected starter before camp even began.
That opening came when Gunner Olszewski went down on a non-contact play during May OTAs. The Giants fear a torn Achilles that would end his season, and with that injury, the return job suddenly became an open competition. Berrios and Calvin Austin III are the veterans in the mix, and the first practice belonged to Berrios.
The contract tells you exactly how the Giants are thinking. Berrios signed a one-year, $1.3 million deal with no guaranteed money and a minimum-benefit cap charge of just $1.075 million. For a team trying to patch a special-teams hole, that is about as clean a gamble as you can take: little risk if it goes sideways, and a proven returner if it works.
And Berrios has the résumé to back it up. He earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2021, when his 30.4-yard kickoff return average led the NFL. Over his career, he has returned 100 punts for 1,130 yards, an 11.3-yard average, and 91 kickoffs for 2,265 yards, a 24.9-yard average.
Berrios also spent 2025 with the Texans, appearing in four games and catching six passes for 37 yards. He handled three kick returns and averaged 27.0 yards there, while adding three punt returns at 8.3 yards per return. His slot experience gives offensive coordinator Matt Nagy another option if injuries force the issue, and the touchdown from Winston showed he can still separate enough to matter.
Still, the path to a roster spot is obvious. Malik Nabers, Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton, Odell Beckham Jr., Calvin Austin III and rookie Malachi Fields are all ahead of or alongside him in the receiving picture, which makes the return job his clearest way onto the 53-man roster.
One practice does not settle a competition, and Austin’s speed will keep this battle alive through the preseason. The Giants still need to see both men handle live punts with pressure bearing down before anything is decided. But on Day 1, the veteran with the All-Pro track record looked exactly like the kind of answer the Giants were hoping to find.
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