The Giants are heading into their matchup with the Jets with a few familiar names driving the conversation, and Malik Nabers is right in the middle of it. The wideout is “no longer seeing red,” as one report put it, a sign that the Giants and their star receiver are nearing the finish line on that situation.
Nabers was also back working in practice Tuesday, another encouraging note for a team trying to sort through its next steps before facing its stadium roommates.
There’s also been plenty of buzz around the Giants’ young defensive pieces. Arvell Reese keeps stacking good days and is already looking like a key part of the unit. He added two more total tackles in Saturday’s preseason game and now ranks second among defensive rookies in PFF grade through two preseason games at 88.2, just behind the Buccaneers’ Rueben Bain Jr. at 88.8.
“He hasn’t really missed a beat at all,” coach John Harbaugh said. “He learns very quickly, and he executes the defenses really well.
And then when he doesn’t, he listens to every word of the coaching and applies it on the next opportunity. He’s making a lot of progress real fast.”
Harbaugh also spent time after practice gathering a leadership group to go over schedules, practice details and other team matters. For the Giants, that group includes quarterback Jaxson Dart, left tackle Andrew Thomas, outside linebacker Brian Burns, middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, safety Jevon Holland, punter Jordan Stout, backup quarterback Jameis Winston and tight end Chris Manhertz. Those players were voted in by their teammates.
“We’ve been doing it for a long time. It’s good,” Harbaugh said of the leadership group.
“I do kind of try to emphasize to the team that everybody’s a leader and everybody has every opportunity to speak their mind. Talk to anybody. ...
But sometimes it just kind of helps because guys don’t always want to do that.”
On the offensive side, Allen Robinson II believes the Giants’ top weapons can be dangerous in Matt Nagy’s offense. Robinson, who played for Nagy in Chicago, pointed to Nagy’s willingness to build around matchups and let his best players adjust during the game.
“We went to the playoffs two out of those first three years,” Robinson said. “And I had a lot of success in that as a receiver from just his ultimate trust in me building with Mitchell Trubisky and us kind of also having the keys being able to make in-game adjustments and double-moving routes on the fly. He gives the players - ‘say’ is the wrong word - but once you get to the line of scrimmage, you have a lot of ability as you practice through different checks, you can get to a lot of different things.”
The broader outlook around the Giants remains measured. One projection has their win total at 7.1 and calls it “Just right,” noting that while John Harbaugh’s first season may not feel like a splash, the team has won seven games combined over the last two years. Jaxson Dart’s second-year play is seen as the biggest swing factor, with growing pains expected and some uncertainty still hanging over a defense that could feature a strong pass rush.
There’s even been outside chatter about a possible trade for Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. One suggested package had the Giants sending 2027 second- and sixth-round picks to Pittsburgh, with the idea that Porter would give the secondary a major boost and help stabilize the cornerback spot. The case for the move is simple: instead of waiting on Adebo, Newsome and Hood to sort themselves out, New York could make a bold swing and add a corner who would fit the push toward Super Bowl contention under John Harbaugh.
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Giants Could Get A Needed D-Line Upgrade Without Giving Up Picks
The Giants went into the offseason knowing the front had to get sturdier, and that need is still hanging over everything they do up front. After keeping only Darius Alexander from last season, New York is actively looking for help on the defensive line, with general manager Joe Schoen openly signaling that the team is exploring ways to add size and experience to a group that needs a better answer against the run.
One path could come without costing the Giants draft picks, which is part of what makes the situation worth watching. Veteran defensive lineman Arik Armstead is a name on the radar if he becomes available through a release by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and a move like that would fit the kind of pragmatic upgrade New York has been seeking as it tries to firm up a unit that has too little proven depth behind its lone returning piece. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Receiver Injury Just Raised A Bigger Roster Question
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Austins injury also puts a little more pressure on a roster picture that was already worth watching. For a team trying to sort out its depth at receiver, losing a player in practice is about more than one afternoon of bad luck, because every rep matters this time of year and every health update can ripple through the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Suddenly Have A Troubling New Question At Receiver
A routine Giants practice took an uneasy turn when Calvin Austin came up with a knee injury while running a pass route in a non-contact setting. The injury happened during a 1-on-1 drill against Deonte Banks, and the sight of co-owner John Mara stopping to console Austin only underscored how quickly a session can shift from evaluation to concern.
Austin had been expected to play a meaningful role after being brought in to help replace WanDale Robinson, and he had already shown some of the versatility the Giants were hoping to see during preseason work. Now the bigger question is whether New York has to adjust its receiver plans again, with the early signs on Austin leaving the team waiting for clarity it did not want this soon. [Read more 🡒]