The New York Giants have one preseason game left before the 53-man cutdown. Many players on the back end of the roster received ample playing time in the Giants’ 26-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Josh Ezeudu played 47 snaps for the Giants in Miami and was then traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2028 seventh-round pick. Some possible starters received snaps, but most of the first-team rested.
Nevertheless, we saw a Jameis Winston rushing touchdown, 81 J.C. Davis snaps, and a suffocating defense
versus a Malik Willis-less — already bad — Dolphins’ offense. Here are some tales from the timeline after preseason Week 2.
Defensive football!
Arvell Reese played 10 snaps for the Giants and showed his physicality against the Dolphins’ 21 personnel package; Reese took on the fullback at the line of scrimmage and created no rushing room in the B-Gap. Reese’s fit in the 4-hole to the weak side forced Jaylen Wright (5) into the arms of three Giants’ defenders. The upgrade at linebacker for the Giants will secure the continuity of the defense, which should inspire discipline and confidence.
Tyler Nubin (27) breaks on a football just outside his opposite hash. New York ran Cover-2 third-and-10, and Nubin initially opened to his deep half responsibility, but quickly turned to almost intercept the seam pass. Tyler Nubin tied the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ interception record with 13 and has yet to secure a regular-season interception through two seasons.
Dru Phillips (22) has always been effective around the line of scrimmage. He’s had 63 STOPs over his two-year career. He surrendered a 30-yard catch earlier in the drive above, but he bounced back by showcasing his strength. He does, though, need to get better in coverage to earn a larger snap share in Wilson’s scheme.
Greg Newsome II (20) saw snaps for the Giants after missing preseason Week 1. He earned a PBU on the first drive and then had this excellent execution of contain defense on this boundary jet-sweep. Newsome II is in contention to start for the Giants agianst Dallas in Week 1.
Rookie sixth-round pick Bobby Jamison-Travis sacks the quarterback as he attempted to scramble through the A-Gap. The rookie defensive lineman pushed the center back and remained disciplined; he kept the blocker at a distance with his extension, and he got his eyes on his target. Good patience and good finish.
Trace Ford is a Giants practice-squad candidate who has played well in the preseason over the past couple of seasons. Ford set a firm edge here, which allowed a tackle for a loss to manifest. A lot of the backend depth on the roster — Ford, Caleb Murphy, Zaire Barnes, etc. — have put quality preseason tape out there for the NFL.
Banks had a quality game against the young and inexperienced Dolphins’ receiving corps. Still, the steady drumbeat of Tae Banks has proven to be more than smoke, but how long can it burn and wide can that fire extend?
Offense!
Tyrone Tracy Jr. desperately needed to execute as a pass protector against the Dolphins after the terrible blown assignment versus Minnesota. Tracy Jr. identified and picked up the blitz a few times in preseason Week 2, but also failed to square one block up, which led to a facilitated throw. The Giants’ running back room remains a question with the signing of Najee Harris.
Tracy Jr. had two 10+ yard runs prior to his red zone fumble, and the TRAP rush above is one of them. Tracy Jr. exploded through the hole with impressive acceleration to defeat the unblocked defender. Tracy Jr. is a good football player with consecutive 1000+ all-purpose yard seasons. I can’t imagine the Giants out-right cut a player like him. Still, the RB room, in general, is an interesting conversation point, with Devin Singletary factoring into the competition. Speaking of:
Odell Beckham Jr.
Calvin Austin III’s injury has opened up a roster spot, which could still be spent on a wide receiver once the 53 men are selected. Odell Beckham Jr. and Braxton Berrios are the beneficiaries of that unfortunate reality, and both have a realistic possibility of making the team. We see Odell Beckham Jr. create separation and look smooth on the two clips above.
Matt Nagy spoke on Beckham’s understanding of his offense and his dropped ball against Miami:
“He’s just trying to get out here and physically show that he can make plays. And we all know who Odell was and what we want him to be. We get back here in training camp and every day he’s getting more and more reps and he’s starting to understand within our system. In the pass game, for instance, if we have certain concepts, he now knows why those concepts are paired together to make sense for certain routes in a concept. So, now he can play a little faster and let his physical skills really jump out to all of us and make plays. And so, I know he’s super frustrated about that drop he had in the game the other day. We all know nine out of ten times he’s going to catch that, but I like where he’s at. The biggest thing with him, though, is just being able to really stay focused and locked in on the details of the specifics, whether it’s a formation, a route depth, a conversion, a blocking assignment. To be a great wide receiver nowadays, you’ve got to be able to adjust post-snap and you’ve got to be able to know where to line up. And so that’s a process. He’s been very patient and I’m proud of where he’s at.“
The fate of Odell Beckham Jr. with the 2026 New York Giants is still unknown, but the loss of Calvin Austin III remains a devastating blow, for the young receiver was poised to have an impact at all three levels of the field, while operating as a manufactured touch threat, like we saw on his 21 yard jet-sweep gain in Miami. I wish Austin III nothing be a speedy recovery.
