The signing on Tuesday of veteran nose tackle D.J. Reader might have been the last significant personnel move of the offseason for the New York Giants. So, let’s look at players who sit firmly on the roster bubble following an active, perhaps transformative, offseason for the Giants.
CB Deonte Banks
I keep getting asked whether I think a return to a more aggressive approach in the secondary will help Banks, drafted to play in Wink Martindale’s system, recapture the promise he showed as a rookie.
The truth is, I think
Banks’ emergence as a home run threat on kickoff returns last season might be the only thing that saves him a roster spot.
The Giants can say what they want about how good Banks looks this spring, but I can’t really imagine John Harbaugh wanting to rely on a player who has a) played poorly at times over three seasons and b) shown such a poor on-field attitude when things have gone badly.
Entering his fourth season, Banks has yet to show real progress in grasping the nuances of cornerback play. He is still just an athlete running around out there, hoping his athleticism is enough. It hasn’t been.
LBs Micah McFadden/Darius Muasau
The Giants selected Arvell Reese No. 5 in the draft and immediately announced he would be a starting inside linebacker next to Tremaine Edmunds. Then, they drafted Jack Kelly in Round 6. That might set up a competition between McFadden and Muasau for one spot as a backup linebacker/special teamer.
PK Ben Sauls
Sauls was a great story last year, a left-footed rookie who finally settled the Giants’ placekicking situation after nearly three years of week-in and week-out questions due mostly to Graham Gano’s inability to stay healthy and the Giants’ lack of foresight in failing to move on from him quickly enough.
It really wasn’t a massive surprise when the Giants signed an accomplished veteran placekicker, Jason Sanders, in free agency. It might be considered surprising, though, that the Giants added undrafted free agent placekicker Dominic Zvada after the 2026 NFL Draft.
Best guess is that Sanders wins the job if he is healthy, Zvada lands on the practice squad if he shows enough in training camp and the preseason, and Sauls continues the nomadic life of a placekicker looking for a new job.
WR Jalin Hyatt/Isaiah Hodgins
Truth is, Hyatt and Hodgins have been on the 2026 roster bubble since the second the 2025 season ended. The hiring of Harbaugh as head coach made their mountain tougher to climb because neither contributes to special teams. The trade-up to select Malachi Fields in the draft brought yet another obstacle.
In my post-draft 53-man roster projection, I had Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin, Malachi Fields, and Gunner Olszewski making the team. That’s six receivers. If the Giants keep a seventh, strong special teamers like Dalen Cambre and Ryan Miller might have an advantage.
G Aaron Stinnie
Stinnie is an adequate guard only backup. The Giants suddenly, though, have a crowd when it comes to reserve offensive line positions.
The drafting of Francis Mauigoa settles the starting lineup with Andrew Thomas, Jon Runyan (unless something unexpected happens), John Michael Schmitz, Mauigoa, and Jermaine Eluemunor.
Marcus Mbow is one swing tackle. Daniel Faalele figures to make the roster as a backup guard. I doubt the Giants will want to expose sixth-round pick J.C. Davis to waivers, so give him a 53-man roster spot. Lucas Patrick has extensive experience at both guard and center, giving him an advantage over Stinnie.
That’s nine linemen. If the Giants keep 10 on the 53-man roster, which is possible but hardly guaranteed, Stinnie would seem to have a better chance. Still, Josh Ezeudu, Evan Neal, and undrafted free agent Ryan Schernecke might be in the mix for that last spot.
DT Elijah Chatman
The Giants have added … and added … and added … and added some more to the defensive line after trading Dexter Lawrence and letting Rakeem Nunez-Roches and D.J. Davidson sign elsewhere in free agency.
It doesn’t figure that there will be a place for a 5-foot-10, 280-pound defensive tackle who doesn’t hold up well against the run because of his size.
Chatman has been a nice story for the Giants, but his time might be up.
[NOTE: Yes, I cheated a little bit. Instead of six players, I gave you eight names for six spots.]
