Very few fans called “kicker” as one of the most compelling roster battles of the New York Giants training camp, but that’s where we find ourselves.
And after the Giants’ 23-6 victory over the New York Jets, we have the answer as to who will be the Giants kicker for 2026 season: Undrafted free agent Dominic Zvada, as confirmed by head coach John Harbaugh after the game.
The Giants took the unorthodox step of releasing veteran kicker Jason Sanders way back on June 2nd, leaving the kicking competition
up to Zvada and three-game veteran Ben Sauls. Both kickers had impressive performances in training camp. However, Zvada, the UDFA out of Michigan, was clearly better.
Zvada not only showed off the leg strength that could make him the kind of weapon the Giants have lacked in recent years, but he was both accurate and consistent. He rarely missed a kick in practice and was rock solid when he got the opportunity in preseason games.
That isn’t to detract from Sauls, who did a fantastic job settling the Giants’ special teams down in 2025 and was solid himself this summer.
NFL teams are loathe to rely on inexperienced special teams players, but both Zvada and (fellow UDFA) long snapper Ben Mann have proven their worth this summer. The big question now is whether the Giants can hang on to Ben Sauls and sign him to their practice squad.
It was notable that the Giants didn’t use Sauls at all in their win over the Jets — while Jason Sanders missed an extra point and a 54-yard field goal for the Jets.
The Giants would obviously love to keep two NFL-caliber kickers around, but they may be able to parlay Sauls into a draft pick for 2027 if they think he’ll be claimed off of waivers.
Meanwhile, Zvada has come a long way since he announced himself that he would sign with the Giants as an undrafted free agent.
