The New York Giants wide receiver room looks very different from this time last year.
The Giants have added six new wide receivers to their offense over the course of the off-season, giving a completely new look to a room that was uninspiring in 2025.
Over the last six months the Giants have added:
- Darnell Mooney
- Calvin Austin III
- Malachi Fields
- Odell Beckham Jr.
- JuJu Smith-Schuster
- Braxton Berrios
Of course, the Giants are also without starting receivers Malik Nabers (ACL) and Darius Slayton (sports hernia), as well as primary punt returner Gunner Olszewski (Achilles). Those injuries prompted the Giants to sign
Beckham, Smith-Schuster, and Berrios, but now we’ll start to get clarity in how the depth chart will shake out and how the Giants’ various receivers will be used.
What will OBJ and JuJu do?
It might not be fair to the rest of the Giants’ receivers, but we pretty much need to start with the big new names on the roster. It was a surprise that the Giants signed Beckham or Smith-Schuster, but was a surprise that the Giants signed both Beckham and Smith-Schuster following the veteran workout on June 1st.
The two venerable receivers started getting work immediately in practice, to generally positive reviews. Beckham seemed to be moving well in videos to come out of Wednesday’s practice, and reportedly received reps with each of the first, second, and third teams. Smith-Schuster likewise played with all three of the Giants quarterbacks and recorded catches with each.
We’ll be looking to see how the Giants’ depth chart takes shape over mini-camp, as well as how the two veterans respond to their increasing workload. Can they separate themselves? Will each earn a roster spot? Will either turn the clock back on their careers or will they fade as we approach training camp?
Malachi Fields’ development
At the opposite end of the spectrum is third-round rookie Malachi Fields. Fields doesn’t have the athletic upside of Malik Nabers (when healthy), but the Giants made getting Fields a priority in the draft. They traded three picks to move up from the fourth round to the third to go get the former Virginia and Notre Dame wideout. Fields flashed the potential to be dominant at the catch point in college, and has flashed that same ability in OTAs.
He’s been credited with making the “Play of The Day” in several practices over the spring, and the Giants will want to see him carry that forward into mandatory mini-camp and training camp.
We won’t get to see Fields’ blocking prowess until the pads go on later this summer. And while we’d love to see him continue to hone his craft as a technician, that’s likely a longer-term project for the rookie. For now, the big question is whether Fields can continue to get comfortable in the Giants’ offense and carve out a role for himself with the starters. It would be a fantastic development if he’s able to become a consistent presence in the Giants’ starting lineup. However even being a reliable option on 3rd downs and in the Red Zone would be a good return for the 3rd round rookie.
Where will Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III fit?
The Giants two big-name free agent receivers have suddenly gotten more intriguing.
Mooney has been considered a likely starter for the Giants, taking the slot receiver role vacated by Wan’Dale Robinson when he departed for the Tennessee Titans. He has been a starter throughout OTAs, but will that change with the presence of Beckham and Smith-Schuster? Could one of the veterans force Mooney onto the bench when Darius Slayton and Nabers return from injury?
Jaxson Dart formed a strong connection with Wan’Dale Robinson last year, and Mooney played well under Matt Nagy with the Bears. Those two facts should bode well for him, but what will he do with his opportunities at the top of the depth chart this summer?
Austin, meanwhile, is an interesting case.
Austin packs elite athleticism into an undersized frame, which could make him a dangerous weapon on schemed touches. He is fast and has explosive acceleration, while his size gives him great agility and makes him hard to tackle in space. Those traits also make him a dangerous punt returner, and the Giants might actually value those skills more highly after the injury to Gunner Olszewski.
His versatility to be both an explosive offensive weapon and a special teams asset should help him make the team. However, will he be a reserve offensive player and primarily play special teams after the injury to Olszewski? Or will the fact that his explosiveness down the field has been a thorn in Harbaugh’s side help him see more offensive snaps?
What role will Braxton Berrios have?
At the surface level, this is a pretty obvious one: a one-for-one replacement for Olszewski.
But what was that role going to be in the Giants’ new offense? There was a report of him making a catch up the seam from Jameis Winston, suggesting that there could be a vertical component to that role (likely out of the slot). Berrios has never been a high-volume receiver in the NFL, with just 210 targets in his 7-year career and the high-water mark being 65 targets in 2021 with the Jets.
Berrios seems to be in direct competition with Calvin Austin for a role as both an offensive weapon and primary punt returner role. It’s possible that the Giants could keep both players, particularly considering Harbaugh’s emphasis on special teams. However, the Giants also have a very crowded wide receiver room at the moment and the numbers game could make this a head-to-head battle for a single roster spot.
This week’s practices could give us a clue how the Giants feel about both Berrios and Austin, as well as how both could be used.
