Calvin Austin III, who was having a solid preseason as a reliable pass catcher for Jaxson Dart, suffered what appeared to be a significant knee injury Tuesday during Giants practice.
Austin was working a one-on-one in-cut against Deonte Banks when his knee buckled, and he groaned in pain.
A solemn silence fell over the grass field at Quest Diagnostics Training Center and soon every other drill station stopped as players ran over to offer well wishes to Austin before he was carted off the field.
Giants owner John Mara consoled Austin.
“My heart breaks for Calvin because you see all the good stuff he’s been doing,” running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. said. “Not even on film — when you see him after practice, in the film room, he’s a locker room dude. The worst part of football is injuries. Prayers go out to him … [for] a fast-healing process. I know his mental is strong, so I know he’ll be OK.”
Giants wide receiver Calvin Austin III (82) during football practice on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J. Noah K. Murray-NY Post
New York Giants’ Calvin Austin III (82) walks off the field during training camp at the Greenbrier on Saturday, August 1, 2026, in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. (Corey Sipkin) Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
If Austin is out for the long term, it changes the makeup of the 53-man roster ahead of Sunday’s cuts.
Odell Beckham Jr. and Braxton Berrios might no longer be on the bubble if the Giants only keep six receivers (Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields, Berrios and Beckham). Dalen Cambre is a challenger, but he likely could be retained on the practice squad after passing through waivers.
Beckham had four catches during competitive periods Tuesday in addition to a crazy one-handed catch in routes on air.
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Austin is an experienced returner, but the Giants already list Berrios as their unofficial top option on punts and kickoffs. Berrios replaced Austin as the top slot receiver.
“What an unbelievable kid and a great talent,” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said after practice. “Naturally, you always think the worst whenever something like that happens, but we don’t know. … It would be a disservice to him if I said it wasn’t a blow. But I think the beautiful part of what [head coach John Harbaugh] has done with us as a staff and as a team is his message this whole time has been positivity. The next guy has to step up and play.”
After four seasons with the Steelers, Austin signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Giants — his top desired free agent landing spot to team with Dart and old AFC North rival Harbaugh.
“The nice thing about Calvin is that he can play all three [receiver] spots,” Harbaugh said after Monday’s practice. “You can move him around. He’s a ‘smaller receiver,’ and yet he can go outside. You don’t see that that often. So, he gives us a lot of versatility that way. Kind of everything you ask him to do, he does it well. Runs the right routes, makes catches. He’s been that way kind of his whole career.”