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\u2019s look at players who sit firmly on the roster bubble following an active, perhaps transformative, offseason for the Giants.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s system, recapture the promise he showed as a rookie.<\/p>\n
The truth is, I think Banks\u2019 emergence as a home run threat on kickoff returns last season might be the only thing that saves him a roster spot.<\/p>\n
The Giants can say what they want about how good Banks looks this spring, but I can\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t been.<\/p>\n
LBs Micah McFadden\/Darius Muasau<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Sauls was a great story last year, a left-footed rookie who finally settled the Giants\u2019 placekicking situation after nearly three years of week-in and week-out questions due mostly to Graham Gano\u2019s inability to stay healthy and the Giants\u2019 lack of foresight in failing to move on from him quickly enough.<\/p>\n
It really wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
WR Jalin Hyatt\/Isaiah Hodgins<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n