The New York Giants host the New England Patriots in their third and final preseason game on Thursday night. Yours truly will be in attendance for the game, albeit we may see a limited number of Giants suit up.
New York has scored more than 30 points in each of its first two games; preseason or not, that’s impressive. The Giants’ offense moved the ball well, created explosive plays, and were — dare I say — exciting. Of course, it was against vanilla defensive shells, but it’s welcome, nonetheless.
I expect to see a lot of Tommy DeVito against the Patriots. It will be a game that gives the backend roster players one last opportunity to prove their worth, while putting more tape on their resume. However, there’s still plenty to glean from the affair. Here are five things to look for:
Dante “Turbo” Miller
The Giants seem to love Miller, but the running back room is crowded. If he earns his keep on the Giants, it will be through special teams. He has handled kickoff responsibilities all preseason, but the Giants have also used his skill set as a gunner on the punt team.
Miller has caught 11 passes for 123 yards in the preseason, with a knack for finding the first-down marker in high-leverage situations. He hasn’t experienced the same success rushing the football (15 carries for 39 yards, 2.6 YPC), but his explosiveness in space jumps off the screen and attracts excitement.
What I am paying attention to in this game, though, is Miller’s usage. Cam Skattebo returned to practice on Tuesday, and the Giants may want to be wise with his workload. Devin Singletary and Tyrone Tracy Jr. may not see any carries, especially the latter if the first-team rests, as I presume.
This leaves Miller and Jonathan Ward as the only other two running backs on the roster. If Miller only receives limited work — and does well with it — then that could be a tip on how comfortable the Giants are with his skills, making the 53-man roster. However, a large Miller workload doesn’t suggest he won’t make the team, either.
Darius Alexander
The Giants drafted Alexander in the third round with the 65th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The 6’4, 305-pounder looks the part, but his offseason started slow due to an undisclosed injury that stalled his progression in OTAs and minicamp. He has since returned but has done little to affect the stat-sheet — he did have an assisted tackle against the Jets.
Alexander appears somewhat slow and often gets stuck on blocks. His explosiveness from Toledo has not flashed frequently in training camp or preseason, which is understandable given his slow start due to the injury. Still, it is also concerning since the Giants lack depth on their defensive line. Alexander should see ample snaps and an opportunity to work on his craft against the Patriots on Thursday.
Secondary spot(s) up for grabs?
The Giants are thin in their secondary, and that may be addressed in free agency after every NFL team finalizes their final 53-man roster. The safety spot behind Tyler Nubin, Jevon Holland, and Dane Belton is a battle between Raheem Layne, K’Von Wallace, and Makari Paige, with Layne presumably leading.
Nic Jones seems to be the cornerback with an inside track to the 53-man roster. Jones has worked on special teams and was the primary backup when Dru Phillips was ailing with an injury; he also operated on the outside. TJ Moore did receive snaps with the first team in training camp as well. O’Donnell Fortune and Art Green have flashed in camp, too. Tre Hawkins III has missed a lot of training camp time with an injury. The Giants also have Dee Williams and Korie Black on the roster; both have played a lot of special teams during training camp.
The depth at cornerback is thin, and quality snaps in this third preseason game could help sort out the pecking order of the backend cornerbacks. It appears that Jones is in the lead, but Thursday should be important for the backend names listed above.
UDFA wide receivers
The Giants added several undrafted wide receivers to their 90-man roster this offseason. They’ve competed well throughout camp, but two have primarily stood out: Notre Dame’s Beaux Collins and Louisiana’s Dalen Cambre. The former is more of a traditional X receiver, and the latter is a special teams player with slot abilities.
Collins caught Russell Wilson’s 80-yard pass that placed the Giants at the one-yard line on the third offensive play of the game. It kick-started the Giants’ 31-12 win over the Jets. Collins returned from an injury early last week and found himself running with the first team sans Malik Nabers.
Collins and Cambre, as well as Antwan “Juice” Wells, Jordan Bly, and Da’Quan Felton (who has been injured), are all UDFAs competing with Gunner Olszewski, Montrell Washington, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Zach Pascal, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey for one, possibly two, roster spots. These players should receive ample snaps and opportunities, health permitting, and Thursday could be of the utmost consequence to some of them.
This final preseason game gives the Giants more information on potential practice squad players. In today’s NFL, the practice squad is more important than ever, and the league has set clear rules on how teams can use it. Each team may carry up to 16 players on the practice squad during the season, including as many as six veterans with unlimited experience.
To give clubs flexibility, the league allows teams to elevate up to two players per week from the practice squad to the active roster without making a permanent transaction. These players automatically revert to the practice squad after the game, but each individual may only be elevated a maximum of three times in a season. After that, if a team wants to use him again, he must be signed to the 53-man roster. This system gives coaches the ability to cover injuries, test young talent, or add depth in a given week, while still protecting roster spots and maintaining competitive balance.
Last year, the Giants used the practice squad to call up special teams assets, backend skilled players (Isaiah Hodgins and Miller), and to play roster maneuvering games with fullback Jakob Johnson. The Giants’ current roster could benefit from additional depth, particularly with actual competition for snaps from their practice squad call-ups, should injuries occur at certain positions.
Not every player released will be eligible for the practice squad, but quality reps can help secure a player’s spot on the practice squad. Keep that in mind when watching Thursday’s game against the Patriots.
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