The Giants.com crew members give their takeaways from the initial 53-man roster.
John Schmeelk: Always let actions speak louder than words. The Giants, led by John Harbaugh, have spoken all offseason about how they want the Giants to be a big, physical team that can run the football. The way they put together their initial 53 man roster reinforced those words with action.
The Giants kept four running backs, a fullback, and four tight ends. It indicates that the days of playing 11 personnel more than 70% of the time in a bunch of spread formations are a thing of the past. The Giants are going to play multiple tight ends. They are going to use their fullback. They are going to use their fullback with multiple tight ends. They are going to run the football. That's why you put so many players at those positions on the initial 53-man roster.
The players in those rooms all have different skillsets, too. The running backs are of all different shapes and sizes with different traits. The tight end room has true in-line tight ends, move tight ends, and a combination of players that are better receivers, blockers, or can do both. Patrick Ricard is one of the most unique fullbacks in the league.
I look forward to seeing this roster hit the field when the Giants play the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football in Week 1.
View photos of the New York Giants' 2026 roster as it currently stands.
CB Paulson Adebo
DL Darius Alexander
CB Deonte Banks
LB Zaire Barnes
WR Odell Beckham Jr.
OLB Brian Burns
DB Elijah Campbell
OLB Abdul Carter
QB Jaxson Dart
OL J.C. Davis
LB Tremaine Edmunds
OL Jermaine Eluemunor
TE Thomas Fidone II
WR Malachi Fields
DL Chauncey Golston
RB Najee Harris
DL Shelby Harris
S Jevón Holland
CB Colton Hood
OL Bryan Hudson
DL Bobby Jamison-Travis
TE Theo Johnson
CB Nic Jones
LB Jack Kelly
TE Isaiah Likely
TE Chris Manhertz
LS Ben Mann
OL Francis Mauigoa
OL Marcus Mbow
ILB Micah McFadden
WR Darnell Mooney
WR Malik Nabers
CB Greg Newsome II
S Tyler Nubin
DL C.J. Okoye
CB Dru Phillips
S Jason Pinnock
DL DJ Reader
LB Arvell Reese
FB Patrick Ricard
G Jon Runyan Jr.
C John Michael Schmitz Jr.
RB Devin Singletary
RB Cam Skattebo
WR Darius Slayton
G Aaron Stinnie
P Jordan Stout
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux
T Andrew Thomas
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.
S Ar'Darius Washington
QB Jameis Winston
K Dominic Zvada
Dan Salomone: Football is a true meritocracy. What gets you here doesn't necessarily keep you here. That was the edict from John Harbaugh on Day 1, and Sunday's roster deadline was the culmination of his first seven months as head coach of the New York Football Giants.
"Jerry Rosburg used to say, 'No royalty,'" Harbaugh said earlier this month after a training camp practice in West Virginia, quoting the longtime coach who was part of the Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII staff. "That's the way it works in sports. It is good. The best player is the player that plays the best. The best team is the team that plays the best. They prove it on the field. That's what merit is all about."
With no signs of slowing down, the Giants kept churning the roster and looking back at the hard evidence. Did he put it on tape?
"That's a big thing from Harbs," assistant general manager Brandon Brown said heading into the important roster weekend. "Hey, we're saying he can do it, let's see it. Did he put it on tape? Was it in the joint practice with Miami? Was it in a preseason game? Let's see it."
The answers to those questions were revealed through practice rotations and ultimately the initial 53-man roster announcement.
"You've got to have daily deposits," Brown said. "And it's really taking to the instruction and then highlighting the execution and knowing which guys have done it and then continuing to raise the floor in the room or earn a spot in the room. And just being objective, which guys are going to have the best opportunity to make an impact for us on game day, whether it's active, whether it's being on practice squad, and knowing that this is going to be the guy that we're going to go to battle with at the start of the season."
View every move made by the New York Giants during the 2026 cycle.
CB Korie Black - Reserve/Injured / Designated for Return (August 30)
CB Art Green, K Ben Sauls - Waived, Injury Settlement (August 30)
DL Anquin Barnes Jr., DL Ben Barten, S Beau Brade, WR Dalen Cambre, FB Grant Finley, OLB Trace Ford, WR Xavier Gipson, RB Eric Gray, OL Jarrod Gray, QB Jake Haener, WR Jalin Hyatt, OL Jake Kubas, LB Chandler Martin, LB Darius Muasau, OLB Caleb Murphy, DL Zacch Pickens, OL Ryan Schernecke, S J.T. Woods - Waived, No Recall (August 30)
QB Brandon Allen, WR Braxton Berrios, TE Tanner Conner, DL Marlon Davidson, OLB Khalid Kareem, S Raheem Layne, OL Evan Neal, OL Lucas Patrick, DL Josh Tupou - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (August 30)
RB Damon Bankston, LB Anfernee Orji, WR Kobe Prentice - Waived, No Recall (August 29)
CB Ugo Amadi, TE Josiah Deguara, DL Leki Fotu, WR Isaiah Hodgins, OL Brenden Jaimes - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (August 29)
WR Calvin Austin III - Reserve/Injured (August 27)
OL Joshua Ezeudu - Traded (to KC) for 2028 Seventh Round Pick (August 26)
TE Josiah Deguara - Free Agent Signing (August 26)
WR Kobe Prentice - Free Agent Signing (August 26)
WR Ryan Miller - Waived, No Recall (August 24)
DL Ben Barten - Claimed (off waivers from NYJ) (August 19)
OL Daniel Faalele - Traded (to JAX) for 2027 Sixth Round Pick (August 18)
RB Najee Harris - Free Agent Signing (August 18)
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster - Terminated, Vested Veteran (August 18)
QB Jake Haener - Free Agent Signing (August 17)
LB Chandler Martin - Free Agent Signing (August 17)
RB Dante Miller - Waived/Injured (August 17)
DB Sam Webb - Reserve/Retired (August 16)
DB Ugo Amadi - Free Agent Signing (August 13)
DB Sam Webb - Free Agent Signing (August 13)
CB David Long Jr. - Terminated, Vested Veteran (August 13)
CB DJ James - Waived/Injured (August 13)
S JT Woods - Free Agent Signing (August 10)
DL Sam Roberts - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (August 10)
OL Brenden Jaimes - Free Agent Signing (August 8)
CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse - Waived/Injured (August 7)
FB Grant Finley - Free Agent Signing (August 6)
TE Tyler Moore - Waived, No Recall (August 6)
DB David Long Jr. - Free Agent Signing (August 5)
DB D.J. James - Free Agent Signing (August 5)
DL Roy Robertson-Harris - Reserve/Injured (August 5)
WR Beaux Collins - Waived/Injured (August 5)
LB Anfernee Orji - Free Agent Signing (July 30)
DL Ben Barten - Waived, No Recall (July 30)
TE Thomas Fidone II - Passed Physical (July 28)
DL Sam Roberts - Passed Physical (July 28)
DL Marlon Davidson - Free Agent Signing (July 28)
TE Tyler Moore - Free Agent Signing (July 28)
DL C.J. Ravenell - Waived, Non-Football Injury (July 25)
LB Cam Jones - Waived, No Recall (July 25)
DL C.J. Ravenell - Claimed (off waivers from TEN) (July 7)
CB Rico Payton - Waived/Injured (July 7)
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster - Free Agent Signing (June 2)
K Jason Sanders - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (June 2)
WR Odell Beckham Jr. - Free Agent Signing (June 1)
WR Braxton Berrios - Free Agent Signing (June 1)
OL Jarrod Gray - Free Agent Signing: Exempt/International Player (June 1)
WR Gunner Olszewski - Reserve/Injured (June 1)
LS Zach Triner - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (June 1)
LB Arvell Reese - Selection List Signing (May 29)
OL Francis Mauigoa - Selection List Signing (May 27)
DL Josh Tupou - Free Agent Signing (May 27)
T Reid Holskey - Waived, No Recall (May 27)
OLB Khalid Kareem - Free Agent Signing (May 14)
CB Thaddeus Dixon - Reserve/Injured (May 14)
CB Colton Hood - Selection List Signing (May 12)
RB Damon Bankston - Free Agent Signing (May 8)
WR Malachi Fields - Selection List Signing (May 7)
DL Bobby Jamison-Travis - Selection List Signing (May 7)
OL J.C. Davis - Selection List Signing (May 7)
LB Jack Kelly - Selection List Signing (May 7)
DT Anquin Barnes, DL Ben Barten, CB Thaddeus Dixon, LS Ben Mann, OL Ryan Schernecke, K Dominic Zvada - Free Agent Signing (May 7)
LB Swayze Bozeman - Waived, No Recall (May 7)
DL Elijah Chatman - Waived, No Recall (May 7)
WR Courtney Jackson - Waived, No Recall (May 7)
DL Marlon Tuipulotu - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (May 7)
DL DJ Reader - Free Agent Signing (May 6)
DL Zacch Pickens - Claimed off Waivers from KC (May 5)
DL Leki Fotu - Free Agent Signing (April 30)
DL Shelby Harris - Free Agent Signing (April 30)
LB DeMarvin Leal - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (April 25)
LB Jack Kelly - Selected in the 6th Round of 2026 NFL Draft (No. 193 overall) (April 25)
OL J.C. Davis - Selected in the 6th Round of 2026 NFL Draft (No. 192 overall) (April 25)
DL Bobby Jamison-Travis - Selected in the 6th Round of 2026 NFL Draft (No. 186 overall) (April 25)
WR Malachi Fields - Selected in the 3rd Round of 2026 NFL Draft (No. 74 overall) (April 24)
CB Colton Hood - Selected in the 2nd Round of 2026 NFL Draft (No. 37 overall) (April 24)
OL Francis Mauigoa - Selected in the 1st Round of 2026 NFL Draft (No. 10 overall) (April 23)
LB Arvell Reese - Selected in the 1st Round of 2026 NFL Draft (No. 5 overall) (April 23)
DL Dexter Lawrence - Traded (to CIN) for 2026 First Round Pick (No. 10 overall) (April 19)
QB Brandon Allen - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (April 13)
OL Daniel Faalele - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (April 9)
WR Ryan Miller - Exclusive Rights Signing (April 7)
OL Lucas Patrick - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (April 6)
WR Da'Quan Felton, DB Patrick McMorris, DB T.J. Moore, DB Myles Purchase - Waived, No Recall (April 6)
K Graham Gano - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (March 30)
LB Cam Jones - Free Agent Signing (March 25)
LS Zach Triner - Free Agent Signing (March 24)
DL Sam Roberts - Free Agent Signing (March 23)
DB Elijah Campbell - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 20)
OL Joshua Ezeudu - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 18)
WR Darnell Mooney - Free Agent Signing (March 17)
S Jason Pinnock - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 16)
WR Calvin Austin III - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 14)
LB Zaire Barnes - Free Agent Signing (March 14)
P Jordan Stout - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 13)
CB Greg Newsome II - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 13)
OL Aaron Stinnie - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 12)
S Ar'Darius Washington - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 12)
CB Art Green - Re-signed (March 12)
TE Isaiah Likely - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 12)
FB Patrick Ricard - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 12)
LB Tremaine Edmunds - Free Agent Signing (March 12)
T Jermaine Eluemunor - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 12)
K Jason Sanders - Free Agent Signing (March 11)
Chris Board - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (March 11)
P Jamie Gillan - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (March 11)
OL Evan Neal - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 11)
WR Isaiah Hodgins - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 11)
LB Micah McFadden - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 11)
OLB Caleb Murphy - Re-signed (March 10)
S Anthony Johnson - Waived, No Recall (March 10)
WR Gunner Olszewski - Re-signed (March 6)
T James Hudson III - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (March 6)
LB Bobby Okereke - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (March 4)
WR Courtney Jackson - Free Agent Signing (February 13)
LB DeMarvin Leal - Reserve/Future (January 22)
DT Marlon Tuipulotu - Reserve/Future (January 13)
G Jake Kubas - Reserve/Future (January 7)
LB Swayze Bozeman - Reserve/Future (January 5)
TE Tanner Conner - Reserve/Future (January 5)
OLB Trace Ford - Reserve/Future (January 5)
T Reid Holskey - Reserve/Future (January 5)
S Patrick McMorris - Reserve/Future (January 5)
CB Myles Purchase - Reserve/Future (January 5)
Matt Citak: I'm going to piggyback off what Dan wrote and emphasize the message Harbaugh has been reiterating since the day he stepped foot inside 1925 Giants Drive - everything must be earned. Roster spots were not handed out simply because of draft status or what a player had done previously in his career, but rather what they showed the coaching staff and front office from the start of the offseason workout program all the way through Friday's preseason finale. One player that epitomizes this sentiment is veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., whose comeback story added another chapter on Sunday.
"I think he has done enough to make an NFL roster, for sure," the head coach said after the game Friday night. "He's played well, and he's gotten better as his camp's gone along. He deserves credit for that. He's done a really good job with it."
With just five wide receivers on the initial 53-man roster, Beckham will have an opportunity to carve out a role in the passing game as he looks to become a dependable target for Jaxson Dart. Based on what the veteran showed throughout the summer, it is clear that Beckham still has plenty of gas left in the tank as he heads into his 11th NFL season and his first since 2024.
"I think something that goes unseen with Odell is the way he's able to uncover even when he's not targeted, and that speaks to the totality of his game," assistant general manager Brandon Brown told the media last week. "So, I know you want to look to just targets. You want to look to the catches you guys see in practice, but he still has enough separation and route nuance and knows how to tempo in and out of his speeds to create leverage against the corners. And especially, I call it street ball, when there's loose plays and the quarterback is out of the construct of the pocket, he has a really good feel for zones and where defenders are and spacing and finding those spots. So, I just think there's juice in his legs, and yesterday you saw it, and I know he's looking forward to building on it."
