The wait is finally over, folks. The 2026 campaign officially kicks off this weekend.

The New York Giants will take the field at MetLife Stadium for the first time this season as they face the Minnesota Vikings in the preseason opener.

With nine home regular-season games this year, Saturday's matchup will be the Giants' lone home preseason game. They travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins on Aug. 22 (with a joint practice in Miami leading up to the game) before they wrap up the preseason against the Jets as the "road" team on Aug. 28.

"We have a chance to be a good football team," coach John Harbaugh said Monday. "We're doing a lot of good things right now. Where do we go? This week we told the guys the focus this week is all the execution things for sure, but the focus this week is technique. From now until Saturday, our individual focus is on your technique. All the little things to make you successful.

"Even at the end of practice when you're dead tired, that's a fourth quarter, win the game type drill and you're down by 14. Okay? That's focus on your technique. Because if your technique is good, you can win the battle of fatigue. And that's what we're working on. So, I think that set us up for that. Now go forward this week and do that same idea."

Here are players to watch in Saturday's preseason opener.

Rookies set to make Giants debut

Harbaugh has yet to announce who will play and who might sit out Saturday's game. But one thing we do know for certain is it will be the first time the rookie class puts on a Giants uniform and, at the very least, take the sideline for a game. The draft class put together an overall strong performance in West Virginia as numerous players continue to battle for big roles on the team this season.

Full Giants 2026 Draft Class:

• LB Arvell Reese (Round 1, Pick 5)
• OL Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa (Round 1, Pick 10)
• CB Colton Hood (Round 2, Pick 37)
• WR Malachi Fields (Round 3, Pick 74)
• DL Bobby Jamison-Travis (Round 6, Pick 186)
• OL J.C. Davis (Round 6, Pick 192)
• LB Jack Kelly (Round 6, Pick 193)

Here is what the coaches and veterans had to say about some of the team's draft picks during their first NFL training camp.

LB Arvell Reese

Defensive Coordinator Dennard Wilson: "He's been impressive. Not to put too much on a kid's plate, being a rookie, but he's picked up everything from a defensive structure, the calls, the adjustments, and he's running around playing fast and physical. The thing I love about him is if he messes up, he's not a repeat mistake offender. So, he'll correct his mistake, learn from it, and if he makes a mistake, it's something that he doesn't know. So, it's been outstanding to watch this young man grow."

LB Tremaine Edmunds: "I think anytime you come in and you're a young guy, you don't really know what training camp is about, but you could tell in the summertime, he was doing his work as far as studying, as far as training, everything that goes into it, just his attention to detail. I think the most impressive thing is that he wants to learn. I like to talk about off the field because he's somebody that wants to learn, somebody that wants to get better. Anybody come up, say something to him, 'I got you.' And he knows ball. So, at the end of the day the ceiling is high for him. And he's out here working every day and he's putting it on display. So, he's going to be a good player for a while."

OL Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa

OL Jermaine Eluemunor: "He's a very energetic kid. I like playing next to him. He holds everyone accountable. You can tell that he has that leadership trait that is rare in a young guy his age. I think, what, he's 21? And so, the sky's the limit for him, too. I think him and Arvell are going to be huge players for us this year. And, yeah, I'm excited to just keep growing with him, getting better. And him learning how I play the game, me learning how he plays the game, helping each other so we can be the best this year."

DL DJ Reader: "He's very heavy-handed and he can move. It's good to be around some young, joyful energy. I'm getting up there in some years. He's a kid, I know he's going to make me bring it every day. He's going to make me better for it, and he's going to get better for it."

LB Tremaine Edmunds: "He's a good player, obviously he's strong with his hands, has good foot movement, good footwork. Just attention to detail. I think the guys that's on the o-line is making him better as well. He's learning from some of the older guys, but early impressions, he's strong. He understands like blocking schemes and where to be at. So, he's doing a good job right now."

CB Colton Hood

Defensive Coordinator Dennard Wilson: "Every day is something new that comes up. Yesterday we were in a certain situation, and he got beat, but he corrected it today. They tried to throw the same move at him, and his eyes were right. He's doing a hell of a job. He's spending a lot of time with the coaches, and I give kudos to my DB coaches. Donald (D'Alesio) and Addison (Lynch) are, I think, some of the best two DB coaches in the National Football League, and he's taking the coaching.

"He's running to the coaching every day. He's spending extra time, and when he gets out here, he's doing what he's asked to do. And the new things that pop up with him is just stuff that he's never seen at this level. But he's willing, and I think his growth still, he's just stacking days, stacking days, and getting better."

WR Malachi Fields

Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy: "It's impressive. He's a kid that, literally every install that we do, run and pass, he's a kid that when you're walking up in front of the group and you're teaching, his eyes never leave you. Never. I mean, he wants to know everything. Then he gets on the field and he does almost everything right. And then he's talented. So, it's impressive. He's got to be able to do this moving forward every day in the games. But I think a lot of him, and I think (WR Coach) Chad Hall's done a hell of a job with him."

CB Paulson Adebo: "I think he's been great. I think he's quick. He's a big receiver, but he also has some speed to him as well, so he reminds me of kind of those old school, traditional, like Terrell Owens type that can go up and get the ball but also has the speed to kind of break away from you, if need be, so he's been great this whole offseason."

Kicker competition continues

Ben Sauls & Dominic Zvada

One of the most intriguing training camp competitions has been at kicker. Since the team first took the field at The Greenbrier and all the way through this week's practices in East Rutherford, both Ben Sauls and Dominic Zvada have kicked well.

Sauls, the second-year kicker, converted all eight of his field goal attempts last season, with a long of 45 yards, while also connecting on all seven extra point attempts across three games. Meanwhile, the undrafted Zvada is just two years removed from earning first-team All-American honors while kicking at Michigan after making 21 of 22 field goal attempts along with 26 of 27 extra point attempts.

A couple of weeks into training camp, both kickers have impressed the coaching staff.

"It's two young guys that are doing very well," assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Chris Horton said about the kicker competition. "Both guys' leg talent is there. Both guys, where they are right now from where they were during this spring, I mean, it's been tremendous growth just watching these guys go out and compete against each other. They know that they're in a competition, and they come out every day and they work hard."

"They've done well," Harbaugh said after the first week of training camp. "They've made a good number of kicks. I feel good about it."