The New York Giants wrap up the preseason with a matchup against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Less than 48 hours later, the Giants will have to reduce the roster to 53 players prior to the league's 6 p.m. deadline.

Here are 10 things to watch in the preseason finale.

Preseason conclusion

Friday's preseason matchup will serve as the final opportunity for many players currently on the roster to showcase their skills to the coaching staff prior to Sunday's cutdown day. While guys are competing against each other for a limited number of spots, whether it's in the starting lineup or simply to make the roster, coach John Harbaugh has been impressed with how everyone on the team has conducted themselves this summer.

"They've committed to helping one another achieve each other's dreams, those kinds of things we talk about in our meetings and I know they talk about amongst themselves as a group of guys," the head coach said on Sunday. "And so, you're pulling for everybody and everybody's pulling for everybody. Everybody wants – you see it on the sideline, you see it between guys who are competing for the same position. They're rooting for each other and helping each other along. I mean, you see so many of the best things about human nature come out on a football team, believe it or not. ...

"I would say everybody, every one of our guys, whether they're here the next week or they're not, will look back and say they did their very best, they put their best foot forward, and it's something that they can look back on really for the rest of their life proudly."

Spots still up in the air

Early in the week, Harbaugh told the media that the team still has a handful of decisions to make regarding the 53-man roster. "There's probably some key points, some clutch areas where we just have to make decisions still with three, four, five decisions that have to be made," the head coach said.

The veteran coach reiterated that sentiment on Wednesday, noting that "there are spots that are still up in the air," and that Friday's preseason finale will play a big part in making those final decisions. Not only are the players vying for those last few roster spots battling to make the Giants, but they are also looking to put a good performance on tape for the other 31 teams across the league.

"You'd also say also, for other teams, too, if someone plays really well and still doesn't make this roster, that's what the other teams are looking at," Harbaugh said. "They're looking at the game tape to decide if that's someone that would make them better. So, our guys do understand that."

Next step for Nabers

Malik Nabers took a big step this week in his recovery from last year's knee injury. The star wide receiver was able to shed the red, non-contact jersey that he previously wore as he participated in full 11-on-11 team drills.

"I thought he looked good," Harbaugh said after Monday's practice. "Look at the tape later, but he was moving well, probably moving the best we've seen him look. ... It was a good practice for him today. Got the red shirt off. That was a good step."

Taking the non-contact jersey off is certainly a step in the right direction for Nabers as he continues to work his way back from last year's knee injury. However, Harbaugh would not make any definitive statements about the wideout being on the field for the Week 1 matchup against the Cowboys.

"I just don't want to make any kind of statements like that," the head coach said when asked if Nabers is trending towards playing in Week 1. "I think it's reasonable to assume that. Those are all kind of things that you can assume. It's just based on watching the guy practice. The only thing I know more than you guys know is what the docs and the trainers tell me, as far as his rehab. And that's doing well. He's doing really well with that. He's strong. He's in a good place, but how he gets through practice, how ready he is to play and protect himself, is really based on practice."

O-Line depth

For the second consecutive week, the Giants traded away a backup offensive lineman in order to add to their draft capital. Last week, Daniel Faalele was sent to the Jaguars for a 2027 sixth-round pick. This week, Joshua Ezeudu was sent to the Chiefs for a 2028 seventh-round pick. Prior to the Ezeudu trade, Harbaugh spoke to the media about the team's confidence in the guys they have in the OL room.

"I think it says we feel good about our depth, for sure," the head coach said between the two trades. "We do feel good about our depth on the offensive line generally and inside. And it's not too often you get a trade like that. You know, it's not too often you can trade a player for a sixth-round pick in the middle of training camp. But sometimes teams have needs, and Daniel's started many games in the National Football League, so they felt like that was valuable for them. With us, Daniel was doing well for the role he was going to be playing, and yet we have other guys that were doing well, too."

While the starting offensive line has been basically set for a while now, the backup roles have been up for grabs. Part of the reason the team felt comfortable make these two trades is because of the performance of these backup linemen this summer, especially some of the younger guys. Assistant general manager Brandon Brown made sure to praise offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren for getting the most out of all of the guys up front thus far.

"It's really a testament and a credit to Bloom," Brown said to the media Wednesday. "Bloom's done a really good job in terms of honing in on the details, getting guys that play our style of ball consistently and seeing it and challenging these guys. And also giving them reps at certain positions, whether that's going from tackle to guard, guard to tackle, and finding really the most consistent combination of guys earning it and knowing that there's going to be a competition. And it raised the floor in that room, but so much so that it created a surplus in that room where guys have value on the open market at the O line position."

Losing Austin 'definitely impactful'

The Giants suffered their first serious injury of training camp this week when wide receiver Calvin Austin III went down with a knee injury. Speaking after practice on Wednesday, Harbaugh said the loss of Austin is "definitely impactful" as the veteran wideout was playing well, both in the passing game and on special teams.

"He had definitely carved out a role for us on our team, and then to see that happen, especially just a non-contact type of an injury, it's just kind of shocking to see," Harbaugh said. "So, you feel bad for him. I mean, that's the biggest thing. He and I were texting last night and even more this morning, so I think he's in a better place now than he was yesterday. But it's going to be a long road back, but he'll get back. He'll get back, and we'll be behind him the whole way."

Austin did a little bit of everything during Saturday's preseason game in Miami. He returned two punts for 29 yards, caught two passes for 24 yards, and broke a 21-yard run.

Ways to Watch

TV

Channel: NBC 4 NY

Announcers: Bob Papa (Play-By-Play), Carl Banks (Analyst), Phil Simms (Analyst), Howard Cross (Sideline)

Pregame Show: Giants Pregame Show presented by Quest starting at 7:00 pm

Stream

This week's game can be streamed on Giants.com and Giants App in market only.

Radio

Channel: WFAN 101.9FM, Audacy, Giants.com, Giants App

Announcers: Chris Carrino (Play-By-Play), Shaun O'Hara (Analyst), Paul Dottino (Sideline)

Pre- and Postgame: John Schmeelk, Tiki Barber

Pregame: Giants Gameday begins at 6:30 pm, presented by Hackensack Meridian Health.

Postgame: Giants Extra Point

SIRIUS XM

Radio Channel: 382

Streaming Channel: 823

Listen to NFL games on SiriusXM radio

Giants En Español

Radio Channel: Que Buena 1280AM Streaming Only Presentado por Ford

Play-by-Play: Nestor Rosario

Analyst: Francis Adames

Facing brother will be 'special' for Sisi

Friday night's matchup against the Jets will mean a little bit more to Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa than it simply being the final preseason game before his true NFL debut. It will also serve as the first time the Giants' rookie offensive lineman will line up on the opposite sideline from his older brother, Jets linebacker Kiko Mauigoa.

"It's going to be something special," the 10^th overall pick told the media Wednesday. "Most of our life, we've been playing with each other but now we're playing against each other. And it's something new, but it's also what we dream for.

"NFL, it's what we dream for. And to be able to go against him, he knows that I'm going to bring it. It's going to be an extra juice behind it, cause I know that if he ever gets something on me, I will never hear the end of it. And stuff like this, I know it's hard for my mom. My mom, I texted my mom yesterday if she's going to be here, she was hesitant. She don't want to see us playing against each other. But I told her, man, we're not playing against each other. We're playing for the same purpose of supporting our family. And now she's going to book her flight and hopefully see her older son get pancaked by her younger son."

Edmunds' leadership

One of the big moves the Giants made in free agency was the acquisition of linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. The veteran has put his skillset on full display from the day he arrived in East Rutherford. But perhaps even more valuable than his production on the field has been his ability to lead the entire defense.

"He holds everybody accountable," defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson said this week. "He's vocal on the field. He brings a toughness, and he also brings a calmness to the defense. He's a very intelligent player. He can make all the adjustments, and then when he lines up and plays, he runs and hits. Everything that he does in a pass game is good for us. He takes over the middle of the field because of height and size and instincts. We're glad we have him, and we love that he's here."

A big narrative over the last few months has been the size and athleticism the Giants now have at inside linebacker between Edmunds and rookie Arvell Reese. Edmunds has not played in the preseason, so we have yet to see the two on the field together in a game setting. But when that time comes in the regular season, Wilson is confident their length will create an advantage for the Giants defense.

"Some of the play-action passes, it's hard for quarterbacks to throw it over top of them, especially when their eyes are right," the defensive coordinator said. "When they get their depth, they're long. They're big guys. So, it just clogs their windows. Both of them are very athletic in their zone drops. They do a great job of matching and taking windows away, and then ultimately, they have the athleticism to break on the ball. They have a unique trait or unique skillset, and it's good for the New York Giants."

The Weekly Wire

The Giants signed veteran tight Josiah Deguara and rookie wide receiver Kobe Prentice Wednesday.

A third-round draft choice by Green Bay in 2020, the 6-foot-2, 240-pound Deguara has played in 77 regular-season games with 12 starts for the Packers (2020-23), Jaguars (2024), and Cardinals (2025). His career totals include 53 receptions for 471 yards and three touchdowns, including a long score of 62 yards. Deguara has also appeared in three postseason games, all with Green Bay.

Deguara signed with the 49ers last month and was released on Monday.

Prior to the NFL, he became only the second tight end in Cincinnati history to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards for his career, joining Brent Celek. His 92 career receptions are the most in school history for a tight end and he was just the second tight end in school history with 500 or more yards receiving in a season, along with Travis Kelce.

Prentice is an undrafted rookie who was released by the Patriots on Monday. New England had claimed him off waivers a month prior from the Carolina Panthers.

Prentice, 5-10 and 184 pounds, played in 11 games with one start in his senior season at Baylor, finishing with 26 catches for 380 yards and six touchdowns. Previously, he played in 36 games over three seasons at Alabama, totaling 60 catches for 780 yards and five touchdowns.

What's next?

After the preseason finale, the Giants will have less than 48 hours to reduce the roster to 53 players before Sunday's 6 p.m. deadline. Once the initial 53-man roster is set, it is all systems go for the Sunday night home opener against the Cowboys on September 13.