The New York Giants unveiled their initial 53-man roster for the 2026 season.
With a deadline of 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, NFL clubs had to reduce rosters to a maximum of 53 players from the offseason limit of 90. As always, the roster is subject to change – and often does – before Week 1.
The Giants open the regular season Sept. 13 on Sunday Night Football at home against the Dallas Cowboys.
The claiming period for players placed on waivers at the roster reduction will expire at 1 p.m. tomorrow. The Giants are fifth in the claiming order. Teams can then establish a practice squad of 17 players, as long as one player qualifies and is designated as an international player.
To reach the 53-player limit, the Giants made the following moves:
Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts
- 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
Waived, No Recall
- 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 Zaach Pickens
- OL Ryan Schernecke
- S J.T. Woods
Waived, Injury Settlement
- CB Art Green
- K Ben Sauls
Reserve/Injured / Designated for Return
- CB Korie Black
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The transactions didn't begin on Sunday – and they won't end there either.
The Giants started to pare down the roster on Saturday, the day after their preseason finale against the Jets, by releasing eight players: cornerback Ugo Amadi, running back Damon Bankston, tight end Josiah Deguara, defensive lineman Leki Fotu, offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes, linebacker Anfernee Orji, and wide receivers Isaiah Hodgins and Kobe Prentice.
The Giants also acquired defensive lineman C.J. Okoye in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens over the weekend in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2028 NFL Draft.
This marked the third trade the team completed in less than two weeks. On Wednesday, they finalized a deal to send the versatile Joshua Ezeudu to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick in 2028.
The move came seven days after they traded veteran Daniel Faalele to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for their sixth-round pick in 2027. Faalele signed with the Giants as a free agent on April 9. Ezeudu's tenure spanned four seasons.
The team placed Calvin Austin III on injured reserve, ending the veteran wide receiver's first season with the team. Austin suffered a torn ACL during Tuesday's practice at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. The injury paused practice as coaches and teammates gathered around him to show their support.
"It's definitely impactful to our team because he was playing so well," Harbaugh said. "He was doing a great job across the board, offense and 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. 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."
He will be missed, but the nature of the NFL is finding the next man up.
The Giants will move ahead with five wide receivers: Malik Nabers, rookie third-round pick Malachi Fields, Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton, and Odell Beckham Jr., adding another page to the electric playmaker's comeback story.
With no guarantee that he would make the roster, the former first-round pick and three-time Pro Bowl selection signed with the Giants on June 1. Beckham last played a regular-season game for the Giants on Dec. 2, 2018, a 30-27 overtime victory over the Bears at MetLife Stadium. The final catch he made was a one-yard touchdown from Eli Manning late in the third quarter.
"I think he has done enough to make an NFL roster, for sure," Harbaugh said Friday night after Beckham had three catches for 53 yards in the preseason finale. "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."
The Giants will carry four running backs among the initial 53, including Najee Harris. The former Pro Bowl running back, who started his career with four consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons with the Steelers before suffering an Achilles injury early last season with the Chargers, signed with the Giants less than two weeks ago.
The running backs will be complemented by Patrick Ricard, a six-time Pro Bowl fullback who was part of the contingent that came over from Baltimore.
The Giants will carry four tight ends on the initial 53-man roster, including 2025 seventh-round pick Thomas Fidone II.
All seven picks in the Giants' 2026 draft class made the roster in addition to a pair of undrafted rookies in kicker Dominic Zvada and long snapper Ben Mann.
Zvada and Mann make up two-thirds of a new special teams battery. The kicking competition was under a microscope throughout spring practices and training camp, as Zvada, the former All-American and Big Ten Kicker of the Year, eventually prevailed over Ben Sauls. Jordan Stout, an All-Pro punter and holder for the Ravens last season, is the veteran of the group.
Harbaugh ended the suspense of the kicking competition in his postgame press conference on Friday night after the Jets preseason finale, declaring Zvada the winner after he made three fields, including a long of 53 yards.
"I thought he did great," Harbaugh said. "I thought he did great. He'll win the job. He'll be the kicker. That was kind of the last step to give him a chance to prove he could do a whole game. And Ben, I would say Ben also won a job. He should be kicking in the National Football League based on the fact that if we didn't have Dominic, then Ben would have been the guy. So, I thought he had a great camp as well."
Defensively, coaches repeatedly praised the secondary depth in addition to the obvious talent in the front seven. While roles are still being carved out, the roster includes six cornerbacks and five safeties.
Up front, Chauncey Golston embodies the "positionless" nature of Dennard Wilson's defense.
"Just watching Chauncey through the years, he's a very versatile defensive player," Wilson said last week. "For us, we look at our defense as positionless. The more you can do, the more opportunities you get to play. And Chauncey's a very consistent player. He plays with great technique and detail, and you see it every day. Chauncey's just like some of the other guys; we can move him around and put him in different spots."
Wilson added, "I mean even with some disguises and everything else, you push it to the brink so they can have trust in it, and even with players. But we're trying to see what they can do, what they do well, who's the best 11, who's the best 13, or whatever, to line up and play. We give everybody a fair opportunity, and if you're not a starter coming out on that first 11, we still consider you a starter because at some point you're going to play."
Linebacker Zaire Barnes, who was one of three gameday captains for the Giants in Friday's preseason finale, made the roster. The former sixth-round pick by the Jets came down with an interception in the second quarter.
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
Here is a look at the initial 53, sorted alphabetically by position:
OFFENSE (25)
QB (2)
Jaxson Dart
Jameis Winston
OL (9)
J.C. Davis
Jermaine Eluemunor
Bryan Hudson
Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa
Marcus Mbow
Jon Runyan Jr.
John Michael Schmitz Jr.
Aaron Stinnie
Andrew Thomas
WR (5)
Odell Beckham Jr.
Malachi Fields
Darnell Mooney
Malik Nabers
Darius Slayton
RB (4)
Najee Harris
Devin Singletary
Cam Skattebo
Tyrone Tracy Jr.
FB (1)
Patrick Ricard
TE (4)
Thomas Fidone II
Theo Johnson
Isaiah Likely
Chris Manhertz
DEFENSE (25)
DL (6)
Darius Alexander
Chauncey Golston
Shelby Harris
Bobby Jamison-Travis
C.J. Okoye
DJ Reader
OLB (3)
Brian Burns
Abdul Carter
Kayvon Thibodeaux
LB (5)
Zaire Barnes
Tremaine Edmunds
Jack Kelly
Micah McFadden
Arvell Reese
CB (6)
Paulson Adebo
Deonte Banks
Colton Hood
Nic Jones
Greg Newsome II
Dru Phillips
S (5)
Elijah Campbell
Jevón Holland
Tyler Nubin
Jason Pinnock
Ar'Darius Washington
SPECIALISTS (3)
K (1)
Dominic Zvada
P/H (1)
Jordan Stout
LS (1)
Ben Mann
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)
