Giants 2026 Preseason: What New York’s Head Coach Needs to Stick With
Harbaugh has his work cut out for him this coming week. The former Baltimore coach knows what he wants from his team. He also seemed to have made decisions about who will stay on his 53-man roster. However, things could change within the next few weeks. Next weekend, the Giants will be in Miami to take on the Dolphins.
The veteran NFL coach can give the starters a little more playing time. In their first preseason game, the Giants head coach wanted the players he knows will make his roster this season to start. In the first half, the Giants head coach put in many of his starters who will play this upcoming season. Fans saw starting players from both sides, including Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo, Abdul Carter, and Arvell Reese, in action. They put points on the board and proved to fans and analysts that they have what it takes to be a winning team this season. They held the Minnesota Vikings at bay and scored a touchdown with rookie Malachi Fields.
When the Giants put in the second- and third-string players, they seemed to lose their rhythm. They couldn’t find it again, and it caused their downfall, as the team couldn't simply make plays happen as they did in the first half. It frustrated many who were watching Big Blue try to beat out Minnesota. If the new Giants head coach had let them play a bit more, especially toward the end of the game, the team might have had a chance to win this preseason game.
The defensive line also played very well. New York owned the trenches early, clogging running lanes and making Minnesota fight for every inch throughout the first quarter. Had that unit remained on the field and maintained the same intensity, the Vikings may have had a hard time finding the end zone at all. If this former Super Bowl-winning coach can put these players in for the game against Miami next weekend, they should have a shot at winning at least the next two preseason games. Reese and Carter were key to keeping many plays at bay during their first preseason game. Brian Burns had also stepped in to stop several plays their opponent tried to run.
The longtime NFL coaches' kicking team also did very well. With the departure of Graham Gano earlier this offseason, there are plenty of shoes that need to be filled on the kicking team. A kicking competition is still ongoing between Dominic Zvada and Ben Sauls. The team put Sauls in today, who has been doing fantastic in practice and training camp. The Giants are still working out Zvada, who is struggling to kick the ball straight. Harbaugh needs to see how he does over the next two games; otherwise, if Zvada doesn't work out, he needs to keep the veteran kicker.
New York’s sideline leader has all of the puzzle pieces he needs to make a great team this season. He just needs to continue to figure out what he wants over the course of the next few preseason games. Harbaugh has until the end of August to decide who he wants to keep and who he wants to cut. Some of these choices may not be easy because the competition is still running very high. Many will get to see what happens in the next few weeks.
