Sportsnaut
The John Harbaugh era will kick off in full swing in a few weeks when the New York Giants report to training camp in West Virginia.
The 2026 season is one of the most important seasons in the 102-year history of the franchise, as ownership is hopeful that Harbaugh can turn the franchise around.
“I look at it like a real opportunity. It’s going to be a chance to get locked in. It’s a simple place to be, you know. You don’t have to deal with coming back and forth from a hotel. Obviously we’ll get away from the World Cup stuff and the construction here, which is a plus too for us.” Harbaugh said shortly before the team wrapped up mandatory minicamp.
All of the players will look to make an impression on their new head coach. The starters will look to solidify their position on the roster, whereas the players who are on the bubble will look to earn a roster spot.
Here are the four players with the most to gain by having an impressive training camp and preseason.
Everything New York has done this offseason indicates they’re losing patience with Deonte Banks and are ready to move on from him. They declined his fifth year option, they signed free agent Greg Newsome II, and the Giants used their second-round pick (37th overall) to draft Colton Hood.
It’s literally now or never for Banks. In his three years in New York, he has shown poor play, lack of focus, and effort. Those traits will get a player cut fast, especially with a new regime in place.
The hope is that new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson and his aggressive scheme will bring out the best in the 2023 first-round draft pick. Banks has been praised for his play during minicamp, but he’ll have to continue this trend during the summer.
If Banks resorts back to his poor play, it’s unlikely that the team will cut him because he has a dead cap hit of $4.32 million, but he will finish his tenure with Big Blue riding the bench.
After years of speculation on a possible reunion, the Giants finally signed Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham played his first five seasons with Big Blue from 2014-2018, where he had four 1,000-yard seasons, voted to the Pro Bowl three times, named Second Team All-Pro twice, and was the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Since then, he’s suffered two torn ACLs, won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams, and played for John Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. Despite the fact that he hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2019, many believe he has enough left in the tank to be a productive wideout in 2026.
He’ll have a tall hill to climb if he’s going to make the roster. New York has 14 wideouts currently on the roster, and Malik Nabers, Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin III, and rookie Malachi...
