Giants position battles: Who impressed most in preseason opener?

The Giants - and every other NFL team - have to reduce their 90-man roster to just 53 players before 6:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, Aug. 30.

In this context, Saturday's preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings may have revealed some early status updates on key position battles across the team's depth chart.

Malachi Fields, drafted by New York in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame, was a major standout from the Giants' 13-10 loss against the Vikings. Fields scored the team's only touchdown, cashing in on a Jaxson Dart throw on the run by using his height and athleticism to high-point the football in the corner of the end zone. On the day, Fields caught all three of his targets for a total of 34 yards, operating as a boundary receiver. 

While Fields didn't trot out onto the field with the starters, both wideouts who did - Darius Slayton and Darnell Mooney - saw zero targets. Slayton and Mooney are far from locks to hold down starting spots lining up out wide, especially with the imminent return of star sophomore Malik Nabers, so don't be surprised if Fields pushes for significant snaps sooner rather than later.

6 + 0 = 6

Jaxson Dart ➡️ Malachi Fields for the touchdown! pic.twitter.com/siBIlNxdHm

At this point, Calvin Austin III is a lock to make the Giants roster as the starting slot specialist. Meanwhile fellow jitterbug Braxton Berrios staked his claim for a roster spot by handling punt return duties against the Vikings, returning two punts and recording a very healthy average of 15 yards per return. 

Finally, Odell Beckham Jr. made his case for a roster spot with a strong showing, but is probably still among the "outside looking in" group of wideouts alongside Isaiah Hodgins, Jalin Hyatt, Xavier Gipson, Dalen Cambre and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Head coach John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson have installed a 3-4 base defense. This means that the Giants line up with three interior defensive lineman to eat up space and stop the run, giving their edge rushers (the two outside linebackers of the four-man linebacker setup) the freedom to pin their ears back and focus on rushing the passer. 

While the Giants employ a very solid group of pass rushers in the form of Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Chauncey Golston (among others), the departure of former stalwart nose tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals via trade this past offseason means the team is left with questions to answer on the interior of the defensive line.

In Saturday's preseason game, the starting trio appears to be Darius Alexander, Josh Tupou, and Leki Fotu. None of the three were very convincing on the Vikings' opening drive, as the Minnesota starters leaned on the ground game and easily ripped off chunks of yardage through gaping holes their offensive line forged up front. 

After the early struggles, Alexander - who was drafted by the Giants with a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft - bounced back to sack Minnesota backup QB J.J. McCarthy in the second quarter, one of his two solo tackles in the game. The Giants are certainly counting on him to break out in 2026. Additionally, Fotu came alive in the third quarter, breaking up a pass and nearly notching an interception. 

Regardless, it won't take much to unseat Tupou and Fotu from their starting roles. The leading candidates to do so are two veterans who each joined the G-Men this past offseason, D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris. However, neither of them recorded any statistics against the Vikings.

It's never a great sign when a former first round pick is returning kicks, but that's the role the Giants tasked Deonte Banks - selected with the 24th overall pick in 2023 - with in their preseason opener. Banks returned one kick for 27 yards, lining up in the landing zone alongside Dante Miller. However, Banks did also start at cornerback, recording a tackle and an assist at his natural position. This past May, the Giants declined to exercise Banks' fifth-year option on his rookie contract, meaning that the 2026 season is truly make or break for the Maryland product.

Elsewhere, rookie corner Colton Hood - selected in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Tennessee - lined up as the starter alongside Banks, recording three total tackles and looking mighty sharp for a 21-year-old. Neither Banks nor Hood is projected to start in the regular season for the Giants, as both sit lower on the depth chart than Greg Newsome II and Paulson Adebo. 

Meanwhile, Korie Black - drafted in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft and currently fighting for a reserve role in the Giants secondary - had an eventful game. He recorded two pass deflections, but was also flagged for pass interference in a rough spot, helping keep a Vikings drive alive which ended in a touchdown. That touchdown gave the Vikes a 13-10 lead, which they wouldn't relinquish.