Copr. Chris Carlson 2026
The moment we as Big Blue fans have all been waiting for is almost here. This Saturday, the New York Giants play host to the Minnesota Vikings in the G-Men’s first preseason game of 2026. While the Vikings have a plethora of interesting sidenotes in their own right to speak of, chief among them being newly acquired quarterback Kyler Murray winning the starting role from third-year signal caller J.J. McCarthy, the Giants have no shortage of intriguing storylines to watch out for in their own right. With our first (technically) game preview of the season, here’s three of the biggest keys to keep an eye on over the first four quarters of Big Blue football this year.
- Focus on the Run Game
Copr. Chris Carlson 2026
Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat; don’t expect to see much playing time from the first team offense or defense this early into August. Most NFL squads prefer a soft-open for their veterans and expected superstars for their first on-field action, and with a unit that’s struggled mightily with injury-related depletion for seemingly countless seasons, this Saturday should be no different for the Giants. The little time that we do see them however, should be made note of. New head coach John Harbaugh has stressed to the media during the off season that this will be a run-based offensive squad this year, and with a fully healed Cameron Skattebo as well as the ever-dependable Tyrone Tracy Jr. coming in for relief, the run game should be improved as opposed to the second half of 2025.
Skattebo was surging to the point of a potential Offensive Rookie of the Year nomination before his injury in Philly last year, and his tireless rehab process along with the natural recuperation abilities of the average 24 year-old should hopefully culminate in him returning to the pro-bowl level form he began demonstrating between weeks two and eight in of his rookie year.
- Who Can Step Up In The Secondary?
Copr. Giants Wire-USA Today 2026
The Giants’ most questionable position group on their roster at the moment undoubtedly lies in their cornerback room. Paulson Adebo was too inconsistent last season to back up his contract before his injury, and based on reports from training camp in West Virginia last week, he doesn’t appear to have shown much improvement. Fourth-year CB Deonte Banks has failed spectacularly to live up to his first round draft selection in 2023 outside of a promising rookie season, but some fans are hoping that a fresh defensive scheme drawn up by newly signed defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson will be enough to help the Maryland product perform at a higher level.
Second round draft pick Colton Hood isn’t expected to get much playing time until week 3 of the regular season after the team wraps up competition with the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams in a brutal pairing of games to start the year, so we should expect the former Tennessee Volunteer to get plenty of reps with the second team defense against Minnesota this Saturday while Banks and Adebo potentially start. Unless Hood shows otherworldly playing ability over the next three weeks, don’t expect those plans to change.
- The Answer to the OBJ Question?
Copr. Giants.com 2026
Despite the fanfare surrounding his return, veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is by no means a lock for the 53-man roster this year. His recent history of injuries and subpar play since tearing his ACL in Super Bowl LVI has left him as a question mark to make any roster. However, with little help at the WR position outside of Malik Nabers expected this season, Beckham could provide a veteran voice to the receiver room that other long-time route runners such as Darius Slayton and JuJu Smith-Schuster simply can’t provide. Beckham has been to the top of the mountain performatively speaking in his career, primarily in his first stint in the Big Apple, and reports from training camp have been mixed to positive. The entire Giants fanbase will have their eyes glued to #3 this weekend as he begins a hopeful campaign to ride off into the sunset on a high note to end his prolific career.
-Jack Barber
Works Cited
https://www.giants.com/team/coaches-roster/dennard-wilson
https://www.nfl.com/draft/tracker/2026/teams/new-york-giants
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