7 Giants With the Most to Gain in Saturday's Preseason Opener

From a wide-open kicking battle to a crowded receiver room, these are the players who need to make a statement against the Vikings.

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Giants are in the thick of training camp, with roster battles competing with the heat.

And as the Giants get set to host the Minnesota Vikings in the preseason opener, there are plenty of guys who are fighting for roster spots and who will get a good chance to convince head coach John Harbaugh and his staff that they are indeed worthy of wearing the Giants' helmet beyond this month.

Theoretically, every member of the Giants training camp roster has something to gain this preseason, but these seven Giants in particular are of greatest interest.  

G Evan Neal

New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Neal spent most of the spring and the early part of the summer buried with the third-team offensive line. But of late, he’s begun to rise up the depth chart, getting some reps at left and right guard with the second-team offense.

Neal, who was a surprise re-signing in the offseason, is the perfect prototype for a John Harbaugh offensive line. If he wants to be a part of that moving forward, he can start by having a solid showing against a Vikings defense that can be a lot to handle.

C Bryan Hudson

With starting center John Michael Schmitz (concussion) not scheduled to play and the status of backup Lucas Patrick (knee) unknown, this week presents a golden opportunity for Hudson, a relatively inexperienced but intriguing big-bodied center, to leapfrog into the backup center role.

WR Odell Beckham Jr.

Beckham got his wish: he got a chance to rejoin the team that initially drafted him. Now, though, comes the hard part. In a crowded receiver room, Beckham, who of late has looked good in practice in terms of getting open and separating, will need to convince Harbaugh that he still has plenty left to give to an offense.

CB Deonte Banks

New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There is a pretty good chance that neither Paulson Adebo nor Greg Newsome II, the top two cornerbacks on the unofficial depth chart, play this week due to their respective injuries (Adebo a hamstring and Newsome a knee).

Banks, who, like Neal, is trying to parlay his clean slate as given by Harbaugh to everyone into a roster spot, has looked motivated and as comfortable as ever going back to the spring. If he plays well, he could continue solidifying his place as a potential starting cornerback.

K Dominic Zvada

Zvada has been money for the Giants on field goal attempts in practice, but he’s yet to be tested in true pressure situations, i.e., game situations. If he can continue nailing his field goals from all over the field–he had one over 60 yards this past week in practice–he could put an end to the kicker competition with Ben Sauls.

S Tyler Nubin

New York Giants safety Tyler Nubin | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of the surprises of camp, though in retrospect probably shouldn’t be a surprise, is that a competition developed at the strong safety spot, currently held by Tyler Nubin.

Ar’Darius Washington and Jason Pinnock have been getting reps at Nubin’s safety spot. But with slot cornerback Dru Phillips unlikely to play due to a knee injury, Washington will probably move to the slot.

That would leave Nubin’s main competition, at least as far as this week’s game is concerned, as Pinnock, who is a far better blitzer and who has been more solid in coverage thus far this summer.

TE Thomas Fidone II

It’s not that Thomas Fidone II doesn’t have any talent–he does. What he hasn’t had is the luck to stay healthy and on the field.

So after losing his entire spring while recovering from a cleanup procedure related to his season-ending foot injury from last year, Fidone has quietly begun turning heads by catching everything thrown in his direction.

With the Giants likely to deploy a lot of heavy personnel, there could very well be a spot for Fidone on the practice squad unless he delivers a performance that tops that of veteran Chris Manhertz, who is Fidone’s biggest obstacle to a roster spot.

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