Top 3 NY Giants Performers After Two Preseason Games

The Giants have had a pretty positive start to the preseason and it’s largely due to how these players have risen to the occasion on the field.

Aug 16, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) celebrates his rushing touchdown during the second half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Giants are rounding the final bend of their 2025 preseason, and, for the most part, there have been rave reviews for how the franchise and its budding talent have performed in their first two exhibitions. 

With a lot of eyes fixed on the Giants, given how serious the upcoming regular season is, the team has been giving outsiders and fans reasons for hope that this season won’t be as humiliating as it was in their 3-14 campaign last year. 

While the starters have earned their reps and looked strong in their respective roles, the bigger stories are coming from new and emerging players who are fighting to find their identity on the Giants roster. They’ve been helping the team push offensive boundaries they’ve rarely seen lately and forcing opponents to take note of how scary their defense can be this season.  

In the first two matchups against the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets, the Giants have consistently scored 30+ points and applied pressure on the opposing backfield. They’ve even forced some turnovers from enemy mistakes as well, all elements that were missing or needing more growth for the franchise to see success in the modern NFL.

There is still more work to be done, but things are starting to feel a little different within the Giants organization as the first real contest draws near. It’s all due to the promising efforts of these players who could help fill out the roster as final decisions loom.

Honorable Mention: TE Greg Dulcich

Aug 16, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants tight end Greg Dulcich (89) catches a touchdown pass during the second half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Putting together a worthy trio of top performers from the first couple of weeks of the preseason was harder than it looks. That’s why, even though he is deserving of being included, tight end Greg Dulcich’s best route was to be included as an honorable mention on the list. 

The Giants’ tight ends room entered the offseason as one of the thinnest position groups in terms of overall talent. Theo Johnson showed some flashes in his rookie season in 2024, but still has more to show after injuries and inconstant quarterback play limited his debut. 

Yet, behind the 2024 fourth-round pick, the Giants needed to collect some depth that can provide a serviceable mix of blocking on the end of the offensive line and receiving. Dulcich, who was signed off waivers late last season from the Denver Broncos, has been that piece who has given himself a surprising leg up in that competition. 

The Giants were enticed to bring Dulcich back to compete for a spot on the 2025 roster due to his ties to starting quarterback Russell Wilson, who played with the tight end in Denver. Three years ago, the duo connected 33 times for 411 yards and two touchdowns, and can capitalize on his solid size and good route running ability. 

While it didn’t come from Wilson, those intangibles crafted another example against the Jets this past weekend, when rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart found Dulcich on the back end of a solid route fake over the middle that resulted in a walk-in touchdown in the Giants’ 31-12 victory. 

Jaxson Dart to Greg Dulcich for the score 💪 pic.twitter.com/pVXAEcJ1kB

— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) August 17, 2025

On the protection side, Dulcich’s size has allowed him to be a pretty good option for additional beef on the edge. He’s posted a 74.5 pass blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus and allowed just one pressure to sneak past him. It’s possible the Giants can use him in 22-personnel packages alongside Chris Manhertz, another name who figures to make the roster for that role. 

Still, the other pieces of the tight end group haven’t overly impressed, and it’s uncertain how the team views the development of seventh-round pick Thomas Fidone II, who could be made a practice squad piece at the end of the summer.

DT Roy Robertson-Harris

Jul 24, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris (95) on the field during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

One of the main competitions that feels like it's been brewing as the preseason has progressed is for the second starting defensive tackle spot alongside Dexter Lawrence II. It’s been between incumbent Rakeem Nuñez-Roches and free-agent signing Roy Robertson-Harris. 

Nuñez-Roches has been a serviceable player in the Giants’ run defense since the start of last season, but many are watching to see if he sticks to the roster or becomes a cap casualty on judgment day for the 53-man unit. 

The presence and playmaking of his fellow veteran in Robertson-Harris might be expediting the latter scenario. The 32-year-old gap stuffer has his age concerns for weathering an entire season that often creates injuries, but has been an instant force in slowing down the opposing run game that has killed New York in recent seasons.

After two games, Robertson-Harris ranks second on the team in run defense grade (81.7) and first among the interior defenders. He has made three stops along the line of scrimmage, missed zero of his five tackles, and had an 8.3% pressure rate with a 16.7% win rate, which is also second to just rookie edge rusher Abdul Carter (25.0%). 

If his success keeps up and health remains in check, Robertson-Harris could convince the Giants to hand him the starting job and put Nuñez-Roches, who carries a heftier contract, on the chopping block unless the team needs his depth.

RB Dante “Turbo” Miller

Aug 16, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants running back Dante Miller (25) carries the ball during the second half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

With rookie running back Cam Skattebo being sidelined for much of the past couple weeks with a hamstring injury, the Giants have had to test out the deeper reserves of their backfield, and in that time, the 26-year-old Dante Miller has emerged. 

The undrafted free agent known as “Turbo” has taken full advantage of his opportunity to grab a roster spot. 

Miller would figure to be the third running back in a regular-season rotation behind Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary. In two games, he has collected 162 scrimmage yards by earning touches in both the pass and run phases, one of the highest totals within the Giants’ offense.

The Giants have emphasized getting their ball carriers involved in the passing game, and that’s where Miller has shone the most. He led the team with seven catches for 80 yards in Buffalo before following it up with four snags for 43 yards in the win over the Jets on Saturday. 

In those reps, Miller has been unveiling the growth he has made as a developmental piece in the Giants’ system, flashing good hands and impressive quickness to get upfield with the ball and break free with his speed in the open field. He would be a nice one-two punch with Tracy to maintain that dual-threat backfield until Skattebo returns.

QB Jaxson Dart  

Aug 16, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) warms up before the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

This last preseason standout almost needs no mention. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who many in the organization and Giants fanbase hope is the long-term answer at the helm after Russell Wilson, has been the biggest star in his first two NFL games. 

Dart has gotten the most playing time of the four gunslingers in the Giants’ locker room, and for good reason. The franchise needs to see how he handles his transition to the pros when the pressure isn’t as high, as there is a possibility he might need to be called on late in the season if the Wilson experiment starts falling short. 

Of course, head coach Brian Daboll started the offseason with a constant stance that his newest quarterback prodigy would be the No. 3 guy behind Wilson and Jameis Winston and not be rushed into the fold. With two games under his belt, that plan might be tough to stick to as the rookie arm continues to excel in ways that’re making him the talk of the town. 

In his two performances, Dart had accumulated 281 passing yards, three combined touchdowns, and posted a 117.1 passer rating, which leads the team. His offensive line has kept him nearly untouched, but he’s also done a fabulous job of using his mobility to avoid pressures, extend plays with his feet, and get the ball out quickly and cleanly to his receivers.

Jaxson Dart runs it in! pic.twitter.com/lelzodByGq

— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) August 17, 2025

Sure, one must keep in mind factors such as playing against the team's reserves, and there could still be concerns about Dart securing a regular season appearance too easily, given the Giants' toughest strength of schedule in the league. 

That can often jar the confidence of a young signal caller, but that doesn’t appear to be the case with Dart so far. He’s been sharp, confident, and having fun in welcoming himself to the Big Apple, whose calls for his turn will only grow louder if he keeps up the progress and Wilson doesn’t show he still has winning football in him.

What happens next with the NY Giants? Find out! Follow and like us on Facebook. Visit our YouTube channel for the latest videos. Want to send a question in for our mailbag? You can do so here.