Giants Mailbag: Practice Squad Decisions, Nabers' Week 1 Mystery and More

Welcome to the weekly New York Giants On SI mailbag! From offseason moves to game-day strategies, we'll do our best to answer your questions. (Some questions have been edited for brevity and clarity.)

From Pat L. (via e-mail): Any insight into why the Giants decided to add Jalin Hyatt to the practice squad? Is it because the new staff didn't feel they completed their evaluation of him?

Pat, that’s certainly a possibility. Hyatt missed a good chunk of the summer with leg/ankle injuries, but I also think he recovered from those; otherwise, he would have been waived/injured.

By moving Hyatt to the practice squad, they save a chunk of change. Hyatt was due a $1.467 million base salary this year; now that he’s on the practice squad, he’ll only get $ 330 K.

From Globally (via X): Why did the Giants put Jalin Hyatt and not Evan Neal on the practice squad?

Offensive tackle Evan Neal | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hyatt actually flashed during the spring and summer. Evan Neal, however, never made it off the third-team offensive line.

So it boils down to the progress each player made, and based on the decision made, Hyatt showed more progress and was deemed more worthy to remain with the team than Neal.

From Jorge Elmovich (via X): What DTs are they looking at? Jihad Ward signing? Is a Joey Porter Jr. trade moving forward?

Dec 21, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans linebacker Jihad Ward (533) celebrates the play for loss with the crowd against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half at Nissan Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Based on the daily transaction reports, they’ve looked at Benito Jones, David Blay, and Aaron Graves.

I suspect Jihad Ward could be incoming, based on the pattern the Giants have favored guys with prior connections to John Harbaugh and the other assistant coaches. Ward fits that criteria.

But what he doesn’t quite fit is the position I believe the Giants might be looking at: nose tackle. Ward is a defensive end/outside linebacker. The Giants need a big-bodied plugger.

And I don’t see a trade for Joey Porter, Jr. happening.

From Kris Kauffeld (via X): The Giants are not saying if Nabers will play Week 1. How much of that gamesmanship truly impacts the other team? It feels like a ridiculous smoke screen.

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Kris, I’m sure there is a degree of gamesmanship involved here. That said, the Cowboys would be fools not to prepare for the possibility of Nabers playing in Week 1.

If he doesn’t, then their lives get easier. But that’s what coaches do; they keep personnel plans close to the vest in hopes of gaining a competitive advantage.

From Ryan Austin (via X): Will you be our ambassador and tell Harbs how much we love the legacy and vintage white unis? We want them to be our primary.

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

LOL! Ryan, I appreciate that you think so highly of me to ask. Truth is, that’s a marketing decision, not a Harbaugh decision.

And as I’ve always said before, if I’m going to lobby for any significant change with the team, it’s to allow the media back into the cafeteria for lunch. I miss those delicious housemade soups, the salad bar, and the different coffee blends.

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