5 Giants Players Who Need to Step Up as the Season Continues Without Jaxson Dart

Jaxson Dart's season-ending knee injury has overshadowed the New York Giants' on-field results, but we cannot just eulogize Big Blue's campaign and skip to the spring. 15 games remain, and regardless of how the team finishes in the standings, many players have to improve.

John Harbaugh probably cannot solidify the team's identity without the starting quarterback, but he can still decide who fits his ideal blueprint for the future.

A few guys have disappointed through the first two games of the season, and how they respond moving forward could determine how much work the Giants have to do in the offseason.

Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge

Sep 13, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) looks on during warmups prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A talented former top-five draft pick who gets a new defensive coordinator and enters the final year of their rookie contract seems like a prime candidate to post a productive season. Kayvon Thibodeaux still has time to make a visible impact and boost his free-agent market, but he has struggled.

The 25-year-old edge rusher is fading into the background far too often. He is also not getting the job done on run defense, an area he excelled at in 2025. Thibodeaux already has two missed tackles and zero stops in 20 run-defense snaps.

Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB

Aug 28, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) carries the ball against the New York Jets during the first half at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tyrone Tracy Jr.'s stock dropped during preseason action after a missed pass-protection assignment and a costly red-zone fumble. Still, there was hope he would shake it off and get back on track toward recording his third straight season with 1,000 all-purpose yards.

That has not been the case. Tracy has had just three rushing attempts so far, gaining 14 yards, and averaging just 1.5 yards after contact.

He’s lost ground to the more physical Najee Harris, who was active for the first time last week, and to the reliable Devin Singletary, who does a lot of little things well enough to justify a game-day uniform.

Tracy, meanwhile, seems to have been banished to the kickoff return team, which was his role last week when Deonte Banks was inactive with a calf injury.

Theo Johnson, TE

Aug 28, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson (84) warms up before the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While no one is surprised that Theo Johnson is now behind Isaiah Likely in the tight end pecking order, what is surprising is how quiet Johnson has been through two games.

He’s caught just one pass on five targets, and that came in the Giants' Week 1 win over Dallas. That one reception went for just nine yards, with only one yard after the catch.

And while Johnson hasn’t officially been charged with any dropped balls in limited targets, what’s more concerning is his lack of physicality when he is targeted.

Per PFF, he is 0-for-2 in contested catch situations, with one of those opportunities coming on the play in which quarterback Jaxson Dart was injured.

Couple that with a poor 43.2 grade in run blocking as an inline tight end, and there’s enough evidence through two games to support claims of Johnson having gotten off to a sluggish start in 2026.

Darius Alexander, DL

Aug 15, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Darius Alexander (91) warms up before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Back in the spring, it looked as though Alexander, the Giants’ third-round pick last year, might be on his way to earning a starting job on the revamped defensive line.

That hasn't been the case, however, and unfortunately for the former Toledo star, it started in the summer when his run defense was unimpressive.

After playing 18 snaps in the season opener against Dallas—five of those against the run and 13 in the pass rush—Alexander didn’t register a single stat.

That lack of productivity was enough for the coaches to make Alexander inactive last week against the Rams, instead putting Josh Tupou, a free-agent journeyman they signed to their 53-man roster from their practice squad, into the lineup.

While Tupou wasn’t that much more productive in his Week 2 showing, he at least registered a tackle and a stop, which is more than what Alexander did in Week 1.

Tyler Nubin, S

Sep 13, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants safety Tyler Nubin (27) celebrates as he leaves the field following a win against the Dallas Cowboys in the game at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Safety Tyler Nubin entered the new campaign in a somewhat precarious position. But with a successful head coach like John Harbaugh leading the charge and an aggressive play-caller in Dennard Wilson coming aboard, there was reason to think the former Minnesota ball hawk could rebound, performance-wise.

He fell into his old pattern in Monday's loss versus the Los Angeles Rams, however, surrendering chunk plays that prevented the Giants from gaining momentum.

Nubin currently has a 112.5 NFL coverage rating, having recorded just one pass breakup and allowing 19.3 yards per reception to opponents, the third-highest average among safeties who have a minimum of 70 coverage snaps.

Once a promising-looking second-round draft pick, Nubin — who, by the way, is on this week’s injury report as questionable with a calf injury — needs to string together a few solid performances if he wants to keep his starting job.

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