3 Giants Players Fighting for Their Future Under John Harbaugh

With a new coaching staff comes a new set of standards — and for three former draft picks in particular, 2026 is the year to prove they belong.

New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

While New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen had a hand in acquiring many of the team's current players, head coach John Harbaugh did not.

That distinction not only matters for players already on the roster bubble but also for those entering the back end of their respective deals without a firm grip on their future and to whom the new staff has no allegiance.

Three Giants in particular find themselves in this situation.

EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux

Jun 9, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) answers questions from the press after the minicamp activities at Quest Diagnostics Center. | Thomas Salus-Imagn Images

After having his fifth-year option picked up, Thibodeaux will enter the season as the league's 17th-highest-paid edge defender with a 2026 cap hit of $14.75 million.

That seems like a lot for a guy who probably won’t be an every-down player and whose production has, in part due to injuries that have limited him to 22 games over the last two seasons, amounted to 8.0 sacks, 53 tackles, and 13 tackles for loss (numbers that are either on par with or below what he posted in 2023, his best season to date).

The former fifth-overall pick has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason thanks to the Giants' wealth of talented edge defenders. New York has held firm, believed to be wanting a Day 2 pick for the former Oregon star.

It’s believed that if Thibodeaux has the type of season his talent suggests he’s capable of having, the Giants should, one way or another, get that return, either via a trade or if they opt not to re-sign him to a big-time deal in free agency.  

Thibodeaux’s biggest competitor for snaps this year will be second-year man Abdul Carter, who stepped into the starting lineup last year, with the defense not suffering any drop-off when Thibodeaux was sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Thibodeaux is a solid run defender who is probably better than Carter right now when it comes to setting the edge, but Carter’s versatility might make him a more desirable option in a defense that’s expected to be multiple.

C John Michael Schmitz

Oct 28, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants center John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61) takes the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Schmitz, the team’s 2023 second-round pick, has held down the starting center role since he was drafted, showing improvement year over year. But it’s probably fair to say that he’s not among the top centers in the league just yet.

Based on a compilation of PFF data, Schmitz’s 1.99% pressure rate ranks second amongst 18 centers with at least 2,000 snaps played since 2023. And the team’s 38.1% success rate when he has been a pass blocker ranks 17th in that same sample.

Maybe that’s a by-product of the guards he’s had next to him, but overall it’s fair to question if Schmitz is the kind of center that Harbaugh prefers for his teams’ offensive lines.

If we look at what Harbaugh had with Tyler Linderbaum in Baltimore, Linderbaum was more athletic, particularly as a run blocker, and a guy who could pull and function better in space.

Schmitz, on the other hand, is more of a traditional zone blocker with good strength but not as athletic in space.  

Schmitz doesn’t appear to be in jeopardy of losing his job this year, but it’s certainly fair to question whether he has a long-term future with the team.

CB Deonte Banks  

Jun 3, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (2) participates in drills during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Another 2023 draftee, Banks still has a solid chance to turn things around if he can beat Greg Newsome II and rookie Colton Hood for the starting right cornerback spot. Thus far, based on the spring practices, Banks has been the most talked about of the three and in a good way.

Banks has always had good length and speed to stay with receivers. But his biggest problem has often been a lack of consistency, particularly with being grabby at the top of his routes and not getting his head turned around.

The new defensive system implemented by Dennard Wilson is a better match for Banks’s talents and has allowed him to look more comfortable with what’s being asked of him.

That comfort level has led him to make plays and stack positive performances on top of each other to rebuild the confidence that took a beating over the last two seasons.    

Banks will be looking to rebound this year after a simply awful 2025 season, where he not only was reduced to being simply a kickoff returner after losing the starting job to Cor’Dale Flott but also posted a career-worst 149.7 coverage rating.

Hood, this year’s second-round pick, might just be Banks’s biggest competition. Despite limited experience, Hood comes from a system where he mostly played a press-man style, which fits what Wilson is looking to run.

Hood, on a rookie deal, will not only be more cost-effective moving forward but will also have a higher upside that might be difficult for Banks to match short of an All-Pro 2026 season.

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