3 Critical Roster Questions Giants Must Find Answers to Ahead of John Harbaugh’s First Season

From a completely overhauled defensive line to a lingering kicker nightmare, New York has plenty of talent but zero margin for error in 2026.

May 21, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh speaks at a press conference during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Giants are laser-focused on turning around their misfortunes of the last decade-plus under new head coach John Harbaugh. And while Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen have gone to work to strengthen the roster’s weaknesses, there will always be the question: “Did they do enough?”

While there is a lot to like about the direction the roster is headed, here are the three biggest questions that, if not adequately answered, could put a crimp in the team’s plans to rise from the ashes.

How will the D-line depth play out?

May 21, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris (95) and defensive lineman Bobby Jamison-Travis (97) participate in a drill during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | John Jones-Imagn Images

The Giants' defensive line is going to have a completely new look in 2026 following the trade of Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals and the season-ending Achilles injury to Roy Robertson-Harris in last week’s OTA practice.

The Giants’ response was to throw money at veteran resources, some of whom, one could argue, are on the back end of their careers. DJ Reader is projected to be the starting nose tackle, the role previously held by Lawrence. Shelby Harris projects as the 3-tech/defensive end.

And the Giants also brought in Leki Fotu, Sam Roberts (who is recovering from an undisclosed offseason surgery), and Zacch Pickens to join a room that includes second-year man Darius Alexander, who showed promise toward the end of his rookie season, and rookie draft pick Bobby Jamison-Travis.

The plan seems to be a rotation, which is smart in that it will keep everyone fresh. But the question is whether they have the quality to match the quantity, given that last year they allowed more EPA yards per rush attempt (0.13) than any other team in the NFL.

Harbaugh emphasized beefing up the run defense earlier in the offseason, and that starts with the defensive front. The Giants are undoubtedly keeping their fingers crossed that they have enough to finally turn things around in this area.

When will the rehabbing players be ready?

Sep 28, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) is carted off the field following an injury during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Several Giants are thought to be rehabbing from injuries this spring, including Roberts (undisclosed) and receiver Darius Slayton (sports hernia).

But the two biggest names the Giants are holding their collective breath on are receiver Malik Nabers (knee) and running back Cam Skattebo (ankle).

Nabers, who was injured in Week 3 of last year, suffered a complex injury that included a torn ACL and a damaged meniscus.

Harbaugh told reporters last week that the receiver is slogging through his rehab and trying to keep his spirits up, but that it's not possible to forecast when Nabers, the team’s No. 1 receiver, will be ready to return.

Skattebo, whose ankle injury occurred in Week 8, seems to be on the opposite end of the spectrum, having told fans at the team’s annual Town Hall event that he is eyeing a return by Week 1 of the season.

What that means, though, for training camp remains up in the air. It’s possible that Skattebo starts the summer on PUP to buy a little extra time, but if that ends up being the case, he will need at least a couple of weeks to work himself into football shape to be ready for Week 1.

Who will be the kicker?

Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; New York Giants kicker Ben Sauls (30) kicks a field goal in the third quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Giants' kicking game has been nothing short of a nightmare the last few years, having reached the low point last season when they fielded five different place-kickers.

Believe it or not, the position is still not settled. Currently, the Giants have three kickers on their roster: veteran Jason Sanders, first-year player (and lefty) Ben Sauls, and undrafted free agent Dominic Zvada.

Sanders appears to be the early favorite for the job, given his experience, but he is coming off a season-ending hip ailment, which, given what the Giants went through with former kicker Graham Gano, has to give them just the slightest bit of pause.

But in last week’s OTA practice open to the media, Sanders missed two field goal attempts from 50+ yards.

Sauls, who settled the kicking position last year, was no better, pulling two of his four longer-distance attempts badly to the right in the same practice.

Zvada, who didn’t try any field goals during the open practice, was perfect on his five attempts in the rookie minicamp, the longest from 55 yards.

Jobs aren’t won or lost in the spring, and there is a lot more kicking to be done in this competition, including kickoffs, which is the other half of the job (assuming that Harbaugh isn't planning on having punter Jordan Stout handle that role).

Still, getting a reliable kicker who can convert from anywhere on the field has to be a top priority, as the Giants over the last two seasons have lost games due to their kicker woes.

One recent example is the 21-18 loss on Sept. 15, 2024 to Washington when Gano went down early in the game.

Then there was last year’s 33-32 game against Denver, which, while dominated by the defense’s collapse, also saw Jude McAtamney miss two PATs which, had he made, would have forced Denver to play for the tie instead of the game winning field goal.

Hopefully, the Giants have the answer on their current roster.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news, and send your mailbag questions to us.