Should the Giants Play Their Starters in the Preseason Finale?

Overall, it’s fair to say that the New York Giants, in their first training camp under head coach John Harbaugh, got plenty of good work in this summer to ensure they’re not only in optimal playing shape for the September 13 regular season opener, but that they come out of the gate quickly and convincingly on the right side of the ledger.

Which brings us to one of the biggest questions looming ahead of the team’s preseason finale against the Jets on Friday: should the Giants play their starters?

“We’ll see where we’re at,” Harbaugh said on Wednesday. “There would be things to be gained for those guys to play defensively as well, from a communication standpoint. But there’s risk. It’s just a balancing act of what we gain the most from with the least amount of risk. That’s what we’ve got to figure out.”

The risk Harbaugh is referring to is injury, which was heightened somewhat after the team saw wide receiver Calvin Austin III go down with a non-contact ACL injury that will sideline him for the season.

And while it’s understandable that some trepidation might exist after that injury given how close the regular season opener is, it’s also a reminder that injuries can happen any time, any place, and on any surface.

That said, short of wrapping the players in bubble wrap, there is no true way to protect them from the injury bug.

So Should the Starters Play?

One of our biggest past criticisms of former head coaches like Joe Judge and Brian Daboll is that neither was very big on playing the starters and key reserves in preseason games, instead preferring to get them their work in the controlled environment of practice.

One also got the impression that they viewed the first two or three games of the season—which, by the way, count toward the regular-season record—as an extension of the preseason.

The results weren’t very good to say the least. Judge, in two seasons as head coach, saw the Giants go 0-6 in the first three games of the regular season (31st league-wide over that span) while Daboll’s Giants went 4-8 (tied for 23rd).

Not playing the starters, who last saw preseason action on August 15 in the preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings, will mean that they will go just under a full month with no live action–action that, despite the most carefully laid practice plans, cannot be replicated in the controlled environment that is practice.

Then there is the other factor: quarterback Jaxson Dart. Dart has spent the summer learning to work more under center, and while he has improved in that area, there is, again, no substitute for live reps where he is no longer protected by wearing the red “no contact” jersey.

Dart has played six snaps working out of the shotgun in preseason game action, those coming in the first game. He’s dropped back six times and has completed three of four attempts, with two sacks on his other dropbacks.

His under-center snaps have been limited to just three, and none included any pass attempts.

There is also one more argument to be made for Dart and the starters to play. Given the season-ending injury to Austin, the receiver room has now been reshuffled a bit, to where Dart may have to throw to guys in season that he might not have thrown to much during the summer. So why not spend a few snaps in a game that doesn’t count and keep building comfort?

So should the starters play? Again, the injury concern is understandable, but that risk will never go away, no matter what steps a coach takes.

And while no one is saying that the game should be treated like a full-blown “dress rehearsal,” capping the game snaps at a series or two, or even a quarter, depending on how the game flows, is not unreasonable.

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

Add us as a preferred source on Google