There were plenty of players who stood out in the New York Giants' dominant preseason victory over the Miami Dolphins. Frankly, it would have been alarming if there weren't. The G-Men outmatched the Dolphins in almost every area of the field.
But when asked about who impressed him after the game, head coach John Harbaugh only dropped one name: Trace Ford. The outside linebacker is on the fringe of the roster, but he caught his head coach's eye at a critical time.
Speaking the morning after the game, Harbaugh said, “I thought a lot of guys stood out. To single out one or two guys, you probably have to single out 10 or 15 guys. It was a lot of guys flying around, you know. Trace Ford had a great game. Numerous guys had really good games.”
John Harbaugh gives Giants' Trace Ford new life in roster battle
Ford is fighting an uphill battle in his efforts to make New York's final 53-man roster. He's currently buried behind edge rushers Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Chauncey Golston sees plenty of work on the edge, too, leaving Ford as the fifth man in the rotation, at best.
Big Blue only kept three edge defenders on its initial 53-man roster in 2025, so Ford's chances of making the cut are slim.
But his preseason performance against the Dolphins will certainly help. Ford played 19 snaps on defense and made two impactful plays. He had one pressure on Miami's quarterback and was credited with one run stop.
His showing in the preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings was solid, too, as he came up with two run stops and one QB pressure. Ford has proved that he can contribute on special teams, too, and we know how important that phase of the game is to Harbaugh.
The 25-year-old defender plays with a high motor, never giving up on a play until the whistle blows. He's the kind of player head coaches love to have, so it's no surprise that he earned some praise from Harbaugh.
The new head coach was given an opportunity to shout out any player on his roster after the preseason win. He chose Ford. That may not mean that the young edge rusher is a lock for the 53-man roster, but it's worth noting. If nothing else, Ford will be a solid addition to the practice squad this year.
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