If you watched the last three days of minicamp and came away thinking the New York Giants have a clear picture of what this team will look like come August, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
June practices in shorts are notoriously a liar's paradise, but new head coach John Harbaugh’s first spring session still provided plenty of surprises. Roster lines are already being blurred, forcing us to rethink a few expectations before the real hitting even starts.
OTAs and minicamp are officially in the rearview, and the next phase is a trip to West Virginia for training camp in July. Before the team packs its bags for the historic Greenbrier resort, let's look at the winners and losers of Giants minicamp 2026 edition.
The good, the bad, and the everything else from Giants minicamp 2026
Loser: Jaxson Dart
Let's get this out of the way since no one's going to want to hear it. No, the 23-year-old wasn't necessarily bad at minicamp -- he made some explosive plays and showed off the competitiveness that’s clearly caught Harbs’ attention early.
But he didn’t exactly light it up either.
New York's 2026 season rides largely on whether Dart can take a step forward. No one said it was going to be easy learning Matt Nagy's new offense. Turning the ball over and holding onto it for too long needs to be cleaned up, but the biggest area of concern is his deep ball inaccuracy. He struggled as a rookie throwing the ball long and that continued with under-and over-throws at minicamp.
Winner: Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham came into camp in peak physical shape. Rust was to be expected, at least in the beginning, which we saw when he caught-fumbled a pass over the middle on Day 1. However, he seemingly caught everything else that was thrown his way, even if it was a relatively quiet three days.
The fact he wasn't a loser makes him a winner.
The former Giants superstar turned Giants roster hopeful had the play of practice on Day 2, dogging rookie cornerback Colton Hood on a long touchdown pass where he backpedaled the final 15 yards into the end zone, saluting John Mara on the sideline as he did it. Big Blue's swagger is coming back.
The receiver room is an absolute dawg fight. The 33-year-old will have to take this momentum into training camp if he wants any shot at making the 53-man.
Winner: Malachi Fields
Speaking of Odell Beckham Jr., the player who looked the most like vintage OBJ was actually rookie third-round pick, Malachi Fields. The 6-foot-4, 218-pound receiver was making ridiculous plays all minicamp, signaling that the G-Men might have finally found a good enough running mate alongside Malik Nabers.
Fields made the play of practice on Day 1, mossing cornerback Greg Newsome II to pull down a deep ball thrown from Dart for a touchdown -- felt like a classic "my guy is better than your guy" type throw. With no Leek and no Darius Slayton, the 22-year-old had mostly been running with the ones, building an instant chemistry with his new QB.
He used his massive frame and strength to bully defensive backs all week while making circus-like catches look routine. Fields might have been the biggest winner of minicamp altogether.
Winner: Dominic Zvada
If Fields is the biggest winner, chalk place kicker Dominic Zvada as a close second. The undrafted rookie out of Michigan dominated minicamp, making all 13 of his kicks after being perfect at OTAs.
You might be wondering how far those were -- they weren’t chip shots. He hit a 53-yarder, a 56-yarder, and a 60-yarder all with room to spare. It could be leg day every Sunday in North Jersey if he keeps it up. Really impressive stuff from Zvada.
Loser: Ben Sauls
Zero-sum games favor the winners while leaving the losers empty-handed... Ben Sauls' hands looked pretty empty after minicamp.
While his competition was too busy sending kicks into orbit from 50-plus, Sauls was struggling to put much of anything through the uprights. The 24-year-old came into camp as the heavy favorite for the starting spot after making all 15 of his kicks for the G-Men last year (eight field goals and seven extra points).
But minicamp had different plans.
Sauls ended the three-day event making half of his attempts. He finished with an uninspiring 7-of-14 mark, missing almost all of his tries wide left. The Giants cut veteran kicker Jason Sanders earlier in the offseason in the hopes the kicking competition between Sauls and Zvada would become more fierce... however, it looks like that plan has already backfired spectacularly.
Winner: Deonte Banks
A lot has gone wrong for Deonte Banks since being drafted 25th out of Maryland back in 2023. He won't turn his head around to locate the football and don't get me started on the effort concerns.
But the offseason has shown fans a different side of Banks. The 25-year-old put together a strong couple of days, coming away with an interception and multiple passes defensed. There was a distinct shift in his body language and energy -- he was playing with noticeably higher confidence, seemingly thriving under the aggressive style of the new coaching staff.
Because Big Blue added Newsome in free agency and drafted Hood in the second round, Banks entered the spring as president of the Toasty Buns club. But his electric week in shorts just reminded everyone of his potential and proved he won't be pushed out of the rotation easily.
Winner: Kayvon Thibodeaux
It's Kayvon Thibodeaux's fifth year in the league and outside of what now looks like a fluke 2023 season, it's been underwhelming. But sometimes it takes guys a little bit longer to find themselves and figure it out.
Minicamp might have been the first indication this is the case with Thibs.
The 25-year-old pass-rusher looked unstoppable. The burst and bend he played with resulted in multiple would-be sacks (no contact, remember). He was playing like a man possessed, earning public praise from Brian Burns and Harbaugh. Thibodeaux could have been distracted by the endless trade rumors or his contract year, but instead he focused on becoming a pillar on Big Blue's front seven.
Loser: Evan Neal and Josh Ezeudu
Neal and Ezeudu are both on their last legs as it pertains to their Giants careers. The pair was surprisingly brought back on cheap, one-year "prove-it" lifelines after years of injuries and poor play already proved they’re not long-term answers.
Instead of seizing the opportunity, they flopped together at minicamp by plummeting all the way down to the third-team offense.
Neal was demoted to third-team right guard, while Ezeudu’s "best ability is availability" problem struck again as a calf injury completely wiped out his opportunity to compete during practice.
Both were leapfrogged by younger depth options like Marcus Mbow and J.C. Davis, proving that their supposed comeback means absolutely nothing if one is buried on the third string and the other can't stay on the field.
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