As the New York Giants head back to East Rutherford following their two weeks of training camp in West Virginia, everyone is still understandably captivated by the ongoing kicking battle between Dominic Zvada and Ben Sauls.
The competition has been on everyone's radar from the early days of the offseason, stretching from right after the draft to the first day of minicamp and OTAs, right into the teeth of August. We're talking about two hungry young legs fighting for the chance to finally end Big Blue's relentless kicking woes for good.
After a not-so-impressive start to the offseason program, Sauls, the incumbent, put up a respectable fight, pushing 35 of his 44 field goal tries (79.5 percent) through the uprights. However, the 22-year-old Zvada might've delivered a knockout punch.
The undrafted rookie out of Michigan has looked nearly flawless, blasting a booming 41-of-45 (91.1 percent) on his attempts. Zvada-matic's clear edge in leg strength and higher ceiling make him the obvious favorite as the team heads into the preseason.
Naturally, all eyes are on Zvada as the undrafted rookie to watch. But while he's kicking his way through the ultimate leg-day dogfight, there's another undrafted rookie who quietly has the easiest, most mathematically certain path to NY's 53-man roster.
Ben Mann has the easiest Giants roster battle imaginable
That name is Ben Mann, the rookie long snapper out of Boston College. While kickers catch a lot of heat with every miss, long snappers thrive in the shadows -- it's actually best for them if you don't know their name. They only get noticed when they screw up big time. And for Mann, making the team comes down to a simple truth: he's facing zero competition.
The Giants cleared the runway for the 24-year-old earlier this offseason after they released seven-year veteran Zach Triner. Barring a sudden -- and shocking -- free-agent signing, Mann is the only player left on the 90-man roster capable of doing the job.
Does this mean it's Ben Mann or bust at LS for #Giants @JordanRaanan ?? https://t.co/rMUNK3IWyJ
— GMEN HQ (@GMENHQ) June 1, 2026
He’s backed up that security with a highly consistent summer, too. As The Athletic’s Dan Duggan noted,
"Undrafted rookie long snapper Ben Mann has been consistently accurate with his snaps. Mann can secure the job if he covers punts well in preseason games."
If you're wondering if the 6-foot-5, 232-pounder can cover punts, as Duggan alluded to, all he did was anchor an Eagles punt return unit that ranked fifth in the country last year... so he should have that on lock as well.
Off the field, Mann brings a cool bit of poetic football history back to the facility. His grandfather is Chuck Mercein, a fullback who was drafted by the G-Men way back in 1965. Mercein went on to win a Super Bowl with Vince Lombardi’s Packers, playing in the historic 1967 "Ice Bowl." Six decades later, his grandson is poised to wear the same Giants blue.
The kicker job is Zvada's to lose. But while he had to go out and take his spot by force, Mann didn't have to beat anyone out to win his. With no one pushing him, the long snapper is the easiest lock out of Big Blue's undrafted rookies to make it through cutdown day and land on the final 53.
Add us as a preferred source on Google