3 biggest NY Giants winners (and 3 losers) from the preseason action

We're on to Week 1. It's wild to believe, but the summer is about to come to a close for the NY Giants and Brian Daboll, as next up on the schedule is the season-opening showdown vs. the Minnestoa Vikings. How are fans feeling about things?

There are several reasons to be optimistic, while there are also some concerns. Having said that, several Giants did themselves massive favors by performing well over the three preseason games, while others surely did not. We break down both sides in this piece:

Winner: Elijah Chatman

There's no one else who can start us off here. It wasn't long ago that defensive tackle Elijah Chatman was an afterthought for this team. He joined the G-Men after a tryout with the Seahawks. Well, Chatman was sensational throughout the preseason, highlighted by tremendous showings vs. the Lions and Texans. He also turned heads during joint practices. Now, the DT is a lock for the Week 1 roster. Kudos to him for earning a spot.

Loser: QB Drew Lock

It didn't take long for veteran quarterback Drew Lock to learn that once you join the Giants, there's a good chance you're going to suffer an injury. Lock couldn't even finish the first quarter of his Giants debut before going down. That was the last preseason action he saw too. Before the injury, Lock looked rough with the ball in his hands - he even tossed an interception that infuriated the fanbase. He's this team's QB2, but not a lot of people have confidence in him to power the Giants to wins if Daniel Jones misses time.

Winner: Benton Whitley

Another under-the-radar playmaker to impress was no question pass-rusher Benton Whitley. Whitley posted eight tackles and 2.5 sacks over the past three games. Ahead of the preseason, it felt like a long shot that he was going to stick around for Week 1, but he has no doubt given Brian Daboll a ton to think about. At this point, don't be surprised if Whitley makes the 53-man roster. Depth on the outside has been an issue of late for the Giants, so this might force Daboll to stick with the 'hot hand' and keep Whitley around.

Loser: LT Joshua Ezeudu

At this point, we feel bad for young offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu. When he was drafted out of North Carolina in 2022, it was to play guard. However, he has made the switch to left tackle since early on last campaign and the transition has been brutal for him. Why are Daboll and offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo continuing to line him up on the outside? Against the Lions, Ezeudu looked rough and vs. the Jets he somehow looked worse. Get this guy back to OG already, sheesh.

Winner: RB Eric Gray

Thanks to his breakout game vs. the Lions, and we don't mean to be dramatic, but Eric Gray may have saved his time in East Rutherford. Leading up to the preseason, there was debate that the former fifth-round pick might potentially get cut. The addition of Dante 'Turbo' Miller had some pushing for him to land a job over the 2023 fifth-rounder. However, Gray has stepped up his game and he'll start the season as RB2 behind Devin Singletary.

Loser: QB Daniel Jones

You could make the argument that others, including Evan Neal, could have taken this last spot, but we've got to bring up once again how inconsistent Jones was vs. Houston. In his lone preseason action, Jones looked solid against Houston's backups, but the first quarter vs. starters could not have gone worse. He tossed two interceptions, including his brutal pick-six.

Following that game, even more Danny Dimes haters have been out in full force to try and bring him down. Big Blue supporters aren't feeling too confident in the former No. 6 overall pick either. Jones is in a make-or-break year and not a lot of folks think he'll be able to get his career back on track in '24. He'll look to prove everyone wrong vs. the Vikings come Sept. 8.