3 Position Battles to Watch at Giants Training Camp

The New York Giants escaped to the hills of West Virginia for John Harbaugh's first training camp as head coach. But they didn't escape the competitive spirit of summer.

With that in mind, here are the position battles to keep an eye on at Giants camp.

Wide Receiver 3

Competitors: Malachi Fields, Braxton Berrios, Odell Beckham Jr., Darius Slayton, Calvin Austin III

The Giants have an array of wideout options behind Malik Nabers, especially now that the WR1 is trending toward playing Week 1. Darnell Mooney is locked into the No. 2 outside role, as the team's big-play threat.

The Giants may not run 11 personnel as often, since fullback Patrick Ricard and tight ends Isaiah Likely and Theo Johnson will get reps on rushing downs. But Slayton is going to get first dibs at this opportunity, since he is the longest-tenured Giants player and has the fourth-highest salary-cap hit on the team.

But the Giants didn't trade up to draft Fields in the third round for him to sit and watch. They also hope Beckham will be a mentor to Nabers even if he can't play, and Berrios is off to a strong start and has punt- and kick-returner capabilities.

The interesting camp development is that Austin could end up on the roster bubble, especially if Berrios passes him. The Giants only have $200,000 in guaranteed money dedicated to Austin, and he only has 84 catches in three NFL seasons.

Starting Cornerback

Competitors: Deonte Banks, Colton Hood, Greg Newsome II

Newsome is the frontrunner, since he signed an $8 million free-agent contract, but ironically he also is the biggest cut candidate since the Giants will save $5 million in salary-cap space if they release him.

Banks has had a great training camp so far under first-year defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson and seems motivated to earn his next contract, wherever it may be. Hood is all but assured of a roster spot, since the Giants spent a second-round pick on him, but is obviously not guaranteed any playing time as a rookie.

The wideout competition will affect this position battle too, since Banks has returned in the past and could be in a duel with Berrios for the kickoff-returner role.

We'll see if the Giants intend to keep four outside cornerbacks plus nickel Dru Phillips, since these three are battling to play opposite CB1 Paulson Adebo.

Kicker

Competitors: Dominic Zvada, Ben Sauls

Zvada is the clear favorite right now, even though Sauls did not miss a kick in his cup of coffee with the Giants last season. Zvada, an undrafted rookie, further bolstered his case by knocking down a 57-yard field goal Thursday during practice.

Of course, the kicker position is always open to competition, which the 2025 Giants proved by employing four different kickers. But right now Zvada has the edge.