Which NY Giants Helped or Hurt Themselves in the Preseason Finale?

The , like many NFL teams, chose to rest most of their starters and significant contributors in the preseason finale against the New England Patriots.

Teams protect their roster by resting them for the last preseason game, but also use it as one last opportunity to evaluate their depth in live action before roster cutdowns.

Here’s a look at some of the bubble players who helped or hurt their chance for a spot on the 53-man roster.  

Helped: CB Art Green

Art Green is a player who’s had his fair share of ups and downs throughout the spring and summer, but against the Patriots, he made a strong last impression.

Green played sound coverage on Thursday night, but more importantly, showed his worth as someone who does the gritty work on the back end of the roster.

The top of that cornerback room is pretty much set in stone, but for the final spot or two available, Green made strong stops against the run and pass to make his case.

Hurt: TE Daniel Bellinger

The best ability is availability, and unfortunately, Daniel Bellinger hasn’t been available since the first preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.

Even more unfortunate is that both Greg Dulcich and Thomas Fidone II have been able to string together some success in recent weeks, including finding the end zone for a combined three times on Thursday night.

The Giants will have to decide whether they want to keep three or four tight ends in 2025, but if the answer is three, there’s a legitimate possibility that Bellinger is the odd man out.

Helped: OLB Trace Ford

The Giants brought in undrafted free agent Trace Ford out of Oklahoma, and it’s entirely possible that he played himself onto the roster this preseason.

Ford is a twitched-up athlete, and it’s visible every time we watch him play as both a pass-rusher and run defender.

On Thursday night, Ford made a tackle for a loss after an explosive first step so quick it almost looked like he was offside.

Ford’s defensive versatility, as well as the traits that should translate over to being a special teams contributor, give him .

Hurt: WR Jalin Hyatt

I don’t think that Hyatt’s play on Thursday night cost him a roster spot, but his overall performance didn’t exactly help solidify his role with the team.

Hyatt ended up scoring a touchdown on Thursday, but before that score, he was having a rough night.

In the first half, Hyatt dropped the ball twice, and speed doesn’t matter at receiver if you struggle to catch the ball.

The first drop wasn’t an easy ball to catch, but it also wasn’t an incredibly difficult catch that Hyatt should have made.

Helped: OL Stone Forsythe

I will preface this by saying that I don’t believe Stone Forsythe is going to make the final roster for the Giants, but he helped himself on Thursday night with some decent tape.

Forsythe played more snaps than any other Giants player against the Patriots and looked his best in pass protection.

With Andrew Thomas returning, Jermaine Eluemunor and James Hudson also filling out the tackle room, and players like Marcus Mbow who could play all along the offensive line, a guy like Forsythe that would be OT4 at best might not have a spot here.

Hurt: OL Evan Neal

Few offensive linemen have had the level of struggle that Evan Neal has had since getting drafted by the Giants in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

This past offseason, Neal made the move from right tackle to right guard, and the move hasn’t paid off yet.

Neal likely didn’t play himself off the roster; the coaching staff knows that this transition is a process, but he struggled against the Patriots.

The struggles for Neal mostly stem from his inability to consistently get to his assignment on time, which was the explanation for why he didn’t work at tackle.

If the move to guard was to address that issue, and it’s still an issue, the coaching staff is likely going to wonder if he can improve in that area enough to last at guard, too.

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