Should Giants Play Starters in Preseason Finale vs. Jets?

As the Giants enter the final week of the preseason, several positions are still in flux.

Aug 17, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

If practice makes perfect, then as far as the New York Giants, a team coming off a disappointing 6-11 record last season, are concerned, the more practice the starters and key subs can get, the better if the team is to hit the ground running when the 2024 regular-season campaign opens on September 8

So believes 69 percent of the voters who weighed in on a recent fan poll conducted by New York Giants on SI’s Patricia Traina ahead of the Giants’ preseason finale against the New York Jets.  

Worth noting is that head coach Brian Daboll, in the first week of the preseason, held most of the Giants starters out of the game against the Detroit Lions, this due in part to the two teams holding two days of joint practices before their preseason game. 

This week, the Giants and Jets are scheduled to hold one joint practice, that on Wednesday at Florham Park, where the Jets have their headquarters. While Daboll hasn’t revealed his personnel plans for the preseason finale, in which he also needs to balance getting a final look at players who are on the bubble, it’s widely believed that the Giants will play at least some of their starters for about a quarter or so of football.

Poll time: Should the Giants play the starters at all against the Jets in the preseason finale?

— Patricia Traina (@Patricia_Traina) August 18, 2024

If there is anyone on the roster who needs the extra action, it’s probably the quarterback in Daniel Jones. The 27-year-old made his official return to the field this past Saturday against the Houston Texans, just nine months removed from tearing his right ACL in Las Vegas last November, but only put forth a subpar showing at best in the team’s 28-10 loss.

Playing the first half of the contest, Jones went 11-of-18 on his throws for 138 yards and added another 12 yards with his legs. The physical element of his body looked good, but he could not reach the end zone with his arm, which at times looked careless as he forced two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown early in the game. 

While many were alarmed by this performance marred by mistakes, it could come down to simple rust for Jones who hadn’t played a game in over nine months since injuring his knee. He started to clean it up in the second quarter with two clean scoring drives, so perhaps the extra work will get the jitters out before the home opener on Sept. 8 against Minnesota.

If there is anything to support this, it’s that the Giants have made camp a lot more physical so that Jones gets a feel for live action and the pass rush, whether through 11-on-11 drills, joint practices, or playing more in the preseason games. 

The game with Houston was supposed to be his big dress rehearsal for the regular season so they could rest him in the Jets game like they did last year. However, it may behoove them to run him out again for a couple of drives to sort out the miscues while they can.

At the same time, the Giants are still facing depth issues at several other positions where some starters are involved, notably the secondary, backfield, and offensive line. Each has injuries, and no players emerged from the fold to command open roles in the first two weeks of the preseason. 

The cornerbacks room has been arguably the biggest question mark throughout camp after projected starter Cor’Dale Flott went down with a quad injury, and rookie slot man Dru Phillips has been limited in his coverage snaps this summer. Nick McCloud has assumed the other perimeter role alongside Deonte Banks while players like a handful of players try out at slot behind Phillips, but none of them have looked like they’ve sealed the deal on their races.

In the backfield, Devin Singletary is the clear No. 1 ball carrier, with Eric Gray pulling away as the second guy. Gray looked impressive against the Lions with 52 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in Week 1, but the Giants' run game hasn’t had a real chance to mesh and show itself off behind a slightly more mediocre run protection up front that could use more work in the final game with the Jets. 

After Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemenor have already commanded the bookend tackle spots this summer, the Giants appear to have their starting front nailed for the 2024 campaign. 

Yet, none of the candidates for swing tackle behind them have stood out either, including returning players Joshua Ezeudu and Evan Beal, making it a serious concern for a position that has been dealt its share of injuries in recent seasons. 

Hence, it doesn’t seem like a bad idea for the Giants to consider playing a select group of their starters in the preseason finale this weekend. While Daboll and company would like to avoid the possibility of additional injuries in a meaningless game, there is still work to be done in many areas if the team wants to prove it has a competitive unit this upcoming year. 

After the final preseason game, the Giants will have another few days to get their 90-man roster down to 53 players. There are still enough questions to certainly justify getting as many players–including the starters–on the field for this preseason finale, but again, Daboll, who never reveals his personnel plans in advance, will likely take multiple factors under consideration.

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