Only one preseason game stands between the Giants and the official start of their 2021 season. Roster battles are nearing their end, lineups are approaching finalization, and real games are right around the corner. So let's take stock of which G-Men might be on the rise or decline entering the final exhibition matchup. Who's improved their chances at either a job or big role on the team? Who's had a disappointing home stretch ahead of the Sept. 12 opener? Here's our assessment:
Stock up: RB Devontae Booker
The Giants paid him (2 years, $5 million) to be Saquon Barkley's No. 2. Against the Browns in Week 2 of the preseason, he looked much more like a top backup, averaging 4.5 yards per carry and scoring on one of his eight touches. With Barkley still on the mend, Booker will almost assuredly get the bulk of early-season relief carries, considering he already entered with more starting experience than fellow reserve Corey Clement.
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Stock down: WR Kenny Golladay
You can't make the club in the tub. Golladay is an exception, of course, but you get the point: The ex-Lions standout has been sidelined for nearly a month with a hamstring injury. It might be cause for less concern if Golladay hadn't also missed five games in 2017 and another 11 in 2020 due to hip and hamstring issues. New York emptied the bank here (4 years, $72M) to give Daniel Jones a No. 1 receiver, but while Golladay's talent is undeniable, he's setting up to open the year lacking serious chemistry with the offense.
Stock up: LB Carter Coughlin
The Giants needed someone to step up at pass rusher this offseason, and Coughlin has recently done so, albeit from the inside linebacker spot. The 2020 seventh-rounder has good size for his position but has also displayed noticeable range moving around the field this preseason, thriving when given the chance to pressure the pocket. New York should have a creative role waiting for him.
Stock down: CB Sam Beal
He cost the Giants a third-rounder in 2018, and was once considered a candidate to start on the outside. Now, three years later, he's on the fringe of the roster thanks to a string of poor performances in pass coverage. As The Athletic noted, the Giants literally had a wide receiver playing corner in Week 2 of the preseason, and yet the Browns still routinely targeted Beal's side of the field.
Stock up: LB Oshane Ximines
Aside from the offensive line, one of the Giants' biggest question marks this offseason was pass rusher. The group still has plenty to prove in the regular season, but Ximinies has emerged as something of an X-factor. The 24-year-old former third-rounder has been deployed as one of the club's top reserve rushers since returning from shoulder rehab, and he notched a key third-down sack against Cleveland to confirm his role as a rotational piece going into 2021.
