Stock up, down after New York Giants' preseason win over Buffalo Bills

The New York Giants opened the preseason with a 34-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday afternoon at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.

It was a positive first step for the Giants, who are returning from an ugly 3-14 campaign in 2024 that nearly resulted in a house-cleaning. And while there are several areas the team must shore up, the overall performance breeds a lot of optimism.

The Giants will hold meetings on Sunday and enjoy a Monday off before returning for the first of two joint practices with the New York Jets on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at whose stock is up and whose is down after the first week of the preseason.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart, edge rusher Abdul Carter, offensive lineman Marcus Mbow, and tight end Thomas Fidone all flashed at some point on Saturday afternoon. Fidone had some lapses, but Dart, Carter, and Mbow came away from the game sparkling. General manager Joe Schoen clearly has something with this draft class — the future is beginning to look bright.

The Giants were without several notable players on Saturday, including guard Evan Neal, wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, and cornerback Cor’Dalte Flott. All three would have had a prime opportunity to improve their standing and make a play for bigger roles this season, but instead, watched helplessly from afar. Flott’s absence is particularly noteworthy given the continued struggles of cornerback Deonte Banks, who was the only starter to play an entire half. There was an opportunity for gain, and Flott, Neal, and Hyatt all missed out.

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was calling plays from the sideline instead of up in the booth, and he had to come away from Saturday’s game feeling pretty good. All four of his quarterbacks led scoring drives as the Giants put up 34 points. While there is no formal game plan during the preseason, Kafka got into the flow of the contest, leaned into what was working and away from what wasn’t. The result was success.

This spot could have just as easily gone to linebacker Chris Board, but his special teams value creates a buffer not provided to undrafted rookie free agents like cornerback O’Donnell Fortune. With just 25 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Fortune let a receiver get behind him for a 58-yard reception that set the Bills up for a field goal. It was very nearly a touchdown, but to Fortune’s credit, he didn’t give up on the play and made a touchdown-saving tackle at the six-yard line. Still…

Don’t even bother looking at the yards per carry (2.2) because it’s misleading. Running back Dante Miller flashed on Saturday, especially in the screen game, and his explosiveness has some Giants fans daydreaming. Every time Turbo touched the ball, it felt like there was big-play potential, and that’s the impression he needed to make with Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Singletary, and Cam Skattebo ahead of him on the depth chart.

Veteran tackle James Hudson provides an edge the Giants love, but that can’t be the only thing he brings to the table. With Andrew Thomas having missed significant time over the past two seasons, Hudson must provide reliable stability at the position, which he didn’t do on Saturday. On his only drive of the game, Hudson was called for back-to-back penalties, including a false start, which has been a persistent problem for the Giants in training camp. His errors killed a potential touchdown drive and forced the team into a long field goal situation.

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Stock up, down after Giants’ preseason win over Bills

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Stock up, down after New York Giants’ preseason win over Buffalo Bills

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