The New York Giants really cannot catch a break. Ahead of the 2026 NFL season, the G-Men held their first open-to-the-media organized team activities (OTAs) practice of the year. However, the medical staff had to stay on its toes as two injury scares threatened to derail the Giants’ season early on.
“DL Roy Robertson-Harris limped off very gingerly from 11-on-11. Trainers checking his right leg,” Dan Duggan of The Athletic reported on his X account. “WR Jalin Hyatt was riding the bike on the side. Appeared to tweak something running routes early in practice.“
Needless to say, watching two players go down with setbacks during OTAs—in which the aggressiveness and physicality are far from their maximum levels—may raise concerns for John Harbaugh and his staff. Furthermore, the Giants are quite thin at both positions, particularly during the opening stretch of OTAs and the NFL preseason.
Giants’ WR situation
New York is rolling into OTAs with an alternative offense. Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo, and Darius Slayton are all absent as they continue recovering from injuries. That opens up the field for unsung names to showcase themselves.
Roy Robertson-Harris of the NY Giants.
Hyatt, whose future in East Rutherford is up in the air, falls right into that category. However, he is of little use and can prove nothing to Harbaugh if he is on the sidelines riding a bike instead of running routes with the rest of the team. Based on his current role on the team, it feels as if Hyatt loses more by being injured than the Giants do by being without him. He has something to prove.
Although the Giants could turn Nabers’ injury into a positive by boosting rookie Malachi Fields, and Hyatt is reportedly at risk of being cut from the 53-man roster, New York needs all hands on deck, and another absence in the WR room would be costly.
Giants addressed D-line
Something similar is occurring within the defensive linemen group. The Giants appeared at OTAs without their main replacements for Dexter Lawrence. With Shelby Harris, D.J. Reader, and Sam Roberts unavailable, watching Robertson-Harris potentially suffer an injury is a scare Big Blue would have rather avoided this early in the offseason.
Finding the silver lining, however, some could argue it is better to have these scares early rather than in the middle of the NFL campaign. Regardless, there are questions to be asked.
New York brought in Reader, Harris, and Roberts throughout the offseason. The two former players were direct replacements brought in to fill the void left by Lawrence’s trade to Cincinnati. Thus, there is reasonable concern among fans if the players signed to address a problem are not even on the field.
Giants raise concerns
Roberts is injured, but no injury has been reported for Reader and Harris. Being longtime veterans in the NFL, there is an argument to be made as to why they are not on the gridiron this early in the year. After all, Harbaugh knows what he is doing.
However, fans can—rightfully—express their discomfort if the players supposed to replace one of the franchise’s best players of the century are not even practicing with the team on a warm afternoon in the Big Apple. Needless to say, it is not ideal for the Giants, especially not after the dramatic offseason they have been through.
This would be the perfect time to sell hope to the fanbase. The regular-season roller coaster will already take care of brewing storms. It would be best if the Giants did not bring them upon themselves, too.
