Indeed, the Giants made an unexpected roster move to make room for Smith-Schuster and added Berrios to New York’s revamped wide receiver depth chart alongside Odell Beckham Jr. However, Berrios’ and Smith-Schuster’s spots on the 53-man roster are far from set in stone.

According to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, whether Berrios and JuJu make the team could go hand in hand with whether Nabers is active or not to start the season. Although Nabers will reportedly avoid injured reserve (IR), he could still miss over a month in the 2026 NFL campaign, and that prospect plays a big role on how John Harbaugh will build his team.

“If Nabers doesn’t go on PUP, you’re cutting Berrios,” Dunleavy said during an appearance on the NY Giants Rush podcast. “Or you keep him on the practice squad, assuming that [the Giants] can. [Berrios] might say ‘somebody else will take me’.” The same logic applies to Smith-Schuster and his bid to make the team.

Giants’ WRs will compete for spots

Most NFL teams go into the season with a six-man wide receiver room. Some might carry seven, but few exceed that number. The way the Giants are trending, there may not even be a roster spot to battle for during OTAs and training camp.

Malik Nabers (unless he lands on the PUP list, which would not occupy a roster spot), Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields, Odell Beckham Jr., and Calvin Austin all appear to be locks to make the team—barring any injuries or setbacks.

That leaves room for just one more wideout to make the 53-man roster, if that. Berrios may have an upper hand over Smith-Schuster and the rest of the team’s wide receivers because he’s equipped to play on special teams. But even that may not be enough to earn John Harbaugh’s nod. If needed, Fields and Austin could also take on that role.

Giants running out of WR spots

Roster spots don’t grow on trees. As plentiful as 53 may seem, they fill up in the blink of an eye. Before teams know it, they’re dealing with only a handful of vacancies. If the Giants choose to roll with a seven-man receiving corps, it means taking a chair away from another position group’s meeting room. And as injury-riddled as their current WR room is, there are far more vulnerable position groups across the NFL that see players go down every week.

Moreover, if the G-Men are truly confident in what they’re building on offense, they should be comfortable carrying six receivers, with Nabers potentially coming off the PUP list at some point during the season. New York stayed busy all offseason long.

It may already be too late to reverse course if the team suddenly has cold feet about how it built its roster. The season opener is more than 100 days away—that’s a fact. But just as 53 can be a deceiving number, so can 100.

NY Giants don’t have that much time

Before they know it, the Giants may be gearing up for a Sunday night showdown against the Cowboys. Whether Nabers will be on the practice field by then, nobody knows. New York certainly hopes so, but there have been few signs suggesting his recovery timeline will be met.

On the contrary, reports continue to pile up suggesting otherwise. Nabers could indeed be headed for the PUP list. It may not be the end of the world, though. At least for Berrios and Smith-Schuster, it should provide hope of making the active roster in East Rutherford. If not, they may find themselves searching for a new NFL home.

The league moves fast, and although in the offseason it doesn’t always feel that way, the clock is ticking. The Giants will have to make a crucial call soon enough.

The move, revealed by insiders such as Jordan Raanan and Adam Schefter on X, shows the Giants‘ interest in this position moving forward. The young players Ben Sauls and Dominic Zvada will have a bigger role in the upcoming season.

Sauls went 8-for-8 on field goals as an undrafted rookie last year, while Zvada arrived in East Rutherford also as an undrafted player. The priority of bringing in a high-level wide receiver led to the kicker position leaning toward youth, something that took many by surprise. Sanders wasn’t expected to be the odd man out, but the Giants are prioritizing experience in the WR room.

NY Giants expand their receiving corps

The severe injury to Gunner Olszewski was a worst-case scenario for this team, which quickly moved to find replacements. They not only targeted JuJu Smith-Schuster but also arranged the arrivals of Odell Beckham Jr. as well as Braxton Berrios.

Giants are still waiting on the availability of Nabers and Slayton

Despite active moves to bolster their roster during the offseason, the Giants are heavily focused on the physical recovery of their top two vertical threats, Darius Slayton and Malik Nabers, aiming to have them fully fit for Week 1.

Slayton is currently working his way back from a core muscle surgery underwent earlier this spring, and while he is sat out of offseason programs, he remains on track to be fully cleared by training camp. Meanwhile, Nabers faces a trickier timeline as he continues to rehab from a devastating torn ACL and meniscus suffered early last season, a recovery further complicated by a recent secondary clean-up procedure to address scar tissue and stiffness.

While management remains optimistic about having both targets available for the season opener, ensuring their complete rehabilitation remains the fundamental priority for the efficiency of the passing game.

The Giants made room for Odell Beckham Jr. while confirming the worst-case scenario for Gunner Olszewski. Because Olszewski is out for the year, a roster spot was freed up for Beckham Jr. Moreover, Braxton Berrios and Jarrod Gray were signed as long snapper Zach Triner. In Gray’s case, there was no need to free up a roster spot, as he signed as an exempt international player.

However, Smith-Schuster has yet to be officially added to the Giants’ updated wide receiver depth chart, and reports indicate that will happen as soon as New York assigns Robertson-Harris to injured reserve (IR).

“Still no IR for Roy Robertson-Harris, but that would be the logical move to make room for JuJu Smith-Schuster,” Dan Duggan of The Athletic reported on his X account.

What happened to Robertson-Harris?

The 32-year-old defensive tackle suffered an Achilles tear during the opening week of organized team activities (OTAs). More than 10 days have passed since the season-ending injury—which typically requires 9 to 12 months of recovery—but the Giants have yet to place Robertson-Harris on injured reserve.

The reason why remains a mystery. Cap space is a non-factor, and it feels like New York could have made this decision several times already. For one reason or another, the G-Men have yet to pull the trigger.

And the fact that Smith-Schuster’s arrival is reportedly hinging on that decision only adds to the confusion. It feels imminent, however. Barring a Christmas miracle or an unprecedented medical recovery, Robertson-Harris will miss the entire 2026 NFL season and eventually be placed on injured reserve.

• WR1: Malik Nabers
• WR2: Darnell Mooney
• SWR: Calvin Austin III
• Role WRs: Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, Braxton Berrios, Malachi Fields, Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, Beuax Collins, Jalin Hyatt, Ryan Miller, Dalen Cambre, Xavier Gipson

OBJ and Berrios are a very different type of receiver. OBJ can lineup everywhere and has easily the best hands out of the two. Berrios is more of a slot player, and can help out on special teams as a very prolific receiver. Smith-Schuster is another veteran who will provide depth and experience, at least in training camp.

Berrios fills much-needed gap in NY

For starters, Berrios is much more similar in style to Gunner Olszewski, who tore his Achilles and will lose the entire 2026 season. Olszewski also played as a punt returner, which Berrios can do. Berrios is a skill-for-skill replacement for Olszewski, while OBJ and Smith-Schuster will bring veteran presence in the WR room.

Also, Berrios is an active player, and Odell Beckham Jr. hasn’t played a snap of NFL football in almost two years. Berrios knows MetLife Stadium and New York very well, as he spent lots of seasons with the New York Jets. But so does OBJ, who is back in New York after spending years elsewhere.

Smith-Schuster arrives in NY with many years of NFL experience under his belt, as his journey included a Super Bowl win with the Chiefs in 2022-23. Needless to say, the Giants now have enough options in their WR room.

“Your aggressive, non-football act was entirely unwarranted, posed a serious risk of injury, and clearly violated the standards of conduct and sportsmanship expected of NFL players,” Runyan said in his message to Branch.

Runyan, who knows all about the physical nature of the game from his own playing days, made it clear that Branch’s actions went too far. “Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game,” he added.

While Branch’s punishment was relatively light, a one-game suspension, it sent a clear message that the NFL acted swiftly once the fight broke out. Branch was clearly viewed as the one who initiated the altercation.

Branch took a hit to the back before the fight

It’s worth noting that earlier in the game, Branch had taken a hit to the back from JuJu Smith-Schuster. He reportedly complained in the locker room afterward that the referee didn’t call anything, which appeared to fuel his frustration—especially after the Lions’ loss to the Chiefs.

As of now, Smith-Schuster is not expected to face any punishment or fine. The NFL hasn’t commented on the matter, though many around the league believe the incident wouldn’t have escalated if Smith-Schuster hadn’t gone after Branch following the helmet hit from the Lions defender.

After the game, Campbell didn’t hold back, delivering a firm message about the altercation: “I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable and it’s not gonna be accepted here,” he said, starting his press conference following what was only the team’s second loss of the season.

Campbell emphasized that such behavior doesn’t represent what the Lions stand for under his leadership. He apologized to Andy Reid and Smith-Schuster, doubling down on his stance during his postgame remarks: “That’s not okay. That’s not what we do here. It’s not gonna be okay.”

It is one of the few times Dan Campbell has spoken with a subdued tone following a Lions loss, and this time, it was not solely about the defeat. At least Branch himself spoke after the game, confessing that his actions toward Smith-Schuster were “quite immature.”

Could Campbell take direct action against Branch?

It is definitely something that could happen. When a player performs poorly on the field, the head coach or any other coach can bench them for a period. This has happened to other players who have had poor performances with fumbles or issues off the field and were sidelined temporarily.

However, the decision regarding fines and potential game checks for Branch’s actions will not be made by Campbell. The coach knows he risks losing a defensive asset who provided 109 tackles and 4 interceptions last season and already had 26 tackles this year, making his absence a significant blow to the defense.

Even if Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have a unique way of always getting to big games, there’s no denying that, at times, the Kansas City Chiefs have felt short of weapons. Now, that might be changing as their star quarterback is excited of things to come for the upcoming NFL season.

Last year, the seven biblical plagues fell upon the Chiefs‘ offensive roster. Rashee Rice was out most of the season with a knee injury, Hollywood Brown missed pretty much all season injured as well. Their running back Isiah Pacheco suffered a broken leg as well… You get the drill.

Now, not only are those Chiefs players coming back, but also some of the replacements they used last year will still be there. Out of nowhere, the Chiefs went from slim to stacked. Mahomes is loving it.

“Obviously, you’ve got Rashee being back. He looks great. You have Xavier Worthy, who came on so strong at the end of last year. You have Hollywood Brown healthy again. Guys everywhere. You add in Travis Kelce, a Hall of Famer. Noah Gray, a great tight end, and everybody that we’ve added to all those different rooms. We have so many weapons. Let’s go out there and just maximize it all,” Mahomes told Kay Adams on her Up & Adams show. The Chiefs will be a problem.

As if the Chiefs needed more motivation

The Kansas City Chiefs don’t take losing well. Every time they’ve lost a postseason game with Mahomes as quarterback, they’ve come back next year and win it all. But now, you add all these weapons to the roster, to a vengeance-seeking Mahomes? This is gonna get rough for the NFL.

Last year, with all the injuries, the Chiefs were still a top 10 offense. That right there is scary. Remember, their head coach is Andy Reid, one of the most creative play-callers in the NFL.

Kansas City Chiefs offensive depth chart

These are the offensive weapons Patrick Mahomes will get for the 2025 NFL season:

• Running Backs: Isiah Pacheco / Kareem Hunt / Elijah Mitchell
• Wide Receivers: Xavier Worthy / Hollywood Brown / Rashee Rice / Skyy Moore / JuJu Smith-Schuster
• Tight Ends: Travis Kelce, Noah Gray

Andy Reid‘s team is just one step away from making history in the NFL, but it won’t be easy. Standing in their way are the tough Eagles, who will do everything they can to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The showdown will take place next Sunday, February 9th, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Smith-Schuster is still riding the high from the victory over the Buffalo Bills, though they’re slowly starting to shift focus to the final game. In statements to the press, the wide receiver expressed his joy about reaching this point once again and warned his opponents about what’s to come.

“It’s another great feeling, man. It’s a blessing to be out here. God is so good. It’s a blessing to be apart of this team, this organization, it’s something special. We never give up. We play all four quarters. We play our hearts out and that’s what it takes. We like to play in big moments and we don’t shy away from them,“ Smith-Schuster said to FOX4KC anchor Harold Kuntz in a post-game interview.

Patrick Mahomes and his teammates once again showed at Arrowhead why they are serious title contenders, narrowly defeating Josh Allen’s team. Now, it’s time to physically recover their players and fully focus on what lies ahead in the upcoming Super Bowl.

It won’t be easy to achieve that goal, as Jalen Hurts’ Eagles have proven to be a tough team throughout the regular season and in the playoffs. Led by Nick Sirianni, they dominated the Commanders in the conference final and are also focused on capturing the title.

Smith-Schuster’s trophy cabinet

After his college football career with USC, JuJu Smith-Schuster was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, marking his first experience in the NFL. In the 2022-23 season, the wide receiver was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he achieved his greatest professional accomplishment, winning a Super Bowl.

The interesting tidbit about this achievement is that the Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles. At that time, Andy Reid’s team triumphed 38-35 over Nick Sirianni’s squad in a thrilling game held in Glendale, Arizona.

The key to victory according to Xavier Worthy

Xavier Worthy was one of Patrick Mahomes’ most relied-upon weapons in the victory over the Bills. The former Longhorns player used his physical abilities to full effect, taking advantage of the weak coverage against him throughout the game.

When asked by the press about the key to securing Chiefs‘ win, Worthy was clear: “They skipped on me,” Worthy told KCTV5’s Marleah Campbell. “That’s their loss.”

The 27-year-old spent the 2022 season in Kansas City, where he helped the team win Super Bowl LVII, before leaving for the New England Patriots as a free agent in 2023. Back on Andy Reid’s team, a string of injuries saw him get more opportunities.

With both Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Rashee Rice on the sidelines, Smith-Schuster is seen as one of the Chiefs’ most reliable healthy pass catchers alongside rookie wideout Xavier Worthy. However, Smith-Schuster believes Kelce still deserves plenty of respect.

“You have a guy like him (Travis Kelce) who’s so impactful on the field. It’s, I mean, in my opinion, I think it’s amazing. I think it’s great,” Smith-Schuster said of Kelce, via Chiefs Wire. “He’s getting to the double team. He’s getting the ones, their best player, to cover him. And that kind of just opens as a receiver group and other guys who get open an opportunity like that. So with him, he’s (a) very smart player. So he knows how to play in space, knowing when it’s man (coverage), when it’s zone, something that’s pretty cool.”

Kelce, 35, is without any doubt the most prominent name in Mahomes’ offense, but his slow start to the 2024 NFL season saw many question his importance in the unit. Smith-Schuster may get to enjoy a bigger role now that other wideouts are injured, but he considers it’d be a mistake to overlook the tight end who helped Mahomes win three Super Bowls in Kansas City.

Andy Reid sees similarities between Smith-Schuster, Kelce

While the offensive injuries suffered by the Chiefs at the start of the 2024 NFL season has fans concerned, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid made it clear to GM Brett Veach and Mahomes that he believes in the team’s current pass catchers.

In fact, Reid has drawn parallels between Smith-Schuster and Kelce: “The guy opposite Kelce ends up being very important, they know how to play the game and can kind of do similar things that Kelce can do. If you can get that, you’ve got something going offensively that way.”

According to the Chiefs head coach, Smith-Schuster’s rise is not only great news because of the WR injuries, but also because it provides Mahomes with a weapon similar to Kelce when the tight end is covered.

“So he (Smith-Schuster) did that before, (Byron) Pringle did that beforehand. We’ve had guys in those spots that could do that,” Reid said. “So that’s a positive thing. Anyways, JuJu is good with it, and there are similar things. They’re doing similar things.”

Not only has the head coach shown full support every time he’s been asked about the tight end, but Reid also believes the Chiefs already have a weapon that can make a similar impact on the field.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Reid claimed that player is none other than wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster: “The guy opposite Kelce ends up being very important, they know how to play the game and can kind of do similar things that Kelce can do. If you can get that, you’ve got something going offensively that way.”

The veteran wideout returned to Kansas City this season after leaving for the New England Patriots in 2023. Last time out, Smith-Schuster went off with seven catches for 130 yards in the Chiefs’ Week 5 over the Saints. Kelce trailed him with nine receptions for 70 yards, but overall, Reid considers both are capable of making similar plays for Mahomes.

“So he (Smith-Schuster) did that before, (Byron) Pringle did that beforehand. We’ve had guys in those spots that could do that,” Reid said, via Chiefs Wire. “So that’s a positive thing. Anyways, JuJu is good with it, and there are similar things. They’re doing similar things.”

A challenging start to 2024 NFL season for Kelce on Chiefs

Kelce’s slow start with the Chiefs gave plenty to talk about in the opening weeks of the 2024 NFL season. The coach has constantly made it clear he didn’t care about the stats, as he feels the tight end plays a key role in the offense even when the numbers don’t suggest that.

The 35-year-old didn’t look worried in all these weeks either, even if his competitive nature sometimes makes him feel bad. But Kelce also admitted his chemistry with Mahomes may not be the same as in previous years.

Defenses paying too much attention to Kelce prevents the quarterback from finding the tight end as much as they would like to, but it also allows Mahomes to find other pass catchers open. This has been the case in 2024.

Kelce finding more chemistry with Mahomes as Chiefs suffer key losses

Regardless, the Mahomes-Kelce connection has increased in the last two weeks after Rashee Rice’s injury. Now that Reid seemed to confirmed the Chiefs will lose the star wideout for the rest of the season, the tight end is expected to catch even more passes from the quarterback.

Kelce already had a big game in Week 4 and got even more involved in Week 5, where Smith-Schuster also raised his hand. On Sunday, the 49ers will present a huge test to the Chiefs’ offense. Will Kelce and Smith-Schuster once again step up for Reid and Mahomes?

The 27-year-old, who rejoined the team in August after a year with the New England Patriots, led the Chiefs with 130 receiving yards on seven catches. It was a statement performance by the wideout after Rashee Rice’s injury.

Speaking to the media after the game, Smith-Schuster let Reid know he’s always ready for these kinds of opportunities, while claiming that he’s extremely happy to be part of the Chiefs again.

“I think when the opportunity presents itself, I want to step up,” Smith-Schuster said, via Sports Illustrated. “I love the adversity. I love being down. I love the doubts. I’ve always bet on myself. I came here on a one-year deal, bet on myself and it worked out for me. Coming back here was kind of like a no-brainer. I love the pressure my teammates put on me, [it] helps make me a better person.”

After five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Smith-Schuster joined the Chiefs as a free agent in 2022. He went on to win Super Bowl LVII with Reid and Mahomes, but decided to pursue a bigger contract in 2023 free agency.

Smith-Schuster open to any role on the Chiefs

The Patriots met Smith-Schuster’s salary expectations by then, handing the wideout a three-year, $33 million deal. However, nothing went according to plan on the field, which is why he left the team this offseason.

Now that he’s back in Kansas City, the USC product revealed how he processed his failed stint in Foxborough. And just in case there was any doubt, Smith-Schuster made it clear to Reid that he was willing to accept any role on the team.

“After I got released, I kind of just waited patiently,” Smith-Schuster said. “When Andy Reid called, he told me, ‘We can put you [in] a little package deal.’ Even just that, coming back to a place like here, I was OK with that. I was OK being the leader in the room, I was OK with just being the guy to try to help our young guys to get right.“

Smith-Schuster credits Reid for great game with Chiefs

With Rice and Hollywood Brown injured, the Chiefs have lost key pieces at wide receiver. Additionally, Mahomes is missing his starting running back in Isiah Pacheco, but Kareem Hunt has already filled in that role.

Smith-Schuster’s latest performance suggests he could be a dependable target on the passing game, but he believes Reid deserves credit for his most recent appearance: “To be honest, he just knows how to put guys in position. He knows how to, basically, use their strength on the field, and he exposes that. I think that’s something that, being here, I was able to do that. Like I said, I’m just super blessed. It’s an honor to be here.”

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