ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has ranked each NFL team’s skill position players — wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs — ahead of the 2026 season.
The New York Giants will enter the campaign with a promising mix of young and veteran talent on the offensive side of the ball. The team signed veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year deal in free agency, while superstar playmaker Malik Nabers is expected to begin the year fully healthy after tearing his ACL in 2025.
Barnwell ranks the Giants’ skill position players at No. 31, one spot ahead of the Miami Dolphins.
The Giants would rank higher if not for the serious injuries suffered by their young talent in 2025. It’s unclear whether Malik Nabers will be healthy enough to return from his knee injury to begin the season, a concerning piece of news for a player who is nearly a full year removed from the injury. Even when Nabers does return, it’s fair to wonder whether he’ll be anything close to 100%. And while Cam Skattebo’s return from a gruesome ankle injury appears to be closer to completion, the RB was already below average by metrics such as yards per carry, success rate and explosive play rate as a rookie before the injury.
If Nabers isn’t ready to be the guy, the Giants are going to struggle to find receivers for Jaxson Dart. Wan’Dale Robinson filled that role as the primary wideout a year ago, but he has been replaced by Darnell Mooney, who is both a downgrade and too stylistically similar to Darius Slayton. Veteran Odell Beckham Jr. is a Giants legend, but his last significant full season as a pro was all the way back in 2019.
Third-round pick Malachi Fields will have to make an immediate impact to give the Giants a play-style alternative. Tight end Isaiah Likely flashed during his time with the Ravens, but after an 111-yard game on national television in the 2024 opener against the Chiefs, he has topped 75 receiving yards just once over the ensuing two years. Let’s check back in a year when everyone is (hopefully) healthier.
Both Nabers and Skattebo suffered brutal season-ending injuries in 2025. Nabers’ torn ACL sidelined him for the final 13 games of the regular season, while Skattebo’s right ankle injury caused him to miss the last nine games of the 2025 campaign.
Barnwell’s ranking of New York’s offensive weapons may come as a surprise to many. The Giants will undoubtedly enter the 2026 season with one of their most talented offensive units in the last decade, but uncertainty surrounding a handful of lingering injuries could quickly become a serious problem nonetheless.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants’ skill position players ranked among NFL’s worst
Reporting by Jake Boico, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jake Boico, Giants Wire | USA TODAY Network
