2 Giant Goofballs: A NY Giants Podcast

Picking NFL Week 1 favorites is easy; trusting them before we know what the 2026 versions of these teams really are is the risk. Drew and Rob put the full Week 1 slate on the record, looking for where the favorite deserves the confidence and where the underdog has a real path to wreck the obvious pick.
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Which NFL Week 1 favorites are most vulnerable to an upset? Buffalo, Kansas City, Minnesota and Chicago all gave Drew and Rob reasons to question the favorite, while both hosts backed the Giants to beat Dallas outright at MetLife.
The episode starts with Cowboys-Giants, where the latest injury news is encouraging, Matt Nagy is heading to the booth to call plays and Drew and Rob both believe the John Harbaugh era can begin with a win over Dallas. They also hit Harbaugh's game-by-game captain approach, C.J. Okoye, Dominic Zvada and the latest Giants news before moving across the league.
Houston's defense creates one of the strongest upset cases of Week 1 against Josh Allen and Buffalo. Denver-Kansas City splits the hosts as Patrick Mahomes returns against a dangerous Broncos pass rush. Packers-Vikings brings another disagreement with Kyler Murray making his Minnesota debut, while Bears-Panthers becomes one of the games Drew and Rob think could decide their Week 1 picks battle.
They also work through Buccaneers-Bengals, Falcons-Steelers, Jets-Titans, Saints-Lions, Commanders-Eagles, Ravens-Colts, Browns-Jaguars, Dolphins-Raiders and Cardinals-Chargers. Straight-up winners, spreads, totals, injuries and matchup advantages all go on the record before kickoff.
Which favorite survives the hype, and which one walks directly into the first major upset of the 2026 NFL season?
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The Giants have a real chance to attack Dallas’ weaknesses, but that only matters if John Harbaugh has actually fixed the problems that buried New York last season: run defense, red-zone failures, late-game execution and discipline. Week 1 gives the Giants a favorable offensive matchup and a brutal defensive test at the same time.
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Has John Harbaugh actually changed the Giants enough to beat Dallas? 
The first answer should come from whether New York can stop the run, stay clean situationally and turn offensive opportunities into touchdowns.
Drew and Rob start by separating fact from fiction in last season’s 34-17 win over Dallas. The Giants were already leading 16-10 at halftime before the Cowboys pulled key starters, and there are pieces worth carrying forward: Jaxson Dart’s mobility, a committed running game, ball security and sustained drives that keep Dak Prescott on the sideline.
The first Giants injury report is unusually clean, with Malik Nabers, Andrew Thomas, Shelby Harris, Theo Johnson and Bryan Hudson all practicing fully. The first depth chart creates its own questions, including Deonte Banks ahead of Paulson Adebo and how Harbaugh plans to use the Giants’ defensive and offensive rotations.
Can Matt Nagy take advantage of Dallas immediately?
The Cowboys struggled defensively last season, particularly against the run, and their secondary gives the Giants opportunities. Nabers has already produced huge numbers against Dallas, and New York may finally have enough complementary weapons to punish a defense that focuses too heavily on him. Drew expects the Giants offense to have a good matchup — but the unanswered question is what Nagy’s real offense actually looks like after keeping so much hidden during the preseason.
Then the concern flips to the Giants defense.
New York allowed 145.3 rushing yards per game and an NFL-worst 5.3 yards per carry last season. Dallas averaged 125.6 rushing yards per game, while Javonte Williams ran for more than 1,200 yards. Before Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux can attack Dak Prescott, the Giants have to earn those pass-rush opportunities by winning first and second down.
And when Dallas does throw, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens create a major problem for a Giants cornerback room Drew still does not trust. Greg Newsome and Deonte Banks should benefit from more aggressive press coverage, but this is an immediate stress test for the entire secondary.
Finally, the conversation comes back to Harbaugh. Physicality, conditioning, accountability and discipline have been the message all offseason. Now the Giants have to show it in an actual game.
The episode also covers Dean Lowry, Jihad Ward, new reporting on Darius Slayton, the Giants’ $7.88 million in available cap space, Week 1 NFL picks and a Cam Skattebo quick hit.
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The Giants moved on from Darius Slayton and gained relatively little immediate cap relief while accepting nearly $13 million in 2026 dead money. The tradeoff is obvious: New York decided the roster spot and Slayton’s reduced role mattered more than keeping its longest-tenured player.
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Why did the Giants release Darius Slayton despite nearly $13 million in dead money? 
This looks much more like a football-role decision than a cap-saving move, with Malik Nabers, Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields and Odell Beckham Jr. reshaping the receiver hierarchy.
Drew spends the largest part of the episode on Slayton’s exit and what his seven seasons in New York should actually mean. Slayton finishes his Giants career with 296 receptions, 4,435 yards and 22 touchdowns after arriving as a fifth-round pick. His drops frustrated fans, but his production relative to his draft position and the way he carried himself through years of Giants dysfunction deserve to be part of the conversation too.
Was Slayton really no longer worth the roster spot, or did the Giants become too aggressive six days before Week 1?
The Giants also made two very different long-term commitments around Jaxson Dart. Jameis Winston and Jon Runyan Jr. are now under contract through 2028. Winston gives Dart a veteran backup and mentor the organization clearly values, while Runyan remains part of the offensive line protecting the Giants’ young quarterback.
Joe Schoen also appears to have found the additional veteran defensive lineman he hinted was coming. Jeremy Fowler reported Dean Lowry was expected to join the practice squad, although the Giants had not officially announced the move during the episode. Drew remains far more concerned about the larger issue: whether New York has actually done enough to fix its run defense.
Can this defensive front become the identity of the team if the interior still feels like the biggest weakness?
Dallas will also enter Week 1 without Tyler Smith after the Pro Bowl guard underwent thumb surgery. T.J. Bass is an experienced replacement, but it is still a downgrade the Giants’ defensive front should be looking to exploit.
The Giants continue searching for help at cornerback after working out Jaden Robinson, while Arvell Reese is already being mentioned near the top of the Defensive Rookie of the Year race before playing a regular-season snap. D.J. Reader also brings a simple message into Week 1: “Exit 98’s always closed.”
The episode closes with something completely different: the strange Braxton Berrios, Alix Earle and Margarida Corceiro relationship story making the rounds. There is no confirmation Berrios and Corceiro are dating, but the social-media reaction was bizarre enough to earn a few minutes before the show wrapped.
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Cam Skattebo is back and looks ready to lead the Giants backfield, but his admission that one major injury nearly made him walk away from football changes the risk New York is managing. His violent running style is a huge part of what makes him special, yet protecting him may now matter as much as unleashing him.
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The Big Question: Should the Giants protect Cam Skattebo more after his injury? New York can reduce some of the punishment with Najee Harris, Patrick Ricard and a deeper backfield without asking Skattebo to stop being the physical runner that made him a fan favorite.
The biggest debate of the episode starts with how little faith the rest of the NFL seems to have in the Giants. Mike Sando’s survey of six NFL executives placed New York 14th of 16 NFC teams, Dallas is favored at MetLife, and Jaxson Dart landed on a bottom-10 projected QB1 list. Drew pushes back on the ranking and especially the criticism of Dart’s decision-making after a rookie season with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions, while still acknowledging that the Giants have not earned the benefit of the doubt yet. Kayvon Thibodeaux saying the team “got a lot better” only sharpens the divide between confidence inside the building and skepticism outside it.
Then Skattebo’s story changes the tone. He told Kay Adams that he had promised himself he would be done after one major injury, and after last season’s dislocated ankle, fractured fibula and ruptured deltoid ligament, he genuinely questioned whether he wanted to keep playing. He ultimately came back, stayed around the team through rehab and now enters Week 1 healthy and in position for a major role. The question is whether the Giants should use Najee Harris and Patrick Ricard to absorb more of the punishment, or whether trying to protect Skattebo too much would strip away what makes him effective.
Drew also revisits Darius Alexander after Chris Pflum’s film review showed both the technical problems and the flashes that keep his developmental upside alive. Greg Newsome’s history with George Pickens adds another layer to Giants-Cowboys, Malik Harrison joins the practice squad in another John Harbaugh reunion, and Ben Barten is released. Evan Neal, Tre Hawkins and Azeez Ojulari all worked out for the Raiders, while quick hits cover Shelby Harris joining SiriusXM NFL Radio, the Giants’ Week 1 stadium plans and the team’s practice break before Monday.
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The Giants can keep improving the roster before Week 1, but every late addition raises a tougher question: why is Joe Schoen still searching after final cuts, especially on the defensive line? That same uncertainty runs through Malik Nabers' return, OBJ's comeback and a cornerback room already talking like one of the NFL's best.
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 Is Joe Schoen simply finishing the Giants roster, or is New York still trying to fix weaknesses that should have been settled before September? The answer is probably some of both, but defensive tackle remains the clearest position where the Giants are still actively looking for another answer.
Schoen said there are "a few players out there that we are targeting or looking at" and said the Giants will probably add another defensive lineman. Drew and Rob debate what that says about a group built around D.J. Reader, Shelby Harris, C.J. Okoye and Darius Alexander after New York allowed 145.3 rushing yards per game in 2025.
How much of the 53-man roster is really fixed? Schoen called the practice squad "truly an extension of the active roster," while John Harbaugh said Braxton Berrios will be treated like a 53-man player and is expected to return punts. The episode also gets into the Giants' two-quarterback strategy and the newest practice-squad additions.
Malik Nabers says he feels good, but he still has boxes to check before committing to Dallas. The debate becomes whether medical clearance is enough if Nabers does not yet completely trust his knee for four quarters of NFL football.
Greg Newsome II then makes the biggest boast of the night by calling the Giants the best cornerback room in football. Drew and Rob put that claim against the actual depth of Newsome, Paulson Adebo, Deonte Banks and Dru Phillips — and the Week 1 test waiting from CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
Odell Beckham Jr. beat the odds, made the roster and got No. 13 back, but Harbaugh's challenge is the one that matters now: what does OBJ do with the opportunity? The show closes with Jaxson Dart saying he feels in command of the offense, Week 1 health updates, Giants throwback uniform dates and the possibility of Aaron Donald facing New York in Week 2.
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