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The New York Giants have been beefing up their roster in recent years through the draft and in free agency. There are only 12 players on the current roster who were Giants as late as 2023.
The transformation of the Giants' roster has happened quickly, but the success has yet to follow. The Giants went 7-27 the past two seasons but now have a new coach in John Harbaugh and a new business model, which they hope will bring them sustained success going forward.
In a recent ranking of the best backups for each team in the NFL, ESPN's Bill Barnwell listed two players for the Giants who were both very high draft picks when they came out and are still providing value to the team in 2026: Quarterback Jameis Winston and linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Jameis Winston
The Giants don't have the best roster in the league, but they give us two well-known veterans. Winston will be our third quarterback, and while he's a known quantity at this point of his career, the 2015 No. 1 pick offers the same sort of high-risk, high-reward quarterback play we're already getting from Flacco. With a less talented roster, we need a quarterback who can get white-hot for stretches of time.
Winston, a former Heisman Trophy recipient, is one of the NFL's most interesting players. He can still light it up on the field, but his value to the Giants is as a backup and a mentor to Jaxson Dart.
Kayvon Thibodeaux
Thibodeaux is likely to be the odd man out in a stacked group of edge rushers in New York. Brian Burns and Abdul Carter are the two primary starters, while first-round rookie Arvell Reese will also see snaps off the edge as a pass rusher. Thibodeaux is a candidate to be dealt at the trade deadline, but with an 11.5-sack season in his past, we're going to take a shot on the 2022 No. 5 pick as a starting edge on Team Backup.
Thibodeaux has had an up-and-down time with Big Blue, much of which is not his fault. Nagging injuries have shortened his seasons, and various coordinators have had shifting plans for him. He should be used in spots this year where he can succeed, so he could end up being productive and dangerous.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: 2 New York Giants named to the 2026 NFL All-Backup Team
