The New York Giants’ second preseason game is in the books, and a convincing win over a young Miami Dolphins team produced several positive takeaways for a roster still taking shape under coach John Harbaugh.

The Dolphins are in the early stages of a rebuild, and the talent gap between these two rosters was evident from the jump. New York barely played any of its starters, yet even with backups commanding the majority of snaps, there were performances worth monitoring as the Giants push toward the regular season.

The most encouraging development came along the offensive line, a unit that has been a persistent problem for the Giants over the past few seasons. Watching New York’s reserves command the line of scrimmage on rushing plays felt like a breath of fresh air. 

The offensive line depth is real

The significance of this performance goes beyond one game. The Giants have lacked the necessary depth to survive pulling a backup off the bench and inserting him into the starting lineup. That reality may be changing. Bowe made several impressive blocks throughout the game and continues to show gradual progress. But the player who locked in his roster spot is JC Davis.

Davis was super steady, especially in pass protection. Every time I keyed in on him, he sat down in his pass set, kept his man in front of him, and nobody got around him. The question remains whether he can handle a more twitchy, starting-caliber pass rusher, but that’s not what you’re evaluating right now. For a player fighting to make the roster who could be the sixth offensive lineman and the first guy off the bench, looking that dominant against an opposing team’s backups is exactly the box you need checked.

Secondary competition is heating up

Tyler Nubin, Greg Newsome, and Deonte Banks all made notable plays. Newsome looked like exactly what you want from a slot corner. Your slot defender needs to be physical, a willing tackler, and someone who gets his nose dirty near the line of scrimmage. Newsome tackled Tutu Atwell for no gain and added a strong pass breakup. He could be a sneaky good free agency pickup as a former first-round pick who has looked great in game action.

Nubin had a strong pass breakup on Miami’s first drive, flying across the field to get his hand on the ball. He seems to be playing freer and with more confidence, which is massive if he’s going to step into a key role in the Giants’ defense and shed the inconsistency that plagued him in the past.

Banks looked more physical in coverage. He had a breakup on wide receiver Kevin Coleman in the second quarter that caught my attention. Banks just looks more filled out, and that added bulk appears to be helping him with contested catches in tight coverage, provided he avoids the pass interference penalties that plagued him in the first preseason game.

Calvin Austin and Jameis Winston deserve recognition

Calvin Austin received more touches than usual and made the most of them with two receptions for 24 yards and a 21-yard end-around. He could carve out a role as a gadget player in this offense. His speed and ability to make defenders miss after the catch give him a contributing role, and finding ways to get him the football should be a priority.

Jameis Winston also deserves credit for his reliability. He finished 15-of-21 for 150 yards and added a rushing touchdown that came out of nowhere. Winston is one of the better backup quarterbacks in the NFL, and there’s a reason teams have called the Giants trying to acquire him. He’ll be perfect as a mentor for Jaxson Dart, and if Dart goes down with an injury the way he did last year, Winston can be relied upon.

The Tyrone Tracy situation is getting complicated

The running back situation needs a real conversation. Tracy had a couple of nice runs, and then he fumbled the ball. Coming off a game where he made a brutal mistake in pass protection, this is a really bad look. The Giants just brought in Najee Harris, and while it’s been established that the signing wasn’t connected to Tracy’s missed blitz pickup, the optics keep building against him.

Before the fumble, Tracy was stringing together a nice game. He finished with six carries for 26 yards with three catches for 22 yards.

Tracy keeps making critical errors that cost the team in preseason games. Those mistakes will show up in the regular season. He does not seem as locked in and as focused as he needs to be with the little things, and those little errors are going to catch up to him. Harbaugh is paying attention to all of it, knowing the type of coach he is.

Meanwhile, Singletary scored a rushing touchdown and showed good vision and patience on a nice breakaway run. Singletary would finish with eight carries for 40 yards and a score. Harris wore a ball cap during the second preseason game, and I find it really hard to believe they added him just to cut him. The whole operation feels strange, and while I find it unlikely the Giants will outright release Tracy given his two productive early seasons, I reject the idea that his roster spot is a foregone conclusion. He has not had as good a preseason as Singletary, and this situation is only getting more complicated.