This is tough news for the New York Giants.
New York Giants WR Calvin Austin will miss the entire 2026 season, according to ESPN.
Austin tore his right ACL in practice on Tuesday (8/25).
The Giants signed Austin this offseason in free agency. Austin spent the first three years of his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has 84 receptions for 1,100 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns in 48 games.
With Austin sidelined, it appears Odell Beckham Jr. will make the team now. The former superstar was considered a cut candidate, but the Giants need OBJ now after Austin's injury.
Braxton Berrios served as the slot receiver with the first-team offense in Austin's absence on Tuesday. OBJ, Berrios and Darnell Mooney must step up and play well for QB Jaxson Dart this season.
Dart finished his rookie season with 2,272 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, five interceptions, 487 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He appears to have a bright future under John Harbaugh, who helped Lamar Jackson win two MVPs in Baltimore. The Giants also hired Matt Nagy as their new OC.
In Year 1 of the Harbaugh era, the Giants play the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions. That's a tough slate.
However, we just watched the New York Knicks win the NBA championship this year. Anything is possible in sports, so let's see if the Giants can shock the world this season and make the NFL playoffs.
"One of the many great things about Jaxson Dart is he does so many things so well," Harbaugh said about Dart. "There is a lot of different elements that Jaxson can play in. I'm not sure what he really can't do."
"I was able to watch a decent amount of Jaxson last year, when I was in Kansas City," Nagy said about Dart. "We tried to take as little time as possible watching the quarterback position, but every year I will watch just to see the top guys that are there, and I remember coming away impressed with Jaxson and his accuracy."
Dart was evaluated for a concussion four times in his first nine starts (and once in the preseason) last season. That's way too many. He needs to be more careful when he's running with the ball.
The Giants open the 2026 season against the rival Cowboys. It will be intriguing to see if Big Blue can win Harbaugh's first game.
