Is the New York Giants‘ kicker competition for real this summer, or is it rookie Dominic Zvada’s to lose?
That is the question on the minds of Giants fans this week after the team parted ways with veteran Jason Sanders and their other experienced kicker, Ben Sauls, turned in a clunker of a performance on Wednesday at OTAs.
On the first day after veteran kicker Jason Sanders got cut, Ben Sauls just went 4-for-10 on field goals ranging from 33-47 yards. Some really ugly misses in fine conditions.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) June 3, 2026
Meanwhile, Zvada, an undrafted free agent out of Michigan, made all of 13 attempts at Tuesday’s workout, with a long of 47 yards. His strong leg is legendary at the college level, and the Giants are rolling the dice that he can return to his 2024 form when he was a first-team All-American, kicking four field goals of over 50 yards.
Zvada is a player who is on several experts’ preseason radar as a rookie to watch. As for Sanders, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that the team could possibly circle back to Sanders, but he was claimed by the Jets on Wednesday afternoon.
“We’ll see what happens. I think he’ll probably get picked up pretty quickly,” said Harbaugh before the news of the Jets inking Sanders, but then let the real reason why Sanders was let go to begin with. “This is one of those environments; it’s windy out here, it always has been. It’s a tough environment to kick in. His style might not be a perfect fit for here, really right now.”
“It gives us an opportunity to give these other guys a few more reps. I think Jason, he’s still on our radar, but we’ll see what happens.”
Not anymore. If Zvada can master the North Jersey cold and wind, the job’s his.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants’ Ben Sauls struggles following Jason Sanders release
