Among those players vying for a role is Dante “Turbo” Miller.

The running back was named the Offensive Player of the Game for the preseason opener in Buffalo, where he led all players in carries (10), receptions (seven) and receiving yards (80). While praising him, coach Brian Daboll made it clear that special teams would be important for him.

“It’s competitive, the roster spots that are out there,” Daboll said. “He’s not just competing against running backs; i’s competing against other positions that are fighting for roster spots special teams-wise. Special teams will be important. You have a starting running back , we have a starting running back and we have a couple other running backs that we think are going to help us and then Turbo is firmly in that mix based on his performance, but special teams will be very important for him and the roles that he can help us with in those areas relative to making the roster and going through a game.”

On Saturday night against the Jets, the 5-foot-9 Miller served as a gunner among his many duties and downed a punt at the five-yard line. He also assisted on a tackle on the kickoff team, returned one of his own, and touched the ball nine more times on offense.

“Turbo lives up to his nickname, real speed,” Ghobrial said. “The one thing that you see in practice as well is he has really good practice demeanor, so you see the very intentional and deliberate practice habits show up in the game. You see his ability to run by a vice and he’s a very willing and physical tackler when those opportunities present itself, so excited to see Turbo whenever he gets those opportunities.”

Miller’s road hasn’t been a direct one.

He played three seasons at Columbia, but the Ivy League did not play in 2020. He transferred to South Carolina in 2022 and hoped to play there again in 2023. But he was ruled ineligible by the NCAA after the deadline to declare for the 2023 draft. He then became a free agent that was not included in the 2024 draft class.

The Giants signed him last offseason but released him prior to the initial 53-man roster announcement. He spent most of the year on the practice squad but was elevated for two games.

Now he is looking for more, just like Elijah Chatman did a year ago.

The defensive lineman made the 2024 roster as an undrafted rookie out of SMU and looks to keep a spot on the 2025 edition by providing as much value as he can. The 6-foot, 278-pound son of a lumberjack, Chatman is regarded as one of the strongest players on the team.

It only made sense to try him at fullback while also starting him on the defensive line against the Jets.

“He did it in college,” said assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who has been calling the plays from the sideline this preseason. “We went back into the archives and watched some of the stuff he did in college and I think for Chat, just his ability to be another dynamic player like he is on defense. We brought it up to the staff and Dabs and had an idea about maybe introducing him as a fullback and seeing what that looked like. No better time than the preseason to test it out before the bright lights, so we wanted to see what it looked like and I thought he did a really nice job jumping in there.”

Chatman also put his equipment to the test.

“I think every time he’s been in at fullback for us, whether it’s practice or in a game, he’s broken his face mask,” Daboll said. “He’s a tough guy. We’ll keep working with him, keep trying to improve him and give him some different roles to create as much value for the team as he can.”

While he probably won’t be breaking any face masks, Beaux Collins is also in the camp of doing whatever it takes. The undrafted rookie may have caught the 80-yard moonball from Russell Wilson, but he is also earning his stripes on special teams.

“Beaux is, first of all, the person is built the right way,” Ghobrial said. “He wants to do everything right and you can tell he’s a football player. I think [he’s] instinctual. I think he’s tough. I think he’s a strong player and obviously has that long speed. Those are all things that can contribute to him being a good special teams player. We certainly want to continue to see him in those roles, but in terms of the person, he’s just bought in completely to being the best football player he can be and doing whatever it takes to help this football team.”