Leading up to the kickoff of the 2026 NFL season, TeamFB7 will dive into every team with analysis, critiques, breakout player picks and overall predictions. We’re working backward from our early preseason power rankings with a couple of updates/tweaks based on subsequent developments. The New York Giants now sit at No. 26.
The last time the New York Giants hired an older head coach with a proven track record of team-building and postseason success, well, it worked out pretty damn well.
Tom Coughlin was 58 years old when he took over the Giants in 2004. He had previously coached the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars for eight years, building the team up from scratch and reaching two AFC championship games. He took over in New York after a 4-12 finish, and by his second season the Giants started a run of four straight playoff appearances and would go on to win two Super Bowls and 102 games over his 12-year tenure.
Since the end of Coughlin’s run, well, the Giants followed with a string of four failed head coaches who in most cases seemed like surprising choices for the job (to put it diplomatically).
Ben McAdoo had been the team’s offensive coordinator for two seasons before being elevated to head coach when Coughlin was forced out. McAdoo lasted 28 games, following an 11-5 debut with a 2-10 encore that never got to the final act as he was canned late in the 2017 season.
Pat Shurmur had been the head coach of the Cleveland Browns for two forgettable seasons years earlier before rebuilding his stock as an offensive coordinator in Philadelphia and Minnesota. He went 9-23 in two seasons in New York before his firing.
After those two gambles failed, the Giants doubled down and decided to get even more brazen and hired then-38-year-old Joe Judge, who had to that point only worked in the NFL as the New England Patriots’ special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach. But, heck, he had coached under Bill Belichick, right? What more does a resume need (as several teams seemed to think back then) …
Judge, believe it or not, wasn’t ready to be a head coach and went 10-23 in two seasons, albeit while navigating significant injuries.
After firing Judge, the Giants finally made a legitimately applaudable head-coaching hire — even though it ultimately didn’t work out.
Brian Daboll had at least been an offensive coordinator for four NFL teams and college football power Alabama (with varying degrees of success). He’d also worked under Belichick in New England, to check that box for the Giants’ brass as well. It was a sensible hire.
Daboll even won NFL Coach of the Year in his first season, leading the Giants to a five-win improvement at 9-7-1 and their first playoff berth in six years.
From there … well, it got ugly in a hurry — 6-11, 3-14 and then 2-8 with staff in-fighting and tension before his mid-season dismissal last year.
All of that is the backdrop for understanding why hiring John Harbaugh as head coach in January is so significant.
First, Harbaugh was arguably the most coveted coach on the market this offseason after being let go by the Baltimore Ravens following a 180-113 record in 18 seasons with a Super Bowl championship, 12 playoff appearances and three other trips to the AFC championship game.
After swinging and missing and missing again on out-of-the-box head coach hires, an uninspiring retread in Shurmur and another whiff on a first-time head coach in Daboll, one of the NFL’s most historic franchises finally acted like it had some clout and appeal and hired a proven winner.
That alone made the Giants’ offseason a win.
As for the team Harbaugh has to work with in 2026 …
(All free agent contract values taken from Spotrac.com)
New York Giants Reset
2025 Finish: 4-13
Head Coach: John Harbaugh, first season (180-113 in 18 seasons as Ravens HC)
Hot Seat Meter (0-10): 0
Offensive Coordinator: Matt Nagy, first season (former Bears HC, two-stints as Chiefs OC)
Defensive Coordinator: Dennard Wilson, first season (former Titans DC)
Best Offseason Move: Drafting LB Arvell Reese and OG Francis Mauigoa in the first round
The Giants had a fairly tame free agency cycle. They overpaid for their biggest addition, reuniting former Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely with Harbaugh at the cost of $40 million over three years.
The other big-ticket addition was veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (three years, $36 million), coming off a solid season in Chicago with 112 tackles, 4 interceptions and 9 passes defended in just 13 games. That was a solid pickup, but not necessarily a franchise-altering move.
So the most impactful thing the Giants did this offseason other than hiring Harbaugh was to take two high-floor, high-ceiling draft picks in the first round. To land both a safe bet for immediate impact with top-tier long-term potential is the ideal outcome for any first-round pick — to do it twice in the same draft is a dream.
New York took Arvell Reese, the Ohio State linebacker, at No. 5 overall when he fell further than many draft analysts projected (with the Arizona Cardinals taking RB Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 and the Tennessee Titans truly reaching for WR Carnell Tate at No. 4).
Reese is slotted in as a Day 1 starter in the middle of the defense next to Edmunds.
The Giants also had the No. 10 pick after trading three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals. While it’s a notable loss to the defensive line, they turned that into Francis Mauigoa, the All-American left tackle from Miami considered one of the surest bets in the draft.
Mauigoa will slot in as New York’s starting right guard from Day 1. PFF ranks the Giants’ offensive line 23rd in the league entering the season, but that seems low.
Left tackle Andrew Thomas enters his seventh season as a starter for the team and received the fourth-highest PFF grade (90.3) of any tackle last season. Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor didn’t rate quite as highly (54th), but the Giants thought well enough of his performance to give him a three-year, $39-million extension. Left guard Jon Runyan Jr. and center John Michael Schmitz also graded in the bottom half of their respective positions — not that PFF grades are anything close to an exact science — but both are also multi-year starters for the team.
So four-fifths of the line has been together for at least two seasons while the fifth spot is now filled by a 6-foot-6, 335-pound force who anchored the line for the national title runner-up last season.
Worst Offseason Move: Running it back at running back
The Giants seem likely to lean heavily on the rushing attack, yet they have a collection of RB2s at best, led by 2025 fourth-round pick Cam Skattebo.
He averaged a modest 4.1 yards per carry as a rookie before dislocating his ankle and tearing ligaments. In the four games in which he received at least 15 carries, he had only one notable rushing performance (19 carries for 98 yards and 3 TDs vs. the Eagles) while averaging 3.2, 3.9 and 3.8 YPC in his other three full-workload opportunities.
Behind him, it’s 2024 fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy (740 yards and 2 TDs on 4.2 YPC last season), middling veteran Devin Singletary (437 yards and 5 TDs on a career-low 3.7 YPC) and newly signed veteran Najee Harris (career 3.9 YPC, coming off a torn Achilles tendon).
Four RB2s doesn’t make up for not having a No. 1.
Instead of spending more than $13 million a year on a tight end who has never topped 42 catches or 477 yards, the Giants could have found a more cost-effective solution there while making a run at one of the free agent running backs of note.
New York Giants Roster Breakdown
Biggest Strength: Edge rusher
At least, it should be. That, of course, depends on what the Giants get out of a couple of their former first-round picks.
Three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Brian Burns is the leader of the unit and coming off a career-high 16.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss with 3 forced fumbles and 7 pass deflections, earning him second-team All-Pro honors.
Then there is Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter …
Thibodeaux, the 5th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, peaked (for now) at 11.5 sacks in 2023 before dropping to 5.5 in 12 games in 2024 and just 2.5 sacks in 10 games last season. He’s in the final year of his rookie deal with everything to prove still.
Carter, meanwhile, was the 3rd overall pick last year but underwhelmed as a rookie with 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in 17 games.
But there remains hope for both players to reset in a new defense this year and deliver closer to expectations. The potential is certainly there for this to be one of the better pass rush units in the league.
Biggest Weakness: Cornerback
The Giants let a number of expensive free agents leave, including cornerback Cor’Dale Flott, who signed for three years and $45 million with the Tennessee Titans. To replace him, New York signed Greg Newsome II (one year, $8 million), who finished last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars after being traded from the Cleveland Browns.
PFF ranked Newsome and Paulson Adebo 85th and 74th, respectively, out of 114 qualifying cornerbacks last season, and they’re competing for their spots with 2023 first-round pick Deonte Banks (112th on that list) and 2025 second-round pick Colton Hood (No. 37 overall out of Tennessee).
The hope is that Hood can eventually overtake one of the starting spots as a rookie, but he missed about a week of practice and the team’s second preseason game with a quad injury.
Most Intriguing Rookie: LB Arvell Reese
It wouldn’t have been a surprise to see Reese drafted anywhere after the first pick in the draft, so for the Giants to land him at No. 5 was good fortune.
The Ohio State All-American was seen as a bit of a hybrid prospect with questions about whether he’d be used as an edge rusher or inside linebacker in the NFL. The Giants are sticking him at inside linebacker, but don’t be surprised to see them get creative with his skill set and tap into some of those raw pass-rushing abilities (6.5 sacks last season for the Buckeyes).
Breakout Player: QB Jaxson Dart
Is this a cop out? Maybe. The 2025 first-round pick started 12 games as a rookie, passing for 2,272 yards, 15 TDs and 5 INTs while rushing for 487 yards and 9 scores.
But we haven’t gotten to him yet in this preview, and his 2025 performance was still just scratching the surface of his full potential.
Over a full season — if he can stay healthy with his physical, fearless play style — with a better offensive line and a Nabers at wide receiver, Jaxson Dart should be poised to truly open some eyes this fall as one of the more dynamic true dual-threat QBs in the league.
MVP Pick: WR Malik Nabers
Malik Nabers had a complicated recovery from the torn ACL (and other damage to his knee) that ended his season in Week 4 last year, but he’s trending toward being ready for the season opener.
Nabers is the Giants’ only elite offensive playmaker, so his availability this season is essential for New York.
As a rookie in 2024, he had 109 catches for 1,204 yards and 7 touchdowns. When he was injured most of last season, the Giants simply had no way to recover and finished 21st in passing offense (204.4 YPG).
Wide receiver depth is among the team’s most glaring weaknesses with Darius Slayton and Darnell Mooney — ideally WR3s — the next-best options, Odell Beckham Jr. fighting for a roster spot after not playing last season and now seven years removed from his last 1,000-yard season, and third-round rookie Malachi Fields in the mix as well. (Veteran Calvin Austin III is now out for the season with a torn ACL but was redundant with Slayton and Mooney anyway).
The Giants’ offensive upside is significantly tied to Nabers having a big bounce-back season.
New York Giants 2026 Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Week 1, Sept. 13 | vs. Dallas Cowboys | 8:20 p.m. |
| Week 2, Sept. 21, (Monday) | at Los Angeles Rams | 8:15 p.m. |
| Week 3, Sept. 27 | vs. Tennessee Titans | 1 p.m. |
| Week 4, Oct. 4 | vs. Arizona Cardinals | 1 p.m. |
| Week 5, Oct. 11 | at Washington Commanders | 1 p.m. |
| Week 6, Oct. 18 | vs. New Orleans Saints | 1 p.m. |
| Week 7, Oct. 25 | at Houston Texans | 1 p.m. |
| Week 8 | BYE WEEK | |
| Week 9, Nov. 8 | at Philadelphia Eagles | 1 p.m. |
| Week 10, Nov. 12 (Thursday) | vs. Washington Commanders | 8:15 p.m. |
| Week 11, Nov. 22 | vs. Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 p.m. |
| Week 12, Nov. 29 | at Indianapolis Colts | 1 p.m. |
| Week 13, Dec. 6 | vs. San Francisco 49ers | 1 p.m. |
| Week 14, Dec. 13 | at Seattle Seahawks | 4:25 p.m. |
| Week 15, Dec. 20 | vs. Cleveland Browns | 1 p.m. |
| Week 16, Dec. 28 (Monday) | at Detroit Lions | 8:15 p.m. |
| Week 17, Jan. 3 | at Dallas Cowboys | 1 p.m. |
| Week 18, TBD (Flex Game) | vs. Philadelphia Eagles | TBD |
New York Giants Season Prediction And Parting Thoughts
Season Prediction: 6-11
There’s every reason to believe the Giants are heading in the right direction and will ascend under Harbaugh — in time.
There’s a lot of reason to think it might not be immediate.
Dart could change that by accelerating his development, but the lack of playmakers around him aside from Nabers coming off of major injury limits the confidence in the offense overall.
