New York Giants 2026 NFL Season Preview

Offense

Harbaugh isn’t the only reason for optimism. Dart is a big part of it, too. He proved that he had the ability to be a dual-threat star with his performance on a bad team last year. He was particularly dangerous on the move, whether running or passing. But he wasn’t reckless. He threw only five interceptions in his 12 starts.

With better coaching and better weapons, the team expects him to take a big leap, especially if Malik Nabers, his No. 1 receiver, returns healthy from his torn ACL. The 6-foot, 200-pounder has shown that he’s an explosive receiver who can run every route. But he barely had time to play with Dart last season before he got hurt.

Once their chemistry develops, they could be hard to stop. And it will help that after losing 5-foot-8 receiver Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency, the team went big to replace him. Harbaugh brought 6-foot-4, 241-pound tight end Isaiah Likely with him, and the Giants drafted 6-foot-4, 222-pound receiver Malachi Fields, giving size to the offense that the team hasn’t had in years.

What Harbaugh really wants, though, is to build the kind of power-running offense he had in Baltimore. The Giants had the fifth-best rushing attack in the league last season behind a strong, improving offensive line. Tyrone Tracy Jr. is an underrated runner with some flash. But the real power should come from Cam Skattebo, if he can recover from the gruesome leg injury he suffered last year. If he can, that gives the Giants a three-pronged rushing attack that will get a literal push from another ex-Raven, 300-pound fullback Patrick Ricard. That will be the Giants’ bread and butter. And if it works, Dart should have plenty of room to throw.

Defense

If anything threatens to temper the Giants’ feel-good vibes, it’ll be their defense, which was mostly atrocious last season and even worse against the run. That run defense could be a particular problem now that they’ve traded one of the best defensive tackles in football, Dexter Lawrence II.

But they think their defense can be outstanding in other areas — particularly the pass rush, where they have four legitimate edge rushers for teams to contend with. Brian Burns had 16.5 sacks last season; Kayvon Thibodeaux had 11.5 in 2023. And they’ll be joined by Abdul Carter, the third overall pick in last year’s draft, and rookie Arvell Reese, who some scouts think was the best edge rusher in this year’s draft.

If new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson can find creative ways to get three or even all four of them on the field at once, the Giants’ pass rush could be hard to handle.

They’re not particularly strong behind that, but they think they’ll get better run support with veteran Tremaine Edmunds in the middle. He and Reese, who’ll begin as an off-ball linebacker, could be a dynamic duo inside. But the secondary is a major question mark. Veteran corner Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland have to rebound from down seasons. But they’re really hoping rookie Colton Hood can emerge as a starting corner. If not, they’ll put their faith in Greg Newsome II, a 2021 first-round pick who’s trying to revive his career after four and a half mostly disappointing seasons in Cleveland.

There’s talent on all levels, but it’s the pass rush that needs to be great. If it is, the Giants could have a middle-of-the-pack defense, which they hope will be enough.

Specialists

As a former special teams coach, Harbaugh knows the importance of his specialists, which is why he made sure to bring All-Pro punter Jordan Stout with him from Baltimore. Stout has one of the strongest legs in the game and averaged a career-best 44.9 net yards last season. He’s also an expert at pinning teams inside the 20, dropping 43% of his punts there in his career.

The Giants finally parted ways with veteran placekicker Graham Gano after three frustrating, injury-plagued seasons and replaced him with the younger, more durable Jason Sanders. The 30-year-old didn’t miss a single game in his seven seasons in Miami, and he made 90.2% of his field goals last season. The only question with Sanders is how he can handle the wind and weather in his new home stadium, and the Northeast in general.

Meanwhile, the Giants are set at returner with the underrated Gunner Olszewski, a 6-foot, 190-pound wrecking ball who is fearless returning punts and dangerous when he has room on kickoff returns. He’s a formidable “gunner” on coverage, too, making him one of the most valuable special-teamers in the league.

Final Analysis

There’s nowhere to go but up, and it’s impossible to imagine a Harbaugh-coached team with a more experienced Dart at quarterback being worse than it was last season. The offense has more weapons, a stronger line and potentially an even more dominant running game. This team, which has been an offensive mess for most of the past decade, shouldn’t have trouble moving the ball.

But the defense remains a big issue. Yes, the Giants should be able to rush the passer, but can they do anything else? Stopping the run will still be difficult, especially with Lawrence gone. Their secondary is mostly the same as it was last year. Defense is not going to be what powers this team, at least not right away.

They do have enough, though, to be much more competitive, and they will be a much better-coached team. That alone could be the difference in two or three more wins. That might not be enough to make the Giants a playoff team, but it should bring them close to the race. They have a chance to hang around until the end, even if they end up falling short.