John Harbaugh and Jaxson Dart aim to pull the New York Giants out of the NFC East basement

With John Harbaugh taking over as head coach and Jaxson Dart entering his first full year as the starter, the New York Giants aim to reset after multiple years of struggle.

But with championship-winning head coach Harbaugh stepping in to take the helm and second-year quarterback Dart taking over as the full-time leader under center, New York is aiming to prove that its structural reset is complete and that they can climb out of the NFC East basement.

The Giants suffered through a miserable 2025 campaign, finishing 4–13 and missing the postseason for the third consecutive year. New York showed flashes of an explosive future after rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart took over in Week 4, bringing dynamic dual-threat playmaking and pulling off upset wins over the Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys.

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However, catastrophic defensive breakdowns and an inability to protect leads defined the season, as New York lost seven single-possession games and blew five double-digit leads. The mid-season firing of Brian Daboll signaled the end of the previous regime and set up a massive front-office overhaul entering the winter.

To fix the organizational culture, the biggest splash was the hiring cycle, luring longtime Ravens head coach John Harbaugh to East Rutherford, and then bringing in Matt Nagy as offensive coordinator to design a system around Dart.

In free agency and trade markets, the front office aggressively supplemented the roster with proven talent. They signed physical Baltimore tight end Isaiah Likely, while bolstering the defense with cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland. On the subtraction side, New York parted ways with several depth pieces across the front seven and secondary while re-shaping the wide receiver room to prioritize fast, versatile weapons.

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There is reason for cautious, high-ceiling optimism when evaluating New York’s roster makeup. The offense relies heavily on Dart’s dual-threat versatility, backed by star wideout Malik Nabers on the perimeter (who is returning from injury) and the tight-end tandem of Isaiah Likely and Theo Johnson.

With an upgraded offensive line anchored by Andrew Thomas, the run game with Cam Skattebo (also returning from injury) and Tyrone Tracy Jr. should provide crucial balance. It will be up to the offensive line to find a way to make it work, though. They are ranked by PFF at 23rd in the league.

Defensively, the front seven boasts legitimate star power with edge rusher Brian Burns coming off an All-Pro-caliber campaign alongside Kayvon Thibodeaux and rookie pass-rush talent. With Adebo and Holland reinforcing a secondary that bled big plays last fall, the unit has the talent to transition from a liability into a formidable group. They will still need to win in the trenches, and their team is ranked 21st on the defensive line.

I think under Harbaugh, you will see the Giants have an instant improvement. I’m not expecting them to win the division (I have the Cowboys). I do think they should get to seven wins, and potentially eight. Skattebo and Dart combined to provide some excitement, and if Nabers comes back healthy, this should be a fun team to watch. I still have a lot of questions about their defense, but the reality is that Harbaugh should show his impact in that aspect more than any other area. I’m probably not going to get heavily involved in the win total, but I do like the over.

Dart has a prop that I think he should hit. In 14 games, he threw 15 touchdowns with very few good options in most games. Now that he has more options, I think he hits over 19.5 touchdowns. Sure, Harbaugh seems to run the ball more often, but Nagy has been good for quarterbacks over the years. Give me over 19.5 touchdowns from Dart this season. I’d actually take this over 22.5 if there are alternate totals you can find.

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