The New York Giants did not hire John Harbaugh because they intend to let this elite head coach have years to rebuild the Giants in his own image. They certainly want Harbaugh to have players that he is comfortable with and they are going to make sure he has maximum input on nearly every personnel move made in the offseason. However, there will not be a lot of patience involved. They want to see improvement right away.
The Giants finished in last place in the NFC East with a 4-13 record in 2025. The season included several head-slapping losses along the way.
There was quite a bit of hope around the team when the Giants registered a 34-17 over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. That gave them a somewhat hopeful 2-4 record at the time. However, the Giants followed with a nine-game losing streak.
No loss was worse than the infamous and brutal 33-32 defeat to the Denver Broncos. Denver scored all 33 of their points in the fourth quarter. The Giants had a 26-8 lead with slightly more than 10 minutes to play. It was one of the worst collapses in NFL history and the team never recovered.
As brutal as that loss was, the Giants will have a powerful 1-2 punch in the backfield with quarterback Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo.
Dart appears to have all the characteristics needed to become a winning quarterback in the league. He combines athleticism with tremendous courage and passing ability. His tendency to go for it on every play may need to be toned down to avoid injuries. Skattebo looks like a dynamic running back. He finishes off all of his runs and can catch the ball out of the backfield. Harbaugh may want to augment the RB position with another back who can share the load with Skattebo.
Giants missed out on a chance to bring in Tyler Linderbaum
If there's one player who won lottery in free agency, it's center Tyler Linderbaum of the Baltimore Ravens. The Giants appeared have an advantage over most teams because of the presence of Harbaugh on the sidelines, but that was not the determining factor.
He said no to the Ravens' offer of a multi-year deal that would pay him $20 million per season. The Giants would have had to come across with a better offer than that.
It turns out that Linderbaum quickly agreed to a new deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. According to NFL insider Adam Schefter of ESPN, Linderbaum has agreed to a massive 3-year, $81 million deal to play in Las Vegas.
That has to be a huge disappointment to Harbaugh. Linderbaum is 25 years old and has improved in each of his four seasons in the NFL. He is one of the best run blockers in the league and he is an acceptable pass blocker. He has a chance to be one of the top three centers in the NFL for years to come.
Losing a chance to sign Linderbaum is an issue, but the team has other needs on the offensive line. The team knows that the elite free agents force teams to overpay for them, but there are other players to consider.
The Giants quickly have to shift their attention to offensive lineman like Wyatt Teller of the Browns, guard Alijah Vera-Tucker of the Jets, guard Kevin Zeitler of the Titans and offensive tackle Braden Smith of the Colts.
Defense has to improve and LB Tremaine Edmunds is a good start
The Giants had a brutal season on defense as they allowed 359.5 yards per game. That figure that ranked 28th in the NFL. They also gave up 25.8 points per game, and that ranked 26th. The biggest issue is the run defense. The Giants gave up more rushing yards than any team in the league other than the Cincinnati Bengals. Harbaugh knows that giving up 145.3 rushing yards per game is disastrous.
This is where LB Tremaine Edmunds will fit right in. Edmunds has played eight years in the NFL, including five with the Buffalo Bills and the last three with the Chicago Bears. A groin injury limited him to 13 games last season. Nevertheless, he still had 112 tackles, 4 interceptions, 9 passes defensed, 1 fumble recovery and 1.0 sack.
Edmunds has been one of the most dependable tacklers in the league throughout his career. He has had a minimum of 102 tackles in all eight of his seasons, and the former first-round draft choice from Virginia Tech has been a hugely consistent performer throughout his career.
He can provide the Giants with a significant upgrade at the inside linebacker position.
The Giants are clearly going to need a lot more help than Linderbaum at center and Edmunds at one of the linebacker slots. However, those are good places for embattled general manager Joe Schoen to start.
