EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Even John Harbaugh can’t say for sure whether the Giants are going to be good this season after 12 mostly miserable years in New York. But one thing their new coach is very clear about is that they are going to be prepared.
That’s a big reason why his practices are so long — 2.5 hours on Monday in 90-degree heat and stifling humidity, in what was the team’s first practice after their 10-day camp-opening trip to West Virginia. Harbaugh’s practices are crisp, too. There isn’t a lot of standing around, and there is a purpose to every drill they do from the moment they hit the field.
That is … different than what it was under Brian Daboll … and Joe Judge … and Pat Shurmur … and, to an extent, even Tom Coughlin, who drilled his players hard but not often for as long. Still, the early reviews from the players have been nothing but positive. Or, at the very least, they’re not complaining. There’s been too much losing around here for too long for anyone to be upset about an accomplished coach who wants to push them.
And Harbaugh has been thrilled to learn that these Giants are ready to work.
“I see it, in this organization and this team, with the players especially,” Harbaugh told me shortly after practice. “These players are determined to do what is required to become good enough, to earn the right to have a chance to win a football game.
“I feel like I see that. I see it every day in what they do and how they carry themselves and how hard they work. And I know they look back and they say, ‘Man, we’re getting better. We see it.'”
That alone could go a long way towards changing the culture of an organization that has had double-digit losses 10 times in the last 12 years, including the 4-13 season last year that got Daboll fired and led the Giants to lure Harbaugh with a five-year, $100 million deal. How many wins it translates to, though, will probably be determined by the growth of second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart and the health of key players like receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo.
But the big expectation is that no matter what happens, no matter who is on the field, Harbaugh — who was fired after 18 seasons in Baltimore despite a 180-113 record, a Super Bowl championship, and 12 trips to the playoffs — will have this team ready to be way more competitive than they’ve been in the recent past. And if that ramps up the expectations and puts more pressure on the head coach, that’s OK. He understands it.
“Heck yeah,” Harbaugh told me. “People want to win.”
- Harbaugh, a former special teams coach, spent a lot of time on special teams during the 2.5 hours, especially at the beginning. It would be a shock if the Giants weren’t markedly improved in that area.
- It’s hard to tell from one practice, but don’t expect the Giants to shy away from QB Jaxson Dart’s running just because he suffered a concussion and was evaluated for several other hits to the head as a rookie. That figures to be a huge part of their offense. In fact, Harbaugh is likely to lean heavily on running with Dart, Skattebo and running back Tyrone Tracy. The run game could have an extra punch after the Giants signed 300-pound, six-time Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard.
- Dart had his right ankle stepped on early in practice and had a noticeable limp for a while, but kept playing. He also made the play of the day when he ran on a third down and not only picked up the first down, but slid in bounds before taking a hit. That slide — something he rarely did last season — drew huge cheers from his teammates and coaches.
Jaxson Dart took loads of hits as a rookie in 2025. (Picture by Elizabeth Flores/The Minnesota Star Tribune through Getty Photographs)
Nabers is recovering from a torn ACL and a torn meniscus in his proper knee after surgical procedure to restore the injury in October and one other cleanup process within the spring. He did solely particular person drills on Monday, which was principally what he did in the course of the Giants’ journey to West Virginia. The reviews from there have been usually good, nevertheless it’s clear the Giants are being cautious with him.
And they need to be, as a result of he’s the one elite expertise they’ve in that spot. They’re deep at that place. Rookie Malachi Fields is each large (6-foot-4, 222) and quick. They’ve strong veterans in Darnell Mooney and Darius Slayton, a doubtlessly good slot receiver in Calvin Austin, and a few long-shot veterans in JuJu Smith-Schuster and Odell Beckham.
However Nabers is the difference-maker. He confirmed that as a rookie in 2024 when he caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and 7 touchdowns in simply 15 video games. His second season resulted in Week 4 — within the second quarter of Dart’s first NFL begin.
Quote Of The Day
“We’ve been begging him to try this for some time now.”
— Giants edge rusher Brian Burns on why everybody cheered so loudly when quarterback Jaxson Dart lastly slid alongside the sidelines.
Lengthy-Time period View
Improved, However Perhaps Not Good Sufficient To Contend
A lot has modified in regards to the Giants, it’s exhausting to get an actual really feel for the way issues will go in Harbaugh’s first season. There isn’t any doubt they are going to be higher. Their quarterback must be improved. They’ve extra expertise. They are going to be a a lot, a lot better-coached crew. That must be good for an additional three to 4 wins, which might put them on the sting of playoff rivalry.
However will Nabers be at full energy and again to his outdated self early within the season? What about Skattebo, who has been training totally however nonetheless wants to check his knee in a sport? If these two can decide up proper the place they left off, the Giants may very well be a shock playoff contender in the event that they keep wholesome. In the event that they don’t, their path is rather more tough.
Cam Skattebo is only one of some key Giants gamers coming back from a season-ending damage. (Picture by Perry Knotts/Getty Photographs)
My guess is it’ll be someplace within the center. Determine the Giants to win round six to eight video games, relying on their well being, however count on that they may enhance because the season goes alongside. For this 12 months, that may simply imply extra aggressive soccer and even an vital sport or two in December. Then they will set themselves up properly to be an actual contender in 2027.
Subsequent Cease: Bucs-Jets Joint Follow
The New York Jets will likely be internet hosting the primary of two joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Florham Park, New Jersey, on Tuesday morning. Bucs coach Todd Bowles will likely be making his return to the Jets’ suburban observe facility, the place he ran the drills as their head coach from 2015-18.
