There is tremendous optimism surrounding the New York Giants entering the 2026. They have an accomplished head coach in John Harbaugh who has raised the bar, and a roster that has been reshaped.
This, though, is a still a franchise that has won seven games combined the past two seasons, and gone 13-38 over the past three seasons.
The Giants should be better. The question is, how much better? FanDuel Sportsbook places the over/under at 7.5 wins. What is a realistic expectation?
General manager Joe Schoen
was not predicting a playoff berth or setting a targeted number of victories when he spoke to media on Wednesday in his season-opening press conference. Schoen did, though, set an expectation that the product on the field would be improved.
“I feel good about the group that we have and expect us to be competitive week in and week out,” the GM said. “I really like the group, both sides of the ball, special teams. The cut down was very difficult this past weekend from a depth standpoint, some difficult decisions we had to make. And even the top 70 guys in terms of the practice squad, that was difficult for us.
“Really competitive group, had a competitive camp and I like our team, I like where we are. And now really, we just got to go out and do it but I do like the roster, I like where we are. We had a competitive camp. And I’m looking forward to seeing how things go Sunday versus the Cowboys.”
Harbaugh wasn’t about to be dragged into making any sort of prediction.
“I know they’ll go out there and be the very best football team they can be,” Harbaugh said. “That’s my expectation. What that ends up being depends on how good we are. And that’s what you find out when you play the games, everything else is just talk.”
Harbaugh does feel good about the roster the Giants have assembled in his first season in New York.
“I do, I do. I mean, I’m optimistic,” Harbaugh said. “I feel good about our guys but that’s always something that has to be proven. That’s our mission, our mission statement is to be the best team in the National Football League and prove it because that’s what it requires.”
Harbaugh, a Super Bowl-winnning coach with 180 regular-season victories (14th-most all all-time) on his resume, has established a standard, pushing players hard both physically and mentally.
‘He’s invested in it’
Schoen, in his fifth season as general manager, admitted that Harbaugh has had an impact on and off the field.
“With Coach Harbaugh, he’s invested in it. He’s got a passion for not just coaching and X’s and O’s and schemes, but the personnel part of it. So, that helps a lot. If we all have the same vision when the player gets here, it’s going to be important because we’re all invested in the same vision that you see it out,” Schoen said. “That doesn’t always happen that way. When you bring a player in and there’s a vision, sometimes it can be pushed off to the side. I’ve got a couple different times I’ve seen that happen. But Coach is very invested in this, when we drafted this player, or signed this player, or hey, we got an idea, what, maybe move this player that plays center to guard, or whatever, maybe the versatility, he’s typically on board with that, and he’s, again, part of the process.
“He knows the league, he pays attention to players around the league, and that’s helpful when you’re going through the process of acquiring players, whether it be free agency or the draft. So, to me, not only is he a really good coach, he’s immersed in the personnel, and he’s helpful, makes us think outside the box, challenges us. And that’s what has ultimately led to a lot of good conversations, communications, ultimately making the best decision for the New York Giants.”
Schoen knows what to expect from Harbaugh’s teams when they line up each week.
“We’re going to be prepared. We’re going to be prepared for the game,” Schoen said. “We’re going to be physical. You’re going to have to go 60 minutes to compete with us. And we’re going to be disciplined on both sides of the ball. And we’re going to be ready to go. I know we’re going to be ready to go. Week in, week out, we’ll be ready.”
‘There’s talent on the roster’
Asked to assess how far along the Giants are in building their roster, Schoen returned to the idea that this team has enough strengths to be competitive.
“We have a young quarterback on a rookie deal, going into his second year. We’ve got a number one receiver in (wide receiver) Malik Nabers. Again, not to go position by position, I think we’ve got a strong defense, our offensive line we returned four of five starters, and the number 10 pick is being plugged in at right guard,” Schoen said. “So, should be able to protect the quarterback. So, I feel good about where we are. I feel good about the roster.
“There’s talent on the roster to go out and win games and be competitive week in and week out.”
The work, though, isn’t done
The Giants found themselves in the unusual position of being able to trade two offensive linemen for draft capital before trimming the roster to 53 players. They have seen a few players they released already land jobs on 53-man rosters and practice squads across the league.
That indicates league-wide recognition that Schoen isn’t simply trying to talk into existence the idea that the Giants have some talent. The interest from the rest of the league in their players says so.
Schoen, though, knows there is still work to be done to bring the Giants to the top level of the NFC. The defensive line needs help. The cornerbacks appeared competent in the spring and summer, but there isn’t a No. 1 guy to match up with the top receivers the Giants will face. More home-run hitting playmakers are needed on offense.
In the short term, Schoen admitted Wednesday that adding more talent at defensive tackle is a priority. The Giants will continue to try and improve the roster as much as they can during the season.
“Without getting into specifics, but we had some of these conversations this morning,” Schoen said. “There are a few players out there that we are targeting or looking at, or does it make sense financially, or could we sign them? If we sign them, what’s the subsequent move? And some of those positions are positions we have really good depth. Like, hey, maybe an extra, whatever it is, last man on the roster at that position, can we upgrade that?
“We’re going to continue to look to upgrade everywhere we can. And so, we’re still having those conversations, and we always will. If a player becomes available that’ll help the roster, help the 53, and help us go win, that’s what we’re here for. We’re always going to do that. Regardless of position, we’ll try to find a way, and we’ll continue to be aggressive in building the 53.”
‘Hope has turned into expectation’
That quote was uttered by Chris Mara during a recent appearance on ESPN New York.
The view here is that the expectation should not include a run to the Super Bowl, or even the NFC Championship Game. Yet. It should include fewer games in which the Giants are not competitive. It should include enough victories, including some over good teams, that Giants fans end the season feeling good about where the team is headed.
