New York Giants mailbag: John Harbaugh, expectations, Caleb Downs, more

Michael George

asks: It was quite a surprise listening to John Harbaugh field reporters’ questions following Rookie Minicamp. His willingness to offer the compliment of “good question” seemed genuine. You could sense they were subject areas he wanted to open up about, to share his insights. How would you characterize the differences between Harbaugh and former head coach Brian Daboll when addressing the press?

Ed says: Michael, to this point Harbaugh has been cordial, friendly, respectful, and as informative

as he has wanted to be. No coach or GM is ever going to intentionally tell the media more than they want the public to know. That’s part of the game. We know that when we are asking the questions. What we hope for is enough information to give us something to work with, and at least a useful quote or two that makes the stories we deliver to readers better.

I really liked Brian Daboll as a person. Away from the cameras and the notebooks, he was a friendly guy who could spin a good story and seemed interested enough to ask people about themselves. On the podium, though, he was different. He wanted to give as little as possible. His answers were generally devoid of color or personality. As the losses and the criticism mounted, I think Daboll felt less and less obligated to help people who spent an inordinate amount of time ripping him do their jobs. Part of me couldn’t blame him, but that hurt all of us trying to cover them and not just the writers who were having a field day calling for his head.

When adversity comes and Harbaugh’s decisions are criticized, I do wonder if some of his congeniality will fade. My guess is that he is secure enough in his accomplishments and his knowledge that he won’t change that much.

Matt Hawthorn asks: I’m excited by the possibilities on defense following this year’s draft and free agency acquisitions. However, my lingering concern is that we all had similar hopes this time last year following the Abdul Carter pick and the subsequent talk of potential NASCAR packages. Sexy Dexy has left. Arvell Reese, DJ Reader and Shelby Harris have been brought in. Should we have higher expectations of our defense for the 2026 season based on current personel?

Ed says: Matt, you should certainly have higher expectations. First, the biggest lingering question entering last season was whether or not Shane Bowen was the right defensive coordinator to maximize the strengths the Giants had last season. We learned that, as we suspected, he was not.

You have a more aggressive, creative defensive coordinator now in Dennard Wilson. You have an accomplished head coach who will be heavily involved in the defense. You don’t have Dexter Lawrence, but you have a deeper defensive line rotation. You have young players in Arvell Reese and Colton Hood to be excited about.

Maybe we overestimated the potential of the defense a year ago, but I still maintain that it under-achieved. The Giants were in the bottom 25 percent in many defensive categories last season, and worst in the league in run defense, giving up 5.3 yards per rushing attempt.

You won’t hear any “top 10 defense” talk from me this time around. I can’t imagine, though, that the 2026 Giants won’t be better on that side of the ball.

Norm Weiss asks: I have always thought that the litmus test of great GMs, like George Young, was finding “hidden gems”, either late in the draft or UDFAs, like Jessie Armstead or Ahmad Bradshaw, just to name a few. What Day 3 picks or UDFA do you see with this type of potential?

Ed says: Norm, it is hard to pick a player or players with that type of potential. We have seen one rookie minicamp practice. Maybe one day J.C. Davis or Jack Kelly are full-time starters.

One thing I will disagree with. Yes, general managers absolutely have to hit occasionally on Day 3 picks. It is still the quarterback position and the Day 1 and Day 2 picks that remain most important. If you don’t get those right the vast majority of the time, getting an occasional Day 3 pick who outperforms his draft slot won’t make up for it. Get those right AND nail an occasional Day 3 pick and then you really have something going.

David Bavoso asks: Over the years, the Giants have signed at least one player from the CFL (I believe it was Brett Jones). Do the Giants have a scouting apparatus outside of just the college game? I was wondering if the team has staff that are dedicated to monitoring the CFL and the UFL in the hope of finding players that may have been overlooked previously.

Ed says: David, that’s an interesting question. The Giants don’t have a single dedicataed CFL or UFL scout. Those responsibilities fall to the Pro Personnel department. Pro Personnel Director Chris Rossetti happens to be from Ontario and spent the early part of his scouting career working in the CFL, giving him connections there.

Christopher Scanlon asks: Even with the free agent additions of Reader and Harris, and the upside of Alexander and some of the rookies, I feel like this group is still awfully thin. I feel like the overall depth is much better, but that really only reader is a legit starter.

With this the case, given our abundant riches at edge, I would really love to see KT get traded. Let Golston be the primary edge back up this year like he was signed to do. That said, I’m not looking for a draft pick here. I would really love to see the Giants find a trade partner who needs edge help, who has depth at defensive tackle, and who could make a roughly equivalent player in age, upside, and productivity to KT available.

Given the positional value of edge over DT, you would think this could be doable. Any thoughts on hypothetical players that fit the mold? If this doesn’t seem viable to you, why not?

Ed says: Chris, there are two parts to that question to explore. The depth of the defensive line, and the Kayvon Thibodeaux as trade bait idea.

I am going to push back on the idea that the line is “awfully thin.” Here’s the scorecard:

Subtractions: Dexter Lawrence, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, D.J. Davidson, Elijah Chatman
Additions: D.J. Reader, Shelby Harris, Leki Fotu, Sam Roberts, Zacch Pickens, Bobby Jamison-Travis
Holdovers: Roy Robertson-Harris, Darius Alexander, Chauncey Golston (I list him here because the Giants list him as a defensive lineman and not an outside linebacker)

There isn’t a star player in that group, but there is the potential to have a deep, capable group where there really isn’t a drop off no matter who is on the field.

As for Thibodeaux, the Giants continue to say they are not trying to trade him. I believe them. If there was a team out there that would offer them a second-round pick, that is a trade I know they would accept. That’s more than they could hope to get as a compensatory selection should Thibodeaux leave in free agency, so they would have to do that.

I would think that if there was a player-for-player trade to be made right now that made sense the Giants would have done it already.

Brian Dennis asks: I have been a HUGE Die Hard of the New York Football GIANTS since 1984. Since then and up to this very day I have been collecting countless collectibles and countless memorabilia. I know they won 4 Super Bowls which I have on DVDs. Before the Super Bowl was invented, they had won 4 World Championships. So, a total of 8 in there history since 1925. That is third most. Bears have the second most with 10 and Packers with 13. Why can’t the NFL count all as one instead of going by Super Bowls only ? After all, you can’t change NFL Professional Football History! In the mean time, I’m going to strive for 9!

Ed says: Brian, count it whatever way you want. Generally, people separate the Super Bowl ear because having two leagues and so many more teams changed everything. You can’t rewrite history, though, and those championships count.

Kölnerbigblue asks: Ed, how long are contracts for front office staff in the scouting department? I’m wondering when those contracts expire. While we are waiting for news and an extension for Schoen, I think contract negotiations with the scouts be an indication of Harbaugh’s opinion of Schoen’s organization building skills? What’s your thoughts?

Ed says: Kölner, the standard length of contract for a scout is two years. I found limited data showing contracts for some scouts of one to three years, but two is the industry standard.

As for Giants scouts and the front office in general, I think we already have that answer. We have seen zero movement or changes in the front office and scouting staff since the draft ended. If there were going to be big changes, they would have happened by now.

Ed Helinski asks: In your opinion, which NFC East team had the best offseason in replacing, restocking and restoring their team? How about listing the teams on a 1 thru 4, best-to-worst basis?

Ed says: Ed, I have not spent a ton of time worrying about the other teams this offseason. We are going to have Nick Falato break down the offseasons of the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Commanders over the next week or so. That should give us a pretty good answer to that question.

Andy Engel asks: I’m reading in the mail how fans are optimistic about the season with “all the talent” we got and how we SHOULD contend for the division and a playoff spot. You yourself say they should feel that way this time of year. Yes, I have felt optimistic every year, but this year I say we should have CAUTIOUS optimism. Tell me if I am wrong, but consider these facts:

Our DL, which was already bad last season, is worse. Reader is 31 years old coming off a “down” season. At that age, at that position, you usually don’t get better suddenly.
Our WR corps is worse. We lost our best receiver last year in Robinson, and yeah I know we got Nabers, but he’s coming off a serious injury and we don’t know when he’ll be ready or be the same player. It’s a fact Fields is slow, has trouble separating(!), and a QB who is largely inaccurate throwing the ball downfield. I don’t know it being tall is going to make up for that.
Our secondary is worse. Flott had a great year and of course they let him get away. Is Hood going to pick up the slack on that?
Our OL center position is more precarious. Schmitz may be alright but he always gets hurt and we let a proven good backup get away in Schlottman.

So can you deny these statements? We always seem to have a “good” off-season with so many high draft picks yet continue to be one of the worst teams year after year. Sometimes I think a bad karma has hit this organization for the way they dumped Coughlin.

Ed says: Jeepers, Andy, talk about looking at the glass as half-empty. I have admittedly been fooled before during the offseason, but isn’t this the time of year when you should be looking for reasons to feel optimistic? Let me go through your “facts,” which are really just the lens through which you see things. You are entitled to that lens, but it doesn’t make them “facts.”

Here is how I see it.

The defensive line is deeper. No, there is not a single player as talented as Dexter Lawrence. The Giants will have to replace him in the aggregate. They have added D.J. Reader, Shelby Harris, Leki Fotu, Jacch Pickens, Sam Roberts, and Bobby Jamison-Travis to a group that already had Darius Alexander, Roy Robertson-Harris, and Chauncey Golston. As for Reader, from the people I have talked to about him and Nick Falato’s film study, I would say he has probably lost some pass rush juice, but he remains a quality run defender. His one real job with the Giants? Defend the run.
The wide receivers are better overall. If Malik Nabers is healthy for 13-15 games, and at least close to the player he was in 2024, I don’t think there can be any argument. The Giants lost Wan’Dale Robinson, a player I had a lot of respect for, but odds are strongly against him ever repeating the 1,000-yard season he had last year. Again, look at the depth. The Giants added veterans Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin, and drafted Malachi Fields, and I think you are being unnecessarily negative about Fields. They only had two wide receivers who caught at least 20 passes last year — Robinson and Darius Slayton. I would suspect they have more than that this time around. Also, don’t forget that Isaiah Likely is probably going to spend considerable time lined up as a slot receiver. So, the Giants should have Nabers AND more capable options.
The secondary has potential. You were mostly talking about cornerback. Yes, the Giants lost Cor’Dale Flott. I hate this idea that the Giants “let” a free agent get away. He was a “free agent,” who could make his own decision and go to the highest bidder if that is what he wanted to do. The Giants wanted him back, but made a decision that three years and $45 million — which is what Flott got from Tennessee — was too much money. I happen to agree. As for Colton Hood, the Giants felt like he was a late-first round talent. They think his aggressiveness, man coverage skills, and willingness to tackle fit the “bully ball” style they want to play. We will see what Greg Newsome gives them. I would expect Dru Phillips to have a better year in the slot in 2026. Also, perhaps Paulson Adebo looks more like the player he was with the New Orleans Saints if the Giants play to his strengths by leaving him on the left side rather than forcing him to travel with receivers.
The center position is precarious. I think you’re reaching for ways to make yourself miserable with this one, and I don’t say that to be snotty or condescending. John Michael Schmitz has improved every season of his career, and I think it is still early enough in his career to think that will continue. Will he ever be more than an adeqauate center? Maybe not, but you can do a lot worse. Schmitz gave up one sack in 13 games last season. As for the backup center, the Giants signed Lucas Patrick. He is entering his 10th NFL season, has 65 starts, and has played more than 4,000 snaps on offense. I have faith that he can be a perfectly capable fill-in. Schlottmann played well last season, but he only has 18 career NFL starts. Maybe the Giants take a look at Marcus Mbow at center. I wouldn’t get twisted up about the backup center.

Tom Pietrzak asks: Ed, a lot has been made of the Giants decision to pass on Caleb Downs with one of their two Top 10 draft picks. In an article you wrote earlier this week, you quoted Dan Graziano as saying that, based on intel he received, the Giants were intent on selecting one player on offense and another on defense. That’s why, he believes, they selected the offensive lineman, Mauigoa, at No. 10 after picking Reese, a defensive player, five picks earlier. I have two questions: first, didn’t we hear Schoen and Harbaugh say in their post-Round 1 presser that Reese and Mauigoa were two of the top five players on their draft board.? (I think Harbaugh even divulged that Mauigoa was ranked fourth.) Doesn’t that offer the best explanation as to why they passed on Downs? Second, where did the belief that the Giants were so high on Downs come from, Harbaugh’s interview with Francesca? To me, that was just Harbaugh showcasing the diplomatic skills that have made him such an effective head coach for 18 years.

Ed says: Tom, yes, we heard Harbaugh say Arvell Reese and Sisi Mauigoa were two of top players on their board at No. 5. In terms of getting an offensive player with one of those picks, you are ignoring that running back Jeremiyah Love was also a player Harbaugh admitted to having on the board as a possible pick at No. 5. Also, yes, the Downs’ connection started with Harbaugh’s praise of the kid on Mike Francesa’s show. It also made sense because of Harbaugh’s history with safeties.