John Harbaugh didn’t want to engage in a rebuild when he signed on to be the New York Giants head coach.
There were other places Harbaugh could have gone if he wanted to completely rebuild a team in his own image. Instead, he went to a Giants team which he believes has a roster that’s close to being competitive. Some viewed that as coach speak when he was hired and were skeptical when it was reported that the new regime only wanted to “tinker” with the roster in free agency.
And yet, that came to pass
and the Giants didn’t make many splashy free agent signings.
That, however, doesn’t mean that the Giants aren’t counting on their newest veteran additions to have an impact both on and off the field. So for this week, we want to know which veteran free agent you think will have the biggest impact on the Giants in 2026.
- Isaiah Likely (tight end) – Likely is stepping out of Mark Andrews’ shadow at tight end and will be one of the Giants’ primary receiving options. The belief is that Likely will not only give the Giants another receiving mismatch along side Theo Johnson, but that he’ll fit well with Jaxson Dart’s penchant for improvisation.
- Patrick Ricard (fullback) – Ricard followed Harbaugh from Baltimore to the Meadowlands to be an impact player, literally. The fullback was brought in for his familiarity with Greg Roman’s running schemes and to add some added thud to the Giants’ downhill runs. Matt Nagy (and Brian Callahan) could also look to use Ricard as an added blocker or to force defenses into base packages with running looks alongside Likely and Johnson.
- D.J. Reader (defensive tackle) – The Giants (eventually) signed Reader to be the rock in the middle of the defense after Dexter Lawrence left town. Not only are the Giants signing the long-time vet to improve their depth and interior run defense, they also want him to help enable their linebacking corps. The Giants have one of the longest and most athletic groups of linebackers in the NFL. The hope is that Reader (and at least one more defensive tackle) will be able to occupy blockers and allow those linebackers to take over games.
- Ar’Darius Washington (safety) – One of the dominos to fall in Harbaugh’s arrival in New York was Washington’s injury in the spring of 2025. He was coming off of a breakout season for the Ravens and looking to become one of the big names at the safety position in the NFL. Modern NFL defenses demand a talented “STAR” to blur the lines between box safety, free safety, and slot corner, and allow the defense to be multiple without constantly shifting subpackages. The Ravens definitely noticed Washington’s absence in 2025 and now the Giants hope he can once again be a multifaceted sparkplug for the defense.
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