We are right in the middle of the dreaded “dog days of summer”, between the end of the New York Giants off-season program and the opening of their training camp at the end of July.
This is the only really quiet period the NFL allows us in their drive to dominate the entire calendar, and outlets use it as a time to reflect and look ahead to the coming season.
Seth Walder of ESPN took the opportunity to hand out grades for all 32 teams.
We’ll evaluate the actual decisions each team has made during the offseason.
This is not a measurement of talent gained or lost. That’s a valid exercise, but a different one. For example, the Raiders have unquestionably improved their roster between the Super Bowl and now. But did they make good team-building choices to get there? I have doubts.
We will, of course, look at his grade for the Giants and reasoning in detail, but first I’ll just spoil the grades for the whole NFC East.
- Philadelphia Eagles: A
- New York Giants: B+
- Dallas Cowboys: C+
- Washington Commanders: C+
Rather than have one long quote block followed by a long response, I’m going to break this up point-by-point.
New York Giants: B+
Biggest move: Hiring John Harbaugh as coach
Move I liked: Trading DT Dexter Lawrence II
Move I disliked: Signing LB Tremaine EdmundsNothing was more significant than the Giants successfully landing Harbaugh. He should be a stabilizing force given his long track record of success in Baltimore, and he rightfully gives fans hope in the franchise’s new direction.
No arguments from me here. I cited Kevin Stefanski as my favorite “realistic” option for the Giants when we discussed the possibility of a new coaching staff mid-season last year, but also listed either John Harbaugh or Mike Tomlin as my “dream” coach for the Giants. I didn’t think there was a great chance that either would become available after the 2025 season.
Harbaugh’s arrival is pretty much the foundation for an optimistic outlook for 2026. There’s been a lot of talk about respectability and cache with Harbaugh, but I think stability and experience are more important. I do think Brian Daboll is a good coach, but not a great leader. After four years, I suspect (pure speculation on my part) that volatility and personality conflicts sabotaged what started out as an excellent coaching staff.
Harbaugh is heralded as a culture builder, and I think the commitment to accountability, an attention to detail, teaching at every position, “agreeing to agree” matter more than individual schemes.
But in terms of players, the biggest decision the Giants made was to trade Lawrence to the Bengals for the No. 10 pick. That was a huge win. As much as I — and probably the Giants! — like Lawrence as a player, he was coming off a down season, and the value of the No. 10 pick was simply a much better return than the veteran defensive tackle is likely worth.
Again, no arguments here. I won’t say that Lawrence, at his best, is worth less than the 10th overall pick. Lawrence, at his best, is a truly elite player and a players around whom both the offense and defense need to game plan.
But if his elbow injury is going to linger and his attitude is poor (which could also influence his weight if he doesn’t feel like putting in the work), then he ain’t that guy. Getting younger, cheaper, a happier locker room presence, and upgrading another spot is just an all-around win.
Thanks to that trade, the Giants had two top-10 picks in the draft. They added linebacker/edge rusher Arvell Reese — who surprisingly fell to No. 5 — and OT Francis Mauigoa at No. 10. Those two young players can be the foundation of the Giants’ new core if they play well. New York also made a poor-value trade in moving up to get receiver Malachi Fields on Day 2.
I’m going to disagree that Reese and Sisi can be the “foundation of the Giants’ new core”, simply because I believe the young core is already in place. That said, they can be valuable additions to that young core and potentially good players for the Giants for the next decade.
I also won’t argue the value of the trade up for Fields. I agree with the move to add to the Giants’ receiving room, and I think they needed an “X” receiver. I don’t even hate the trade back into the fourth round, considering where the run on receivers happened. However, I had a Day 3 grade on Fields based solely on his tape at Notre Dame. I personally would have gone for Bryce Lance out of North Dakota State. A lower level of competition and he doesn’t have the bulk of Fields, but he has elite athleticism, blocks his tail off, has over 2,000 yards the last two years, and has a better contested catch rate than Fields.
I’ll be the first to admit if I’m wrong on Fields, but it’s a definite concern for me.
In free agency, the Giants lost receiver Wan’Dale Robinson following his breakout 2025 campaign, leaving them with a weakness at the position — especially with Malik Nabers uncertain to be back by Week 1 from the knee injury he suffered early last season. The team re-signed Jermaine Eluemunor to keep consistency at right tackle and brought in DT DJ Reader (to fill the hole left by Lawrence), CB Greg Newsome II and Edmunds — the last of whom was an overpay at three years, $36 million.
I’ve written before that I have concerns regarding the Giants’ pass catchers. I hope that Darnell Mooney can be an adequate replacement for Wan’Dale Robinson and Calvin Austin III can add an explosive element to the offense. I hope that Odell Beckham Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster can turn the clock back and that Isaiah Likely can be Jaxson Dart’s new best friend.
I hope that the Giants didn’t just make a lot of moves but little improvement, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Re-signing Eluemunor was one of the Giants’ “MUST DO” moves of the off-season and they got it done with a deal that was fair to both, and getting DJ Reader should be a solid addition to the defense. The signing of Greg Newsome II could be a good move for the Giants even if he doesn’t start. If he doesn’t, that means either Deonte Banks or Colton Hood beat him out, which should be a good sign for the defense. But also, Newsome has inside-out versatility and gives the Giants depth at slot as well as a starting option outside.
That’s just smart roster building.
I don’t agree that the Giants overpaid Tremaine Edmunds. His contract ranks 14th in the NFL, which seems fair for a player in his prime who has been consistently good in run defense and high level flashes in pass coverage. What’s more is the vision for the Giants’ front 7, with big, stout defensive tackles that are surrounded by linebackers and edge defenders with legitimately elite size, length, and athleticism.
It’s also notable that Edmunds is coming from a defense that excelled at taking the ball away and himself had his second 4-interception season since 2023. The Giants have struggled with generating turnovers and Edmunds clearly has a nose for the ball, in addition to elite size, length, and speed.
Adding Reese gives the Giants a surplus at edge, which should make Kayvon Thibodeaux available for trade. They haven’t found a deal for him yet, but that doesn’t mean they won’t before the start of the season.
No. Nope. Just stop already. People have been trying to make “trade Kayvon” a thing for a year and a half now.
There’s been a notion that Thibodeaux is an unnecessary third wheel ever since the Giants. But, this is also the team that originated the phrase “you can never have enough pass rushers.” At the very worst, Thibodeaux is excellent depth at one of the most important positions on the field. That, in and of itself, is more valuable than a future pick.
Having Thibodeaux gives them options for personnel groupings, formations, and play design that other teams simply can’t even consider. It also gives them incredible insurance in case of an injury.
Oh, and while Reese might make a “Walk” adjustment down to the edge or blitz for the Giants, he’s a linebacker, not an edge defender.
I also do wonder if the Giants’ hesitancy to trade Thibodeaux is related to their trade of Leonard Williams. There are a lot of similarities between the two players. Like Williams, Thibodeaux is a good-but-not-great pass rusher who consistently generates pressure that leads to hits and sacks for his teammates, but always seems a step away from the sack himself. The two players never really lit up the box score, but both have a penchant for big plays and
And like Williams, Thibodeaux is a very underrated run defender who also brings positional versatility to play multiple roles within the formation.
I do wonder if, after trading Williams, Joe Schoen doesn’t want to give away a similar player only to watch him excel elsewhere.
Personally, I still stand by the tape work I did a year ago and believe that Thibodeaux is just better than he’s given credit.
Nothing will affect the Giants’ win total in the short term more than second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart’s development. But this offseason was more about setting up a foundation for the medium to long term.
This is, easily, the bottom line for the Giants: They’ll go as far as Jaxson Dart can take them. If Dart can take the next step in his second year and allow their various pieces to play up to the potential they’ve flashed over their careers, this team can be a lot of fun.
Dart played well for a rookie last year, but he also has some real homework to do in order to become a consistent winner in the NFL. There were flashes of a “young Russell Wilson”, or even some Mahomes-ian magic in the Giants’ backfield. But there was also down-to-down inconsistency that needs to be addressed. That’s the job of Harbaugh, Matt Nagy, and Brian Callahan.
Walder is right that the Giants’ 2026 off-season is about building an environment in which Dart can grow. If they’ve successfully done that and he becomes a Franchise Quarterback, then this is an A+ off-season.
