New York Giants fans are filled with optimism, feeling the future is brighter after more than a decade of struggle. The team has an accomplished head coach in John Harbaugh. There is a quarterback in place in Jaxson Dart who looks like he could be the answer at the position for the next decade.
So, Giants fans have plenty to be optimistic about. Right?
ESPN analysts are not so sure.
In its ‘Future Power Rankings’ covering the 2027-2029 seasons, ESPN ranks the Giants No. 22 in the 32-team NFL.
ESPN uses
four categories, and ranks the Giants as follows in those:
- Overall roster excluding QB — No. 29
- Quarterback — No. 18
- Coaching — No. 14
- Front office — No. 32
ESPN says:
Reason for hope: The Giants look like they might have a franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart, and they certainly have a tenured and historically successful coach in John Harbaugh. It’s tough to rank a front office in questionable power under GM Joe Schoen, but emergent young stars such as Malik Nabers and Abdul Carter could give the Giants a strong bedrock for future growth. — Solak
Reason for concern: As exciting as the upside is for Dart, Nabers and RB Cam Skattebo, their availability worries me. Nabers is coming off a significant knee injury, Skattebo is returning from a significant lower leg injury, and Dart has to modify his play style by reducing the number of hits he absorbs. — Riddick
There is more bad news. ESPN has all three of the Giants’ NFC East competitors ranked above them. The Philadelphia Eagles are No. 2, Dallas Cowboys No. 16, and Washington Commanders No. 20.
Valentine’s View
Let me comment first on ESPN’s four bullet points:
- Overall roster — The Giants’ roster is far from complete. I believe, though, that there is enough talent that the Giants should be higher than that.
- Quarterback — Jaxson Dart still has much to prove. The Giants have to hope that he ends up outplaying the 18th spot.
- Coaching — Harbaugh at 14? Really?
- Front office — The worst front office in the league just got a draft pick in exchange for Daniel Faalele.
If Dart becomes the quarterback the Giants think he will become, and the Giants can stop losing the impressive young talent they have begun collecting to major injuries, they will outplay the 22nd spot on the ESPN list. Of course, the rankings of the Eagles, Cowboys, and Commanders show that the yearly path through the NFC East is not going to be easy.
