Taj Siddiqi asks: I know that Reese is a rookie and we will learn about his performance as the season progresses. With regard to Edmunds, besides his size, what aspects of his skill sets made Giant’s think that he is an upgrade over Okereke. Of course we need to trust the decision coaching staff made but in your opinion as a knowledgeable and keen observer of the game, why did the Giants prefer Edmunds over Okereke?
Ed says: Taj, there are a number of factors that went into that decision. Size is one
that cannot be understated. Edmunds is 6-foot-4⅝, 251 pounds with a 97th percentile wingspan. Okereke also has a 97th percentile wingspan, but he is 6-2, 235. The way John Harbaugh wants to play, that is important.
After a 2024 back injury cost him playing time, Okereke is looked at as a declining player. His 2025 Pro Football Focus grades were the second-lowest of his career, and his missed tackle rate of 13.0% was a career-worst. Using the Pro Football and Sports Network Impact Score, Okereke was the fifth-ranked linebacker in the NFL in 2023, 22nd-ranked in 2024, and 39th last season. So, on a downward trend.
Edmunds is coming off a season during which he posted a career-best 80.6 PFF run defense grade, and a 7.9% missed tackle rate. PFSN ranked him the sixth-best off-ball linebacker in the NFL last season.
Over the past three seasons, Okereke has four interceptions and 19 passes defensed. Edmunds has nine interceptions and 24 passes defensed.
The Giants see a better fit for what they want, and more play-making upside with Edmunds. As I write this, Okereke does not yet have a job in the NFL.
Richard Ward asks: World Cup teams that have played on the MetLife surface have universally complained, calling it hard, dry, and slow. They say it feels like “cement” underneath. NFL players, including Giants, have long criticized the MetLife artificial turf as dangerous. The NFL trots out statistics claiming that it is no more dangerous than the turf in other stadiums. Well, maybe the turf in those stadiums is dangerous to play on also. Management says the turf is necessary because it is a multi-use stadium. Interesting, though, that when the World Cup comes to town, one of the “multi-uses,” they go through the expense and complication of converting to grass, which, because of its temporary nature, is problematic. How about giving these incredible NFL athletes the respect and concern they deserve instead of obsessing about the bottom line and “convenience”? Fans, too, prefer a grass surface. Once again, it is the money and not the human being. Why not install a legit, player-friendly, grass surface and cover it for non-sporting events? If sections of the field are worn, replace them with sod.
Ed says: Richard, these grass surfaces installed at MetLife and other U.S. stadium that were built for turf fields will feel different to players because of what is underneath them. That is not solely a MetLife Stadium issue. You can read more about the process of how this was done here and here.
MetLife is “multi-use” under normal operations. The World Cup is not normal. FIFA has had control of the stadium for quite some time now, and no concerts or other events have been held there. Nothing but the World Cup will go on at the stadium until the event concludes.
Complain all you want, but the surface has been better since it was replaced in 2023. Most of the complaints you still hear are a) because players want grass, and I don’t blame them, and b) easy to make because of a repuation garnered from the previous surface.
John Mara has said in the past that the Giants and Jets would like to put grass down, but don’t feel they can do it safely. Giants Stadium had grass from 2000-2002, and it was disastrous.
If the teams felt they could maintain the surface at a high, safe, playable quality they would install grass. Until they feel like they can, they won’t.
What they have gone through to install grass at MetLife and other stadiums should tell you it isn’t easy. Nor is it a perfect solution to anything.
Robert Colot asks: The Giants seem to have signed a number of average at best players for the interior defensive line. Is this going to be the biggest problem area for the defense? What are the Giants chances of improving there by working the waiver wire before the season starts?
Ed says: Robert, while the Giants did add volume at defensive tackle I share your concern about the quality of the players they added. It won’t surprise me at all if the Giants look at veteran defensive tackles who get released when roster cuts are made at the end of the preseason to see if they can find an upgrade.
Ryan Markheim asks: My question is a broad one that I’d love your take on. My entire life I’ve known and loved what “Giants Football” means and stood for, going back to the Parcells era and seemingly ending with the Coughlin era. From your perspective and inside knowledge…do you think we’re getting back to that “beat you into the dirt” mentality? Secondly, what other teams (in your opinion) have a similarly almost exclusive team type “brand”? I come up with the Steelers and possibly the 49ers.
Ed says: Ryan, this happens to be a topic I spent a good deal of time thinking about after the Giants fired Brian Daboll. Just because a team was successful playing a certain way 30 years ago, or even five years ago, doesn’t mean it should always play that way.
When the Giants started searching for a new head coach, though, I started to consider their history. What types of coaches have won with the Giants? What type of football have the Giants played when they have been championship-caliber?
In the Super Bowl era, Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin were hard-nosed, no-nonsense, CEO style head coaches. They could motivate, they could lead, they demanded a lot from their players, they built teams that were tough, defense-first squads that fit the personality of the New York/New Jersey area.
Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur, Joe Judge, and Brian Daboll did not fit that mold. John Harbaugh obviously does.
There are some common denominators that run through the four Giants’ Super Bowl-winning teams. Defenses led by ferocious pass rushes. Offenses led by quarterbacks who weren’t the best of their generations, but who were tough, talented, and unafraid of the big moments. Those offenses weren’t high-flying. They were physical, opportunistic offenses with strong running games. Special teams with quality kickers that always seemed to make winning plays at crucial times.
I think that because of the hiring of Harbaugh, whose philosophy aligns with the one that has always seemed to work best for the Giants, the team is moving back in that direction.
I do think the Steelers and 49ers are examples of franchises where you always think of certain styles of play. The Ravens, too.
Pat Lam asks: I was curious of your impression and thoughts on 2026 second-round pick Colton Hood. My impression is that the New York Giants got a cornerstone piece for the defense. I saw the NFL Draft coverage where he congratulated Arvell Reese when he was the fifth overall selection and can only imagine he congratulated everyone that day. A projected first-rounder that the Giants got in the second round. Coverage of mandatory minicamp reported that he didn’t want to celebrate after an interception during intrasquad practice out of respect for teammates. Seems like a high character guy who can play football. Have you been able to interview him?
Ed says: Pat, I have seen some recent articles raving about the spring Hood had and claiming that he has likely won the starting job. I want to pump the brakes on that chatter, which came from writers who didn’t see a snap of the preseason in person.
Now, that does not mean I am down on Hood. I’m not. It’s just that hyperbole from people who have not been on-site, haven’t seen anything with their own eyes, and are making claims they can’t back up with evidence needs to be called exactly that.
Hood might end up winning s starting cornerback job. He does not, though, come out of the spring as an obvious starter. He worked almost exclusively with the second team defense during the spring, with Greg Newsome and Deonte Banks getting first-team reps.
Hood had ups and downs, but did fine. The Giants were happy with the work he did, and it is possible he wins the job. Maybe the Giants are even hoping he does, but there are things he needs to clean up before they give it to him.
We only had a chance to interview Hood one time in a group setting. He is bright and personable, and will be a good interview going forward.
Bob Donnelly asks: Jaxson Dart not only needs to learn a new system, he is also being asked to transition from a predominantly shotgun style to operating more of a “pro style” from under center. What do you view as his greatest challenges in making the transition?
Ed says: Bob, I don’t think the adjustment is really about taking snaps from under center. Dart will do more of that in the Matt Nagy-led offense, and he will have to polish the footwork and the ability to read what is happening while dropping back.
Really, though, Dart’s challenges are similar to those most young quarterbacks go through.
- Learn to make better decisions about how often to run with the ball, and how to protect himself when he does.
- Learn to have more patience in the pocket. Per Pro Football Focus, Dart was the worst quarterback in the league last season when it came to self-inflicted pressure. PFF credited 39.1% of the pressure Dart faces last season to the quarterback himself. Shedeur Sanders was second at 29.1%. That number needs to go down. To make it go down, Dart will need to become more patient in the pocket and be willing to stand and go through his progressions before deciding to move. His ability to read defenses should grow, also helping this.
- Dart completed just 57.3% of his passes off play-action last year. Play-action should give a quarterback an advantage, and I would think there will be a lot of it in the offense in 2026.
- Dart was 32nd of 36 qualifiers in completion percentage on passes 20 yards or more down the field, at 32%. That has to get better.
- Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic also pointed out recently that anticipatory throwing is an ares where Dart needs to improve. That is an area Daniel Jones never mastered. Let’s hope Dart can.
Some of these bullet points overlap. They point, mostly, to Dart gaining experience and becoming more polished in his craft.
Adam Singer asks: How does the rookie wage scale work when it comes to the supplemental draft? I’ve heard that teams bid a future pick in a given round to draft a player in the supplemental draft, but how is the “slot” of the pick determined for purposes of the player’s contract? Is it where that team’s pick was in that round this past year or a projection of some sort?
Ed says: Adam, a player drafted in the supplemental draft is paid the same as a player selected in this year’s regular draft received. He gets a four-year contract at the slotted salary commensurate with his draft pick.
Former sports agent Joel Corry, who writes for CBS Sports, explained it this way in talking about what Brendan Sorsby might earn:
The contract Sorsby signs will be equivalent to what the player selected in the same slot in this year’s regular draft received. For example, if the Philadelphia Eagles retained the 22nd spot in the second round for the supplemental draft and selected Sorsby, he would receive a four-year, $8,892,964 contract, like Eli Stowers. Of the $8,892,964, $7,277,752 would be fully guaranteed, including a $2,927,608 signing bonus. The only amount that wouldn’t be guaranteed is $1,615,212 of his $2,097,678 2029 base salary.
Here is a look at the 2026 rookie wage scale, negotiated in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Andy Engel asks: In your June 13 mailbag you wrote Shane Bowen did not really play to the strengths of his players and that “often put a player like Tyler Nubin in one-on-one open-field situations that don’t suit his skill set”. This is a little alarming to me that one of our starting safeties cannot handle one-on-one situations! So that means he is only good for zone coverage?
The Giant zone coverage I saw the most was like 3 defensive backs standing around an opposing WR or TE just far enough away to allow him to catch the ball, gaining good yardage, before they rushed in to tackle him. How many times have we watched an opposing team march right down the field on us this way?
Isn’t it a notable weakness in our secondary if the DC calls for man coverage and it “doesn’t suit the skill set” of a safety out on the field?
Ed says: Andy, Bowen may not have intentionally put Nubin in situations that were difficult for him, but the result of poor calls and occasions where other players failed to execute at times hung Nubin out to dry. He has to take better angles, and it is something the new Giants coaching staff has spent a ton of time harping on with him. As a coach, though, you need to try and minimize times when players are in disadvantageous positions.
We’re sort of crying over spilt milk here. There is a reason Shane Bowen got fired. There was always a question about whether Bowen was the right fit for the Giants. Ultimately, he was not. I would expect the scheme under John harbaugh and Dennard Wilson to be a better one for the personnel the Giants have.
Jerry Panza asks: Ed, on your video mailbag the last question was about who pays the players medical bills. Part of a question I posed last week about the possibility of Dart holding off schedule workouts with this year’s receiver group didn’t make the MB cut was about Dart doing this. We all know Eli used to and even DJ did too so when it gets done is permission needed by the team needed to conduct these QB / receiver drills.? Additionally, you answered the medical bill question that a players who workout at the Giants facility are coveres by the team. I often wonder about if NFL teams cover some of their risk with an insurer like Lloyds of London.
Ed says: Jerry, as I have said about other questions involving this time of year when players are away from the teams, this time is theirs and they can do what they want with it. Players don’t need team permission to work out, or hold group workouts. They are expected to show up to training camp in shape and ready to go. That means they are expected to train during this time. Again, though, how and when is at their discretion.
Teams only occasionally take out insurance policies on certain contracts. Here are a couple of stroies that give you more information about that:
- Why insuring star players has become a source of NFL tension
- How the NFL insures its players’ multimillion-dollar salaries
Justin Dirico asks: Nabers, Thibs, Schmitz, Banks, Newsome. Come November 1st, and all are playing well. Who are you extending and what are you offering?
Ed says: Justin, I’m not going to try to figure out what to offer these guys. I will say I would think about Kayvon Thibodeaux, at least to the extent of figuring out what it would cost and whether he is interested in staying. I don’t think Nabers would take an extension that soon after his injury. I think he would want to play and try to increase his value. He might also be willing to push the Giants to a franchise tag or free agency decision. John Michael Schmitz is a wait-and-see for me. Banks and Newsome? Probably not.
Doug Mollin asks: Great article by Tony about the Giants’ finances/contracts.
It got me wondering why so many Giant fans take pleasure in the Giants having such a conservative financial structure.
If this is part of a long-term master plan for when we are fully back in the playoff picture, OK. Maintain maximum flexibility and then pounce when the 2-3 year window opens. But honestly, I’ll believe that when I see it.
I think this is just the way the team operates on principle.
To me, it’s playing with one hand tied behind your back.
Do you think the Eagles are nervous about the next rebuild (whenever that comes)? I’ve lived through TWO Wilderness stretches with the Giants covering 34 years!
In Howie’s 10 years as main GM, the Eagles have:
- Made the playoffs 8 years
- Won the Super Bowl
- Made another Super Bowl and lost
- Won the NFC East 5 times
Will they have to rebuild at some point in the future? Almost certainly so. Would fans accept a decade like that to live through a rebuild? They should lol!
Do you think this is a mandate from ownership? Or when they see a window, the Giants will pounce and use every measure available in pursuit of playoff success?
I hope they do. There’s no prize for having the cleanest books in the NFL.
Ed says: Doug, at this point I don’t know what to make of the Giants’ refusal to use void years in contracts. The topic has come up many times over the years in conversations with GM Joe Schoen. I know they felt they weren’t in a place where using void years made sense. The impression I always got was that once the Giants had their rookie quarterback in place and felt they were ready to compete that void years would become part of their strategy.
Well, they are in that window now with Jaxson Dart. They have a head coach who expects to win, not to build. Yet, they did not use void years in contracts again this offseason.
The approach they have embraced, no void years, few contracts of more than three years, has them in good financial shape the next couple of offseasons. Maybe they simply haven’t felt like they had a situation where they felt void years were needed to get a deal done.
I really don’t know what the answer is. I would think, though, there will come a time where there is a player they want and the only way to get a deal done is to go the void year route.
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