The New York Giants may be one of the more polarizing teams going into the 2026 season after a whirlwind of an offseason.
In the aftermath of the mid-season firing of former head coach Brian Daboll, the Giants made the decision to bring in John Harbaugh as his replacement — one of the biggest names to fill the vacancy this offseason.
Though the Giants have had a rough history over the last decade since Tom Coughlin's departure, NFL Network's Brian Baldinger sees a path in which Big Blue makes a tier jump.
In an interview with Jack Green of Betway insider, Baldy believes the Giants are a team that could stand out.
I think the Giants could make a leap. John Harbaugh can flat out coach, and they haven’t had good coaching there since Tom Coughlin left.
He’s a real coach, and I think he’s got a good staff. If Malik Nabers is anything like he was in his rookie season, he is an elite player. And they’ve kind of brought him back slowly, didn’t play in the preseason, but I’ve watched him run. If Malik Nabers can get back to that, they’ve got a good offensive line and they’ve got three good backs. The quarterback is developing. Defensively, they’ve got holes at defensive tackle, but they should be a good team.
They beat the Eagles last year soundly. They had games won last year against Denver, against Kansas City, and Chicago, but they couldn’t finish it. They made mistakes in the fourth quarter to lose games. They were a better team than the record showed last year. Now it’s a tough division, but the Giants should be better. They play the Cowboys in the opening game of the season. If they beat the Cowboys and they get a taste of victory, that could be a team.
Taking the opener at home against the Dallas Cowboys would certainly send a message to the league that the Giants could be a surprising team in 2026. Whether that happens remains to be seen as New York is currently home underdogs to Dallas.
The addition of Harbaugh made too much sense for a Giants organization that needed an adult in the room after giving it a go with first-time head coaches. Harbaugh had immense success as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, and it's evident he's already brought a different mentality to the locker room.
The Giants have a long way to go before they are considered contenders in the NFC, but there seems to be at least a sliver of hope they are trending in the right direction.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Brian Baldinger: New York Giants 'could make a leap' in 2026
