TL;DR

• Hiring John Harbaugh was easily the biggest win of the offseason. It's disappointing to miss out on Todd Monken, and Matt Nagy as OC alone doesn't inspire much confidence, but Harbaugh gives the entire organization a level of credibility it hasn’t had in a long time
• The offseason moves overall were sensible rather than splashy, and raised the team’s floor rather than its ceiling. There was an obvious emphasis on physicality and depth with investments in the trenches, LB, TE & FB, and the WR room
• Losing Dex obviously hurts, but once he decided he wanted out, getting the #10 pick was an excellent return. The Giants flipped a tough situation into Francis Mauigoa and then acquired D.J. Reader + Shelby Harris to fill in the snaps at nose tackle
• Schoen found good value and didn't use any void years. This team needs to prove it can win before it starts borrowing from the future. We should use creative structuring tools to go from good to contender, not from bad to average
• Overall, this felt like a disciplined offseason built around Harbaugh football and offering Dart a more functional roster - not an attempt to manufacture a one-year turnaround out of desperation

1. Where the Giants started

A 4-13 record is ugly no matter how you frame it. The defense (especially against the run) was a nightmare, allowing multiple devastating fourth quarter collapses. On the bright side, the offense actually looked capable once Dart entered the picture, even without Nabers and having to cycle through practice squad receivers.

Baseline	2025 result
Record	4-13
Scoring offense	22.4 ppg (17th) - Dart 24 total TDs on 5 INTs
Offensive line	9th overall (PFF) - 4th in pass blocking
Scoring defense	25.8 ppg allowed (26th)
Run defense	145.3 ypg allowed (31st) - NFL worst 5.3 ypc allowed
Takeaways	15 total (25th): 9 INT + 6 fumble recoveries

The pass protection deserves a lot of credit for Dart’s success. Andrew Thomas allowed pressure on only 3.1% of pass plays, while Jermaine Eluemunor's 3.3% pressure rate was the best among NFL right tackles. Retaining Eluemunor and continuing to invest in the line was my top priority entering free agency.

2. Coaching overhaul

Role	Hire	Background
Head coach	John Harbaugh	Five-year deal. 180-113 and a Super Bowl over 18 seasons in Baltimore
Offensive coordinator	Matt Nagy	Experienced play-caller, but Chiefs finished 21st in scoring and 20th in yards in 2025. Although Andy Reid was calling plays in KC
Senior offensive assistant	Greg Roman	Run-game specialist with extensive Harbaugh history - previously LAC OC under Jim Harbaugh
Pass game / quarterbacks	Brian Callahan	Former Titans head coach- additional support for Dart and Nagy
Defensive coordinator	Dennard Wilson	Aggressive, pressure-oriented system. Titans DC in 2024-25
Special teams coordinator	Chris Horton	Followed Harbaugh from Baltimore - paired with All-Pro punter Jordan Stout

My take: Hiring Harbaugh was a massive win. He immediately gives the organization more credibility and should completely change the culture and expectations inside the building. Missing on Monken was disappointing, and I'm skeptical about Nagy alone. However, Harbaugh's style of football + Roman's run game expertise give the offense more experienced support to potentially create something interesting

3. Key departures & cuts

Player	Position	New team	Contract	AAV
Wan'Dale Robinson	WR	Titans	4 yrs, $70M ($78M max)	$17.50M
Cor'Dale Flott	CB	Titans	3 yrs, $45M	$15.00M
Daniel Bellinger	TE	Titans	3 yrs, $24M	$8.00M
Austin Schlottmann	C/G	Titans	2 yrs, $9M	$4.50M
Dane Belton	S	Jets	1 yr, $4M ($6M max)	$4.00M
Greg Van Roten	OG	Patriots	1 yr, $3M	$3.00M

Beyond the players who left in free agency, the Giants created a meaningful amount of cap space through the Dexter Lawrence trade and several pretty obvious releases. Trading Lawrence freed approximately $13 million in 2026 space, while releasing Bobby Okereke saved $9 million, James Hudson III saved $5.38 million and Graham Gano saved $4.5 million. Those moves created $31.9 million in total cap space, although the Giants also absorbed $22.9 million in dead money.

My take: Robinson and Flott are real losses, but the prices explain the decisions. Being only 24, Flott would have been nice to take a shot on given our lack of secondary talent, but I also understand that $15M AAV is a lot to pay for a player that’s only had one solid year. Robinson had a strong connection with Dart, but he’s more easily replaceable and I’m not sure it made sense to pay him at the top of the non-elite slot receiver market (ie excluding JSN & ARSB).

4. Free-agent additions and re-signings

Player	Position	From	Contract	AAV
Isaiah Likely	TE	Ravens	3 yrs, $40M	$13.33M
Jermaine Eluemunor	RT	Giants	3 yrs, $39M	$13.00M
Tremaine Edmunds	LB	Bears	3 yrs, $36M	$12.00M
Greg Newsome II	CB	Jaguars	1 yr, $8M	$8.00M
D.J. Reader	DT	Lions	2 yrs, $12.5M	$6.25M
Jordan Stout	P	Ravens	3 yrs, $12.3M	$4.10M
Patrick Ricard	FB	Ravens	2 yrs, $7.63M	$3.82M
Darnell Mooney	WR	Falcons	1 yr, $3M ($10M max)	$3.00M
Ar'Darius Washington	S	Ravens	1 yr, $3M	$3.00M
Shelby Harris	DT	Browns	1 yr, $3M	$3.00M
Calvin Austin III	WR	Steelers	1 yr, $1.5M	$1.50M
Lucas Patrick	C/G	Bengals	1 yr, $1.488M	$1.488M
Daniel Faalele	G	Ravens	1 yr, $1.4M	$1.40M
Leki Fotu	DT	Raiders	1 yr, $1.29M	$1.29M
OBJ / Berrios	WR	Veteran FAs	1 yr, $1.3M each	$1.30M

My takes:

• Most of these are sensible bets rather than headline swings. Several guys followed Harbaugh from Baltimore, including pro bowl punter Jordan Stout and pro bowl FB Patrick Ricard
• Eluemunor is the standout value, signing for millions less in AAV than anyone expected after allowing pressures on only 3.3% of pass plays (NFL best for RTs)
• Likely is the biggest projection, but everything points to him getting significant usage in this offense
• Signing Reader was critical after the Lawrence trade - he actually had the highest double team rate in the league last year (71.7%). He is not Dex as a pass rusher, but he is a natural nose tackle replacement who can absorb blocks and stabilize the run defense, with backup help from Shelby Harris
• Wide receiver depth was actually taken seriously, so we hopefully won’t have to rotate through practice squad players if the team suffers a few injuries

5. Draft class

Rd.	Pick	Player	Position	School	Projected role
1	5	Arvell Reese	LB	Ohio State	Range, speed and front-seven versatility
1	10	Francis Mauigoa	OL	Miami	Expected to start at guard; long-term tackle flexibility
2	37	Colton Hood	CB	Tennessee	Physical corner with opportunity to start early
3	74	Malachi Fields	WR	Notre Dame	6-foot-4 contested-catch and red-zone target
6	186	Bobby Jamison-Travis	DT	Auburn	Run-stop specialist; 84.6 PFF run-defense grade in 2025
6	192	J.C. Davis	OL	Illinois	Developmental tackle depth
6	193	Jack Kelly	LB	BYU	Athletic pressure player and special-teams option

My take: The Giants’ draft was one of the league’s highest-rated classes among draft analysts, but more importantly, the picks aligned directly with the roster’s biggest needs. Mauigoa is probably the most important addition for Dart’s development. He played right tackle in college but will start out at right guard, with the flexibility to either remain at guard long-term or possibly replace Eluemunor at tackle. Reese has the athleticism and versatility to completely change the linebacker room and can be moved around as a chess piece in the box. Fields is a big, long receiver with legitimate circus catch ability and a realistic opportunity to develop into the true WR2 behind Nabers.

6. Trades

Move	Giants received	Giants gave / outcome	2026 cap freed
Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati	No. 10 overall pick	Dex requested a trade after contract talks stalled - pick became Francis Mauigoa	~$13.0M
Trade up with Cleveland	No. 74 overall pick	Sent Nos. 105 and 145 plus a 2027 fourth-rounder - selected Malachi Fields	N/A

My takes:

• On Dex: losing the team's best defender hurts, but he forced his way out. Under those circumstances, getting the 10th overall pick was very good return. Flipping Dex into a potential cornerstone 21 year old lineman while replacing the nose tackle role with Reader is a legitimate response
• On Fields: the front office went and got their guy, giving up meaningful draft capital for him. I like Fields a lot. His highlight reel at Notre Dame is a fun watch - some of those catches are insane.

7. Cap management

Move	Approach / cost	2026 cap freed
Brian Burns restructure	Converted salary to signing bonus within existing contract years	$15.1M
Dexter Lawrence trade	Moved future salary -retained $13.9M in 2026 dead money	~$13.0M
Bobby Okereke release	$5.46M dead-money charge	$9.0M
Andrew Thomas restructure	Converted salary/bonus - no void years added	$6.46M reported
James Hudson III release	$2.31M dead-money charge	$5.38M
Graham Gano release	$1.25M dead-money charge	$4.5M

My take: No void years was big for me. This roster is not yet at the point where it should borrow aggressively from the future. First become a winning team, then use void years and other aggressive cap tools to move from good to contender - not from bad to average.

8. Did they address the actual needs?

Area	Grade	Response	Bottom line
Coaching / direction	A-	Harbaugh; experienced coordinators and assistants	Harbaugh changes the floor. Nagy keeps this from an A
Run defense	B+	Reader, Harris, Fotu, Edmunds, Reese, Jamison-Travis	Used 5^(th) overall pick and signed PFF’s top-ranked interior DL in FA, but still uncertain if the issue is fixed
Offensive line	A	Eluemunor, Mauigoa, Ricard, Faalele, Patrick, Davis	Re-signed Eluemunor at fantastic value, used top 10 pick, added depth pieces
Pass catchers	B	Likely, Fields, Mooney, Austin, veteran WR competition	Much deeper, but no proven elite receiver behind Nabers
Linebacker	A-	Edmunds, Reese, McFadden retained	Major athletic and physical overhaul
Secondary	C	Newsome, Hood, Washington, Pinnock retained	Volume of additions, but too much uncertainty remains. Hopefully the front 7 can cover up the lack of talent
Special teams	A-	Stout, Horton and competition at kicker + returner	Added an All-Pro punter, Zvada has potential, and Harbaugh infrastructure should help
Cap discipline	A	Short deals, manageable outs and no void years	Preserved flexibility for the next stage

Overall grade: A-

The Giants didn't fix everything, but the front office addressed nearly every major need, added two potential cornerstone players in the draft, hired a winning head coach, and maintained future cap flexibility. This was not a star-chasing offseason. It was a coherent attempt to make the roster more physical, deeper, and less fragile around a promising young quarterback - exactly what is needed for the team at this stage.

The upside case is that Harbaugh raises the organizational floor, Dart takes another step behind a strong line, the run game improves, and the rebuilt front seven fixes the defense's biggest weakness. The downside case is that Nagy's passing game disappoints, the run defense still doesn’t click after losing Dex, and/or the secondary remains too vulnerable for an improved run defense to matter.

The Giants are not a finished product, but the offseason moves were very rational and followed a clear plan to build around Harbaugh-style physical football. For the first time in a while, the roster construction appears to follow a clear identity rather than a collection of unrelated fixes. Now it's just a matter of executing on Sundays.