The New York Giants head coach, John Harbaugh, and his staff are bringing a lot of hope and excitement to the organization and its fanbase. The players in the locker room are looking forward to it, too, as Harbaugh is an experienced head coach with postseason experience.
Harbaugh brings a fresh mind and a new perspective on how things run in New York, and he’s already made changes.
Harbaugh is going to have an impact in a lot of areas for the Giants, but what about the players? Once they actually hit the practice field, how will they respond to Harbaugh? Which player will benefit the most? Who will quietly bow out during free agency?
There’s a lot to consider here, and Pro Football Focus is helping us out. They created a list of 10 players who could flourish under their new head coach, and Jaxson Dart was among the 10.
Things haven’t been easy for the Giants. They’ve cycled through four full-time head coaches since 2016, and have had just two winning seasons in that time.
However, there’s a sense of hope in New York. There’s a core of talented players worth building around, a young quarterback who showed promise in his rookie season and now, a head coach in John Harbaugh who could change the culture within the building. Harbaugh helped build the Ravens into one of the most consistently well-put-together franchises in the NFL, and he has a tough job ahead of him in New York.
However, with Jaxson Dart (68.4 grade; 27th) under center, Harbaugh has a young quarterback he can work with to push the team in the right direction. Dart completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions in 13 games. He also added 487 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, the second-most among quarterbacks. Further, Dart’s 5.2% big-time throw rate was also eighth.
Harbaugh has played a role in developing young quarterbacks throughout his career, and will look to play the same part in Dart’s development heading into 2026. The majority of the decision-making in the Giants’ building will go through Harbaugh, who has excellent experience in helping identify the right players and playcallers to put around a young quarterback.
With receiver Malik Nabers (71.9 grade) and running back Cam Skattebo (80.5 grade; 13th) set to return in 2026, an improving offensive line that earned a 71.1 PFF pass-blocking grade and a top-five pick, Harbaugh and Dart have a lot to work with moving forward.
Dart made an immediate impact on the Giants’ offense when he hit the field in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers. His style of play and aggressiveness (combined with that of Cam Skattebo) truly ignited the team in 2025. With Harbaugh’s help, the duo could make an even bigger splash in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants’ Jaxson Dart named a player who ‘could flourish’ under John Harbaugh
Reporting by Serena Burks, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
