John Harbaugh was hired by the New York Giants this past winter to lead the team back to prominence after a dozen years of being the NFL’s biggest doormat.
Just how does Harbaugh intend to do this? By taking a page from the books of the franchise’s two winningest head coaches, Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin. Harbaugh intends to establish the run, early and often. If any coach can do it, it’s him.
Last season, as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, Harbaugh’s team was the only one in the NFL that ran the ball more than they passed it, and the only team that ran it over 50 percent of the offensive snaps (52.05 percent). They also led the league in yards per attempt with a 5.3 average.
The Giants, despite being a 4-13 team, were 26th in pass/run ratio (52.9 percent) last season. They averaged a 17th-best 4.3 yards per attempt. One can expect the Giants to get closer to that 50 percent run/pass ratio this year, and the yards per attempt to improve as well.
The Giants will rely on their talented group of running backs — Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Singletary, and fan favorite Cam Skattebo — to spearhead their attack, but expect some designed runs for quarterback Jaxson Dart as well.
The switch to a run-heavy scheme is expected, but Harbaugh can’t ignore the fact that he has a top player at wide receiver in Malik Nabers, who, in his first season, was at the top of the league in targets.
Harbaugh might see the need to pass just a little bit more here in New York, but that won’t knock him off his spot. The Giants have brought in a slew of offensive linemen known for their run-blocking and took massive Miami offensive tackle Francis ‘Sisi’ Mauigoa with the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, and will move him to guard.
When Harbaugh took over the team in January, he reached out to Pro Bowl left tackle Andrew Thomas to plant the seed that the modus operandi along the offensive line would be changing.
“He called me when he first signed, and we spoke about the offensive line and the identity of the offense that we want to have, and being physically dominant up front, and that I would be a big catalyst for that,” Thomas said. “So, I’m excited for that pressure. I’m going to lead those guys and be a great, dominating unit. So, we just got to continue to work to reach that.”
Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen did not select a running back in the draft last month, nor did they add a veteran free agent. The only addition was UDFA Damon Bankston, a player who can help on both offense and special teams.
Coughlin once reminded us that run-blocking is an 11-man operation, something that Harbaugh’s offense will reflect. He will run a lot of two-tight-end sets, employ a fullback (Patrick Ricard), and most of his wide receivers will be asked to play a more physical brand of football.
“I don’t want to be at the mercy of the (opposing) defense. We’ve got to make them decide if it’s run or pass. They want to live in ‘all those different worlds,'” Harbaugh said this week.
It will be interesting to see how this offense displays the “chameleon” nature Harbaugh hopes.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants will run more in 2026, but expect some new wrinkles
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
