The New York Giants are heading into the 2026 season with high expectations. They have a new coach in John Harbaugh and a slew of new players that have generated a buzz throughout Giants Nation not seen in years.
That aside, for the Giants to make a U-turn back into contention, many things have to happen. Here are five of those things that need to go right for the Giants to compete in 2026.
Adapting to the new culture
Harbaugh brings a winning legacy with him and is an eternal optimist. He didn’t get that way by being a pushover. He runs a tight ship and practices his team hard. He asks them to go the extra yard. Most of this bunch is not used to that. Padded practices focused on playing fast and physical are in their future.
In fact, their best player, Dexter Lawrence, asked to be traded this offseason after Harbaugh was hired — perhaps he foresaw the rigidity with which Harbaugh operates. Several players have already commented that they’re ready for what’s coming. We’ll see about that.
The front office restructure
Part of the deal to land Harbaugh was to flatten the chain of command. Instead of him reporting to general manager Joe Schoen, he’ll basically partner with him. Harbaugh wanted a say in personnel decisions, and the Giants acquiesced. Schoen has been relegated to scouting and personnel, but he will have to get Harbaugh’s approval on most players coming in the door.
Schoen will also no longer have to deal with the salary cap or contract negotiations. That has been handed over to Dawn Aponte, whom the Giants also hired this offseason as sort of an operations manager. So far, things have gone smoothly. There’s bound to be some internal head-butting at some point, so be prepared.
Injured players coming back
The Giants have several key players returning from injury this season. Wide receivers Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton, running back Cam Skattebo, and left tackle Andrew Thomas are all still rehabbing from various injuries as we head into summer. Linebacker Micah McFadden was also re-signed and is expected to be ready for the season.
That’s a lot to ask, and Giants fans don’t have the warm and fuzzies that this group will be returning on time and at 100 percent this fall, no matter what lip service the team has been giving them.
If Nabers and/or Slayton can’t start the season on time, the Giants might have to seek outside help.
Oh, those reclamation projects
The new regime took a look at this roster and must have been wondering how so many of the Giants’ recent draft picks could have underperformed. Harbaugh decided to give such players a “clean slate” and start from scratch. Three former first-round picks — linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, offensive lineman Evan Neal, and cornerback Deonte Banks — will all get a fresh look from Harbaugh and his staff.
In addition, two former third-round picks are getting second chances: Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt and guard Joshua Ezeudu. Schoen also backtracked and re-signed two players who got away in free agency, wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins and safety Jason Pinnock.
There are no guarantees that anyone other than Thibodeaux will make the club this summer, but it will be interesting to see how many of them do.
Winning in the division
The easiest path to the postseason in the NFL is to win your division. The Giants haven’t won the NFC East since 2011. Since the 2012 season, the Giants are 32-47-2 against their NFC East rivals (6-20 versus Dallas, 7-20-1 against Philadelphia, and 19-7-1 versus Washington).
Their most recent failures against division rivals are more disturbing. They’ve gone just 2-16 against Dallas in their last 18 meetings, 4-13 against the Eagles since 2018, and 3-7-1 versus the Commanders since 2021.
The Giants need these trends to change if they are to climb out of obscurity. The positive news is that Harbaugh is a combined 10-5 against the Giants’ three NFC East rivals in his coaching career.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: 5 keys for New York Giants to contend in 2026 under John Harbaugh
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
