The New York Giants stand on the cusp of the preseason under head coach John Harbaugh following a transformative offseason of roster overhauls, free agent acquisitions, and high draft picks.
The team now aims to build on-field cohesion while identifying its core contributors through the upcoming preseason schedule. These early games will reveal important details about positional depth, the development of young talent, and the overall readiness of the squad.
As anticipation builds for the 2026 campaign, here’s a quick look at some early power rankings from across the NFL.
Nate Davis, USA TODAY: 23 (+1)
Young team, young quarterback, heightened expectations that maybe need to be tempered a touch. Watch out for TE Isaiah Likely.
Nick Shook, NFL.com: 27
Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo are back. Wan’Dale Robinson is gone, while Malik Nabers isn’t yet participating fully in camp. Isaiah Likely looms as a potential difference-maker, but as of now, we can only project how his arrival might affect the offense under the direction of OC Matt Nagy. On paper, the defense should be better than it was last season. With John Harbaugh taking over, plenty of unanswered questions remain. The pieces are there to power this team to an improvement over its 4-13 mark in 2025, but we’re not exactly standing on firm ground as of now. Plus, the Giants still need to sort out their morass of receivers battling for jobs behind Darius Slayton and fast-rising rookie Malachi Fields. There’s plenty of room to climb, a process that begins in September.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: 25
A core of young players gave Giants fans hope. QB Jaxson Dart needs to protect himself better to stay healthy, but he had some thrilling moments as a rookie last season. Running back Cam Skattebo and receiver Malik Nabers have also shown a lot of promise, though both are also coming off serious injuries. It’s possible that by brining in John Harbaugh as a massive upgrade at coach, the Giants could have a dramatic improvement.
theScore: 19
Season-opening contests against the Cowboys and Rams will be even more daunting if top receiver Malik Nabers isn’t ready to go in his comeback from a torn ACL and meniscus. An offseason of hype could quickly wash away if the Giants open with back-to-back losses.
Josh Kendall, The Athletic: 28 (NC)
How good was Dexter Lawrence (who was traded to Cincinnati for the No. 10 pick, which turned into OT Francis Mauigoa)? So good that New York added seven new defensive linemen with a combined 48 years of NFL experience in hopes of filling his shoes. New Giants coach John Harbaugh also added first-round linebacker Arvell Reese to his defense.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: NFL power rankings round-up: How do Giants fare entering preseason?
Reporting by Dan Benton, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dan Benton, Giants Wire | USA TODAY Network
