Big Blue View
We are right in the middle of the dreaded “dog days of summer”, between the end of the New York Giants off-season program and the opening of their training camp at the end of July.
This is the only really quiet period the NFL allows us in their drive to dominate the entire calendar, and outlets use it as a time to reflect and look ahead to the coming season.
Seth Walder of ESPN took the opportunity to hand out grades for all 32 teams.
We’ll evaluate the actual decisions each team has made during the offseason. This is not a measurement of talent gained or lost. That’s a valid exercise, but a different one. For example, the Raiders have unquestionably improved their roster between the Super Bowl and now. But did they make good team-building choices to get there? I have doubts.
We will, of course, look at his grade for the Giants and reasoning in detail, but first I’ll just spoil the grades for the whole NFC East.
Rather than have one long quote block followed by a long response, I’m going to break this up point-by-point.
New York Giants: B+
Biggest move: Hiring John Harbaugh as coach
Move I liked: Trading DT Dexter Lawrence II
Move I disliked: Signing LB Tremaine EdmundsNothing was more significant than the Giants successfully landing Harbaugh. He should be a stabilizing force given his long track record of success in Baltimore, and he rightfully gives fans hope in the franchise’s new direction.
No arguments from me here. I cited Kevin Stefanski as my favorite “realistic” option for the Giants when we discussed the possibility of a new coaching staff mid-season last year, but also listed either John Harbaugh or Mike Tomlin as my “dream” coach for the Giants. I didn’t think there was a great chance that either would become available after the 2025 season.
Harbaugh’s arrival is pretty much the foundation for an optimistic outlook for 2026. There’s been a lot of talk about respectability and cache with Harbaugh, but I think stability and experience are more important. I do think Brian Daboll is a good coach, but not a great leader. After four years, I suspect (pure speculation on my part) that volatility and personality conflicts sabotaged what started out as an excellent coaching staff.
Harbaugh is heralded as a culture builder, and I think the commitment to accountability, an attention to detail, teaching at every position, “agreeing to agree” matter more than individual schemes.
But in terms of players, the biggest decision the Giants made was to trade Lawrence to the Bengals for the No. 10 pick. That was a huge win. As much as I — and probably the Giants! — like Lawrence as a player, he was coming off a down season, and the value of the No. 10...
