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Fact or Fiction: Players to watch this spring

Apr 10, 2026 at 07:11 AM

by John Schmeelk, Dan Salomone & Matt Citak

The Giants.com crew is presented with four statements and must decide whether they are Fact or Fiction.

The defensive newcomer you're most intrigued to see on the field this spring is linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.

John Schmeelk: Fact – Edmunds is the choice for a few different reasons. First, he will impact the team's ability to not only stop the run but defend the pass. His ability to handle his zone in the middle of Dennard Wilson's defense will be important when the team plays their two high zones. He will also likely be the green dot on defense, which will make his leadership and organizational skills critical to the defense. His most essential role will be stopping the run. His size, physicality, length and range to make plays all along the line of scrimmage will be a big reason the run defense improves in 2026. If Dennard Wilson wants to play lighter boxes, his ability to be in the right gap and defeat blocks to make plays in the run game will be a big factor in whether the run defense is any better than it has been the last three years. I'm intrigued to see how Edmunds handles all these roles.

Dan Salomone: Fiction – I'm going to be "that guy" with my answer here. I pick whomever the Giants draft in a few weeks, whether that is at No. 5 overall or in Round 5. There is going to be a group of instant impact players available for the Giants and all eyes will be on that player -- or players -- when OTAs begin next month. However, I will say that Edmunds will still be a fun player to watch even without contact allowed. His 14 interceptions and 59 passes defensed lead all NFL linebackers since he began his career in 2018.

Matt Citak: Fiction – I'm more excited to see Edmunds once training camp begins and we start to see some tackling allowed. With no contact permitted during the spring, I'm more excited to see how Greg Newsome II looks. The veteran cornerback had an up-and-down last couple of seasons following a strong start to his NFL career. If Newsome can regain his form from his first three seasons, this could prove to be one of the most underrated signings of the offseason. Between Newsome and Paulson Adebo, who will be another full year removed from his serious leg injury suffered in 2024, the Giants could be looking at improved production from their starting outside corners.

The offensive newcomer you're most intrigued to see on the field this spring is tight end Isaiah Likely.

John Schmeelk: Fact – Likely was the team's biggest free agent signing on offense for a reason. Having high-level tight ends is always intriguing because a team can use them in a variety of ways. Likely is more of a "move" or "F" tight end that will line up off the line of scrimmage, but he is a willing blocker that does a good job with linebackers and defensive backs when asked to. I am curious how his presence expands the offense and how Matt Nagy utilizes him in the offensive system that he is developing with the rest of the coaching staff.

Dan Salomone: Fact – One of my big takeaways from the Annual League Meeting in Phoenix was how certain John Harbaugh was about Likely putting up bigger numbers with the Giants. Even though Likely became the second-fastest Ravens tight end (34 games) to reach double-digit receiving scores in a career, behind only Mark Andrews (28 games), Harbaugh believes there is more to come.

"I'm certain he's going to be able to put up the numbers … the stats," Harbaugh said. "That wasn't part of the thing in Baltimore because of the supporting cast, so to speak."

Matt Citak: Fact – There is a reason why John Harbaugh and the Giants made the former Ravens tight end the first free agent the team agreed to a deal with last month. Likely is going to play a big role in the offense this season, and with Malik Nabers coming off a serious knee injury, it wouldn't be surprising if Likely was among the team leaders in targets in the early part of the year. The athletic tight end must start developing chemistry with Jaxson Dart, and that begins this spring. Between Likely and Theo Johnson, the Giants offense could create a lot of mismatches in coverage this coming season.

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