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Cover 3

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Cover 3: Summing up the offseason in one quote

COVER-3-JOHN-HARBAUGH

The Giants.com crew members discuss one quote that stuck out to them all offseason as it relates to the season ahead:

John Schmeelk: I went to the person whom I think is most important for the Giants' season being successful: Jaxson Dart:

"There's steps in my game that I want to grow within the pocket," Dart said on May 21. "So, I just think that each and every rep you're just trying to identify pre-snap, post-snap reads and then just be really solid with progressions. And those are just steps I'm trying to take at this time for sure."

I'm going to write about this a lot more in the "20 Questions in 20 Days" series, so I will leave some meat on the bone. But the reason this pops out to me so much is that it shows a level of maturity that Dart realizes the things he needs to get better at to become a better quarterback. You can't win consistently in the NFL playing outside the pocket, on the move, out of structure, and scrambling often. Those clubs have to be in the bag, but it can't be the ones Dart uses the most.

In the same press conference, he went on to explain how this offense is a little bit different than last season.

"Definitely a lot more of the under-center action game, for sure," Dart said. "I just think that the overall command. There's a lot of kills, alerts that go into really every play. We're able to play fast but at the same time there's a lot that's on the quarterback's shoulders. So, I just think it's really just another growth, another stepping point into my experiences as an NFL quarterback. And I think it's just been fun to learn these new things and expand my knowledge of the game."

Dart's EPA per dropback on play-action plays under center last season was .05, which was 27th among 45 quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts. His sack rate of 20 percent was 33rd of 33 quarterbacks and his average time to throw on those plays was 4.01 seconds, longer than only Tyrod Taylor and Cam Ward of quarterbacks that had at least 100 pass attempts. Don't get too worried about this because Dart only had 24 attempts of under center play-action last season. That is an extremely small sample size, but it's clear Dart knows he is going to do it more this year and understands this is a part of his game that needs to improve. That's a good thing.

If he can combine his running and out-of-structure playmaking with a more consistent pocket passing game, with more consistent footwork and getting through progressions quicker, Dart may be in line for a big jump in his second season.

View photos of the New York Giants' 2026 roster as it currently stands.

Dan Salomone: I chose a quote that was given to the head coach who is tied for the 13th-most wins in NFL history by one of his mentors who has the fourth-most combined victories:

"Andy [Reid] is a man of few words, and his four words to me were: Change can be good," John Harbaugh said at his introductory press conference on Jan. 20. "That's what he said, change can be good. He was excited. He's fired up for us. He's a good friend. Yeah, we'll try to do -- how about we do this, how about we deal that right now. We'll sign up for that deal right now, what he did in Kansas City. Let's do that."

Harbaugh, who made a name for himself on special teams and was one of four assistants retained by Reid when he took over the Eagles in 1999, has embraced his move from Baltimore, where he won 193 games including a Super Bowl.

His brother had the same reaction as Reid.

Jim Harbaugh moved to Los Angeles two years ago. The Chargers went on to post double-digit wins and make the postseason in 2024 and 2025. It was Jim's second NFL act after he led the 49ers to three conference championships in four seasons, including a Super Bowl appearance against John's Ravens.

"As a matter of fact, that's what my brother told me," John said of Jim. "He said you're going to be really excited to walk into that room for the first time with a different team, a team that you haven't been around, and just start fresh from the beginning and kind of build it up the way you want to – new, knowing all the things you know now that you've learned in the last 18 years or last 28 years. I just can't wait."

Change has dominated 1925 Giants Drive – literally and figuratively – since that inaugural presser.

It can be good starting the night of Sept. 13 against Dallas.

Meet the coaches who are part of John Harbaugh's inaugural staff with the New York Giants.

Matt Citak: With Harbaugh at the helm, we have gotten a plethora of great sound bites over the last few months. But since Dan already discussed a quote from him and John took one from Dart, I'll go with one from the other side of the ball. It's been discussed often this offseason, but in terms of player personnel, the biggest factor that could lead to a major transformation on the defensive side of the ball was the acquisition of linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Arvell Reese.

"Man, they look like – I don't know," outside linebacker Brian Bruns said about the two new linebackers during last month's minicamp. "I (have) never seen a linebacker duo like that, just off first glance… [Reese] and Tremaine look scary as hell. If I was Dart – yeah, I'd be nervous."

"They look just like us," he added about the pair being the same size as the members of the OLB room.

Between Edmunds, Reese, Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter, here are how the five measure up:

  • 6-5, 250 (Burns)
  • 6-5, 258 (Thibodeaux)
  • 6-3, 252 (Carter)
  • 6-4, 251 (Edmunds)
  • 6-4, 243 (Reese)

With these five on the field, the Giants' defensive front will present a daunting matchup for opposing offenses. But the impact Edmunds and Reese specifically could have on the whole defense cannot be understated.

The pair give the Giants their most athletic linebacker duo in a long time, with both players having the ability to play sideline to sideline. This was on display during spring practices as both the veteran and the rookie were all over the field. The loss of Dexter Lawrence undoubtedly hurts the group up front, but even without Lawrence, the run defense could make a significant leap with the presence of Edmunds and Reese in the middle of the field. Add in the two linebackers' coverage and pass rushing skills, and it's easy to see how the defense could transform in 2026.

Take a look at rare photos of New York Giants training camps through the years.

nyg_trainingcamp_1920x1080_schedule (1)

Giants announce 2026 open training camp dates

New York Giants 2026 Training Camp, presented by Ford, will be held at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia and will feature six practices free and open to the public.

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