Week 1 brings a familiar opponent for the Cowboys, but the Giants they’ll see Sunday night at MetLife Stadium come with a much different look than the 4-13 group from a year ago.
New York spent the offseason reworking just about everything it could. The biggest move was on the sideline, where John Harbaugh now leads the team. The Giants are hoping his imprint shows up quickly: a physical style, a commitment to the run game and a roster built to reflect that identity.
They certainly added the pieces to try. In free agency, the Giants brought in linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, cornerback Greg Newsome II, defensive tackle DJ Reader, tight end Isaiah Likely, fullback Patrick Ricard and punter Jordan Stout. They also added receiver Darnell Mooney and safety Jevon Holland in what became a busy stretch for the franchise.
Then came the draft, where New York kept swinging. The Giants had two picks in the top 10 and used them on Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese at No. 5 and Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa at No.
- They later added Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood in the second round and Notre Dame receiver Malachi Fields in the third.
Reese, in particular, looks like a player who could matter right away. He put together a strong 2025 season at Ohio State with 69 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
Harbaugh has said the plan is to move him around, lining him up inside, attacking gaps and rushing off the edge with Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux. On paper, that gives New York one of the more athletic defensive lines in the league.
The offense now belongs to Jaxson Dart. The second-year quarterback is the starter, with Jameis Winston behind him. Dart’s growth is a major factor in whether the Giants can take a real step forward, and he enters the season with a full offseason program and a roster that should give him more support.
Last season, Dart threw for 2,272 yards on 216 completions, a 63% completion rate, with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also added 86 carries for 487 yards and nine touchdowns, showing the kind of dual-threat ability that can change a game. With the new additions around him and Cam Skattebo back, there’s more for him to work with in 2026.
Malik Nabers remains the headliner in the passing game, even while working his way back from the ACL injury that ended his 2025 season. Cowboys fans already know what he can do.
In Week 2 last year against Dallas, he went off for 167 yards on nine catches and two touchdowns. His status and effectiveness will be a major storyline Sunday night.
New York released Darius Slayton just days before the season, which leaves the receiver room built around Nabers, Mooney, Beckham and rookie Malachi Fields. That only makes Nabers more central to what the Giants want to do.
The backfield also has some options. Skattebo is back after the ankle/leg injury that derailed his rookie season, and Najee Harris, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary give the Giants multiple ways to approach the run game depending on the situation.
Defensively, there’s reason to believe New York could be better than it was last season. The Giants allowed 145.3 rushing yards per game a year ago, which ranked 31st in the NFL, but the personnel looks far more promising now.
Burns and Thibodeaux are back, Abdul Carter enters his second season, and Reese adds another versatile piece. Edmunds brings experience inside, while Newsome and Holland give the secondary a different feel.
There’s also a Cowboys connection to watch. Chauncey Golston, who spent his first five seasons in Dallas, is now with the Giants and is listed as a starting defensive end on New York’s Week 1 depth chart. Deonte Banks is also expected to bounce back and has won a starting job opposite Greg Newsome.
The preseason offered a decent preview of the new look. New York went 2-1, falling to Minnesota 13-10 in its opener before beating Miami 26-3 and the Jets 23-6.
The final preseason game was the cleanest of the bunch. The Giants kept the Jets off the board after their opening drive, rookie kicker Dominic Zvada hit three field goals, including a 53-yarder, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Xavier Gipson both found the end zone.
Preseason results only tell you so much, but for a first-year coaching staff, that was at least a solid start.
Still, Dallas has the history in this matchup. The Cowboys own a 78-48-2 regular-season edge over New York and have won 16 of the last 18 meetings. They’re also 11-1 against the Giants in Week 1 matchups.
That’s the backdrop for Sunday night: a rivalry that’s been lopsided for years, but a Giants team that looks different enough to make the opener worth a fresh look.
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Cowboys Suddenly Face A Week 1 Problem They Know Too Well
Malik Nabers is back in the mix for the Giants just in time for Week 1, and that matters because Dallas opens the season facing a receiver it has already spent plenty of time game-planning around. Nabers was a full participant in practice after working his way back from the torn ACL he suffered in Week 4, clearing up the uncertainty that had hung over his availability for the matchup.
For the Cowboys, the timing is less than ideal. New York is getting ready for its first game under head coach John Harbaugh, and Nabers presence gives that offense a dangerous piece right away against a Dallas defense coordinated by Christian Parker. Even before kickoff, the Cowboys are dealing with a familiar kind of early-season stress test, the sort that can turn a clean opener into a long afternoon. [Read more 🡒]
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Cowboys Could Be Watching A Costly Secondary Opportunity Develop
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But the latest word out of Pittsburgh is that the Steelers may simply hold onto Porter, even as contract talks remain at an impasse and his status for the start of the season is unsettled. For Dallas, that creates a familiar kind of waiting game, the sort where a promising secondary upgrade can shift from realistic to unlikely in a hurry, depending on how another team chooses to handle its own long-term plans. [Read more 🡒]