The Giants are heading into Sunday night’s matchup with the Cowboys with a few different storylines swirling around them, from Jaxson Dart’s development to Malik Nabers’ status and even a handful of outside voices already projecting a brighter future for New York.
One of the bolder takes comes from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who has the Giants making the 2026 playoff field as an NFC wild-card team. Barnwell pointed out that New York finished 4-13 in 2025, but still sees them as the kind of team that can take a leap the way the Bears and Jaguars did after looking much worse the year before.
He also noted that the Giants are dealing with a difficult path, ranking eighth in projected strength of schedule per the FPI, with a slightly easier slate than the Cowboys and Commanders. Even so, Barnwell believes they could end up as “the league’s most surprising wild-card team.”
That optimism lines up with other projections floating around the league. SNY’s bold predictions for the 2026 season have the Giants winning eight games, with the possibility of nine if things break right.
The case there starts with the coaching change, as the Giants brought in a coach who had only three losing seasons in 18 years with Baltimore. It also leans on the return of Malik Nabers for the opener, the improved offensive line, and a defense loaded with pass rushers.
The reservations are centered on Dart, who “wasn’t good this summer,” according to the piece, as he worked through Matt Nagy’s pro-style system. Still, the argument is that if he finds his footing and plays like a top-15 passer, the Giants have a real shot to sneak into the playoffs.
That’s a lot of faith in a team that still has plenty to prove, but the raw talent on the roster is drawing attention. The Athletic described the Giants’ pass-rush group - Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux and inside linebacker Arvell Reese - as one of the most athletic collections in the league. The same report said the Giants can be dangerous if they build early leads and expected John Harbaugh to lean on the ground game to help Dart as much as possible.
Dart, for his part, has already shown the kind of arm talent that gets people talking. The Record highlighted his “spectacular” ability and pointed to his remarkable touchdown pass to rookie Malachi Fields in the preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings, a throw the outlet said only a handful of NFL quarterbacks can make.
There’s also the very immediate question of how the Giants handle the Cowboys this week, and Harbaugh didn’t exactly go out of his way to feed the speculation around his lineup. After Wednesday’s practice, he shut down a run of questions by saying, “We can put a stop to all these questions,” before explaining that he wasn’t going to reveal who is playing, who is starting, what packages are installed, or what plays are coming.
He added, “But I’m not going to tell you because when you know, the Cowboys know - or every other team we play knows. And that’s not in the competitive interest of our football team.
Does that make sense? So, I think you can respect that.”
Harbaugh also addressed the release of veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton in a separate presser, saying, “We always make all of our personnel decisions about what’s best for the team immediately and in the long-term future. What gives us the best chance to be the best team we can be and that’s the choice that we made.”
There was also some league-wide context around the Giants’ Week 1 situation. USA Today noted that since the $1.6 billion stadium opened, the Giants have hosted seven regular-season openers in East Rutherford and haven’t had much luck in them. In fact, they haven’t won a Week 1 home game since beating the Carolina Panthers, 31-18, to open the 2010 season - the first game played at MetLife Stadium, then called New Meadowlands Stadium.
So while the Giants are still a team full of questions, the conversation around them is already stretching beyond Sunday night. Some analysts see a roster that could jump quickly.
Others are focused on whether Dart can handle the scheme, whether Nabers is ready to go, and whether the pass rush can carry the load. For now, that’s the shape of the story as New York gets set for Dallas.
In Other News...
Giants' Darius Slayton Decision Suddenly Looks Bigger After Patriots Injury
A.J. Browns Week 1 ankle injury in New England immediately changed the conversation around the Patriots receiver room, with the veteran being diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain and X-rays showing no fracture. The timetable is still fuzzy, but the early outlook suggests a potential absence of several weeks, and that kind of uncertainty tends to send teams looking for help wherever they can find it.
For the Giants, that makes the recent decision to move on from Darius Slayton look even more relevant than it did just days ago. Slayton is now a free agent option who could fit a Patriots team suddenly facing thinner depth at the position, and his availability adds another layer to a roster move New York already made. When injuries hit this early, a player with Slaytons experience can quickly go from expendable to a name worth monitoring. [Read more 🡒]
Giants May Have Found Jaxson Darts Missing Piece Already
The Giants decision to release veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton has already shifted the conversation around the passing game, and it may not just be about clearing snaps for the next man up. With Malik Nabers headlining the group and Darnell Mooney and Odell Beckham Jr. also in the mix, the depth chart now leaves room for a younger player to force his way into a real role. That is where rookie Malachi Fields comes in, after turning heads in preseason action and giving the staff a reason to think he can be more than a placeholder.
For Jaxson Dart, that matters. A young quarterback can use all the help he can get, and Fields has at least shown enough to suggest he could become a dependable option as the season unfolds. The Giants do not need him to be the finished product right away, but if his preseason showing carries over, he could end up looking like a much bigger piece of Darts support system than anyone expected when training camp began. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Enter John Harbaughs First Season With One Big Concern
John Harbaughs first season in charge will come with plenty of familiar pressure points for the Giants, but the offensive line may be the clearest one. PFF slots the group 23rd in its 2026 rankings, a placement that reflects a unit with some intrigue but not nearly enough certainty. Andrew Thomas remains the headliner up front, and his play gives New York a real anchor when he is available, even as his injury history keeps the conversation from getting too comfortable.
Gordon McGuinness pointed to the lines promise while making clear it still needs development, which is where rookie Francis Mauigoa enters the picture. If Mauigoa can help speed up the progress, the Giants could at least start to stabilize the offense under Harbaugh, but this is still a group expected to need more time than patience usually allows in New York. Until the protection settles in, everything else the new staff wants to build on offense will have to work around that uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]