OTA highlights for the New York Giants include strong performances from Calvin Austin III and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Jaxson Dart connected with Austin for a significant gain, while Thibodeaux showed pass-rushing prowess. Tyler Nubin and Brian Burns were seen communicating on defense, indicating players are actively engaged in learning the new scheme under coach John Harbaugh
In building John Harbaugh’s first team as New York Giants head coach, the Giants seemed to focus largely on revamping a woeful defense and fixng a shaky kicking game. They did not, though, ignore supplementing the offense to help second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart . The Giants drafted guard Francis Mauigoa No. 10 overall and wide receiver Malachi Fields No 74 overall. The signed tight end Isaiah Likely , and added receivers Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin after losing Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency. So, how good is Dart’s supporting cast? Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports ranks the personnel around Dart 20th among the NFL’s 32 teams . He wrote: If Malik Nabers hadn’t torn his ACL last season, the Giants would be higher on this list. Maybe much higher. They have a deep receiving corps without Nabers, especially after signing Darnell Mooney and drafting Malachi Fields in the third round this offseason. And the addition of Isaiah Likely gives the Giants potentially the most dangerous TE they’ve had in years. They also have what one scout told me is a “sneaky good” running game behind a much-improved offensive line. If second-year back Cam Skattebo can fully recover from his devastating leg injury, he’ll join Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary in a potent rotation. All that may be enough for the offense to be good around second-year QB Jaxson Dart, “but Nabers changes everything,” one scout told me. “I didn’t think he played great as a rookie (in 2024). He had too many drops and his quarterback play was awful. But look at the numbers he put up (109-1,204-7). With better quarterback play and help around him, he could be a monster.” Of course, that’s when he’s fully recovered. Nabers recently had another procedure on his knee and his status for Week 1 is uncertain. Is Vacchiano’s ranking accurate? Probably, if you consider putting the Giants somewhere from 14-20 in the midpoint. The Giants are not barren of talent on offense. Nor are they overflowing with riches. The Giants were 16th in the NFL in points per game a season ago at 22.4, the exact midpoint of the league. There are several reasons they could be better than that. If Nabers and Cam Skattebo are healthy and productive for all or most of 2026, that would be a plus. Improvement from Dart in Year 2 would be a plus. If Isaiah Likely, Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin, and Malachi Fields are better than Daniel Bellinger , Wan’Dale Robinson and the backup receivers the Giants used in 2025, that is another plus. If Sisi Mauigoa justifies being the 10th overall pick and the offensive line remains healthy, that should bring improvement. Offense was not the Giants’ problem in 2025, and there is certainly potential for improvement in 2026
We are now in the throes of the NFL offseason, and the vast majority of roster building has been done. So, let’s begin going position-by-position through the New York Giants roster to see if they are better, worse, or perhaps the same as they were in 2025. We will begin at wide receiver. Key additions: Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin , Malachi Fields Key losses: Wan’Dale Robinson Roster : Darius Slayton , Gunner Olszewski , Malik Nabers , Darnell Mooney, Ryan Miller , Jalin Hyatt , Isaiah Hodgins , Xavier Gipson , Malachi Fields , Beaux Collins , Dalen Cambre , Calvin Austin III *** Rookies in bold For starters, because they should have some version of their best player, Malik Nabers for more than three-plus games. Even if Nabers isn’t fully back to 2024 form, he will still make some plays and be a weapon defenses need to pay extra attention to. His presence alone should make the group better than it was a year ago. Next, because they have depth. Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin are legitimate NFL receivers, and Malachi Fields adds youth, size and potential to help the passing and running games. The Giants shouldn’t be stuck playing Jalin Hyatt, or trolling the NFL scrap heap for players like Ray Ray McCloud . Maybe Nabers won’t be healthy, or will just be a shell of the star he was in 2024. Maybe the Giants will miss Wan’Dale Robinson more than we think. Maybe Mooney and Austin aren’t the upgrades we think they are, and Fields turns out to be a big, slow guy who can’t get open and can’t catch. Maybe Darius Slayton has one of those years he is prone to where catching the ball seems optional. Maybe tight end Isaiah Likely , who is expected to often function as a big slot receiver, isn’t up to the task of being more than the secondary target he was with the Baltimore Ravens . SHOULD be better. They should have Malik Nabers for more than three-plus, and they should be deeper than they were a year ago. If Darnell Mooney remotely close to the 1,000-yard season he had playing for Matt Nagy with the Chicago Bears in 2021, that would be massive. You never know what will happen with injuries, but when I look down the depth chart I feel better about what I see than I did a year ago
The Giants continue to express confidence that their star wide receiver, Malik Nabers, will be ready for the start of the season — which we now know is a Sept. 13 “Sunday Night Football’’ meeting with the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. Nabers is returning to form slowly and steadily this spring. Earlier this offseason, he underwent a second procedure on his surgically repaired right knee, The Post confirmed, described as a cleanup to remove scar tissue that developed from the October 28 reconstructive surgery to his ACL and meniscus. Nabers went down in Week 4 as the Giants won their first game of the 2025 season 21-18 over the Chargers — Jaxson Dart ’s first NFL start. Nabers ended his second NFL season with only 18 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns. In 15 games as a rookie, Nabers showed what the Giants saw in him as the No. 6 pick in the 2024 draft with 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. Dart and Nabers were on the field together for less than a half of football last season, as Dart had to adjust to life in the NFL without his top target. The Giants signed two veteran receivers, Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III , in free agency. Darius Slayton , the longest-tenured Giants player, returns for an eighth season. The Giants signed pass-catching tight end Isaiah Likely and traded up in the 2026 draft to get Malachi Fields , a towering receiver from Notre Dame, in the third round