Tight end Isaiah Likely has never played a game with Malik Nabers as a teammate, but the newcomer to the Giants says he understands what Nabers can do to elevate an offense
Ravens tight ends coach Zack Grossi stated that the tight end room is built around veteran Mark Andrews, with other players complementing his role. Despite a down year in 2023 due to Lamar Jackson's absence, Andrews is expected to see increased snaps and improve with Jackson healthy, making him a tight end to watch this season
Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews is in line for a solid 2026 season. Andrews had a down 2025 season, with 48 receptions for 470 yards and six touchdowns, finishing as the TE16 in half-PPR formats. That was with Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar still firmly in the mix, and star quarterback Lamar Jackson missing several games. Now, the Ravens hired Declan Doyle as the new offensive coordinator in 2026. Doyle came from the Chicago Bears in 2025 and has been under Broncos head coach Sean Payton for most of his coaching career. Both Payton's and Ben Johnson's offenses favor tight ends, with players like Sam LaPorta, Colston Loveland, and Saints tight end Jimmy Graham when Payton coached in New Orleans. There's a strong chance Andrews is the second option in the receiving game behind Zay Flowers, with a great quarterback supplying him as well. Ranked TE9 and 104 in RotoBaller's rankings, Andrews could be a great value this season
SNY's Alex Smith writes that New York Giants veteran wide receiver Darnell Mooney is "all but guaranteed to be the starting slot receiver" in his first year with the team in 2026. Mooney will have big shoes to fill in replacing Wan'Dale Robinson, who caught 185 of his 280 targets for 1,713 yards and seven touchdowns the last two years in New York, in the slot. Mooney had a down year with the Atlanta Falcons in 2025 with 32 catches for 443 yards and only one touchdown on 72 targets in 15 starts, but he also has had two seasons near the 1,000-yard receiving mark in his career. Whether Mooney can become an effective sleeper target for fantasy managers this year will likely depend on how Malik Nabers (knee) bounces back from his torn ACL and how quickly rookie wideout Malachi Fields can get up to speed in his first NFL season as a big-bodied, down-the-field threat. Fantasy managers definitely shouldn't just assume Mooney is going to be peppered with targets like Robinson was. The G-Men will have a new offense under head coach John Harbaugh this year, which is expected to rely more on the ground game. Mooney is considered RotoBaller's No. 93 fantasy WR for 2026 in what could be a low-volume role as he competes for targets with Nabers, Darius Slayton, and tight end Isaiah Likely
It was viewed as something of a surprise when the New York Giants didn’t move to remake their roster in free agency. John Harbaugh believes that the Giants’ existing roster is in a pretty good place and only needed a few additions to compete with anyone in the NFL. The national media, on the other hand, disagrees and the general consensus seems to be that a six- or seven-win season would be a good step forward for the Giants in Harbaugh’s first year. If the Giants are going to surprise the national media and exceed their expected win total, which is currently set at 7.5 on FanDuel , they’re going to need their veteran additions to have an impact. So this week we asked you which of the Giants’ biggest-name free agents will have the biggest impact for the Giants. The answer was, unsrurpisingly, tight end Isaiah Likely . Like I said, I fully expected Likely to come out on top in this poll. He’ll likely (no pun intended) see the field more than the other three players, and have more tangible production than Reader or Ricard. I could have included any of the myriad wide receivers, punter Jordan Stout , or linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in the poll. However, I do believe Likely will be a more consistent impact player than Mooney, Austin, Beckham, Smith-Schuster, or Berrios. Likewise, I don’t think Edmunds will be an impact player if Reader isn’t an effective defensive tackle. That leaves punter Jordan Stout, who I thought seriously about including. After all, fans who remember Steve Weatherford constantly flipping the field in the second half of the NFC Championship against the San Francisco 49ers will understand how impactful great punting can be. That certainly would have made the poll more interesting. However, I decided to make a bit of a point here with including Ar’Darius Washington over Stout. Here’s what I wrote in the original survey: One of the dominos to fall in Harbaugh’s arrival in New York was Washington’s injury in the spring of 2025. He was coming off of a breakout season for the Ravens and looking to become one of the big names at the safety position in the NFL. Modern NFL defenses demand a talented “STAR” to blur the lines between box safety, free safety, and slot corner, and allow the defense to be multiple without constantly shifting subpackages. The Ravens definitely noticed Washington’s absence in 2025 and now the Giants hope he can once again be a multifaceted sparkplug for the defense. The nature of defenses is changing right before our eyes. The Giants were one of the first teams to make heavy use of the “big nickel” package with their three safety set back in 2011, and proved highly effective against the Patriots’ 12-personnel package. It’s cropped up several times with other teams over the last couple years, but 2025 was a watershed year. We saw players like Kyle Hamilton , Nick Emmanwori , Cooper DeJean , and Budda Baker change how their defenses are able to gameplan and attack offenses. It’s no coincidence that we saw a very high number of safeties drafted highly this year, as more teams look for ways in which to combat modern offensive trends. Having a nickel defender who can blur the lines between slot corner and box safety is an incredible advantage for defenses. It allows them to shift looks and alignments on the fly and effectively deal with the run or pass, from 11 or 12-personnel packages. “STAR” is the Nick Saban terminology for the position, and I believe that we’ll hear the term used far more frequently over the next year as defensive trends shift. Dennard Wilson wants to run an aggressive match quarters defense that does a lot on the back end. Adding Washington to Dru Phillips gives Wilson more flexibility in designing coverage schemes, post-snap rotations, disguises, and pressures. The fact that just 7% of fans listed him as potentially having the biggest impact, while he could be one of the defense’s pivot players, suggests that he’s a guy we should be keeping an eye on this summer
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Norm Weiss asks: Ed, last year when Nabers went down and Skattebo went down, based on past history, I thought the offense would collapse. Instead, they were consistently better than they had been in years. I believe that the growth of the offensive line into a quality unit and intangibles from Jaxon Dart’s leadership were at the heart of the improved offense. With the drafting of Mauigoa, Dart’s further development, new coaching staff and the return of Nabers and Skattebo, do you think the Giants will have a top offense or am I just dreaming? Ed says: Norm, offense was not the problem for the Giants in 2025. Despite losing Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo , the Giants scored 22.4 points per game, 16th in the league. That is six more than in 2024 (16.1), and more than the Philadelphia Eagles (22.1). A team at the midpoint of the league in scoring should be competitive in most of its games. Whatever their shortcomings, ex-coaches Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka get some credit for that. Development is never linear, though. Simply because the offense improved a year ago does not mean it is going to take a similar leap this year. There are a lot of questions: Beyond being physical, which has constantly been promised, what will the scheme look like? Will Jaxson Dart , with a new scheme and new coaches, take a step forward? Will he regress? When will Nabers be available? How close will he be to the player he was in 2024? Who else steps up at wide receiver? Will tight end Isaiah Likely be the impact player the Giants are paying him to be? How will Sisi Mauigoa play as a rookie? Will Andrew Thomas stay healthy? The most important of those questions is, of course, the development of Dart. I have no concerns about the working relationships of the Giants offensive coaches, many of whom have previously been head coaches or play callers. I have talked to most of them about the situation. They each know the jobs they signed up for, the chain of command, the expectations of the head coach, and that team success is the best thing for each of their careers. I believe the offense has a chance to be better this season, but I’m not predicting a massive leap. Christopher Scanlon asks: For good reason, there’s been an awful lot of talk about our hopes for the D line’s ability to stop the run this season. I’d like to pivot to the D line’s impact on the pass rush, though. Specifically, Dexter Lawrence‘s impact on the edge’s productivity. Brian Burns had a career year last year. From non-Giants fans, though, there was murmuring about him being overrated and that a good number of his sacks were a result of double teams on and pressure of the middle by Lawrence. I’m not a film guy so I don’t know how much credence to give that perspective. When considering Burns‘ productivity, how much of it do you attribute to the Lawrence effect? Without his presence, do you think that it is likely that Burns falls back to earth? We have a lot riding on the strength of our pass rush and I wonder if it’s likely to be as as effective as we hope without a real presence of the middle. In a broader sense, don’t edges always kind of rely on the pocket being collapsed to flush the quarterback out for maximum effectiveness? Ed says: Chris, there is no doubt that the attention paid to Lawrence helps everyone around him. That is what a great nose tackle can do. D.J. Reader isn’t the pass rush Lawrence is. Few nose tackles have ever been. The nine sacks in 12 games Lawrence had a couple of seasons back is unheard of at that position. Now, do I know how Lawrence impacted Burns’ sacks? No, I don’t. I don’t have data on how often Lawrence was on the field or double-teamed when Burns got a sack. I do understand how some people can call Burns overrated. He was second in the NFL in sacks last season, but his advanced pass rush numbers don’t back that up. His pass rush pressure rate of 7.7% was only 30th among 62 qualifiers. His pass rush win percentage of 7.0% was 60th. Thos
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This article appears to be a placeholder or a very brief news update for the New York Giants on July 18, 2026, with a focus on Isaiah Likely. No specific details about player performance, injuries, or team strategy are provided in the current content
John Harbaugh didn’t want to engage in a rebuild when he signed on to be the New York Giants head coach. There were other places Harbaugh could have gone if he wanted to completely rebuild a team in his own image. Instead, he went to a Giants team which he believes has a roster that’s close to being competitive. Some viewed that as coach speak when he was hired and were skeptical when it was reported that the new regime only wanted to “tinker” with the roster in free agency. And yet, that came to pass and the Giants didn’t make many splashy free agent signings. That, however, doesn’t mean that the Giants aren’t counting on their newest veteran additions to have an impact both on and off the field. So for this week, we want to know which veteran free agent you think will have the biggest impact on the Giants in 2026. Isaiah Likely (tight end) – Likely is stepping out of Mark Andrews ’ shadow at tight end and will be one of the Giants’ primary receiving options. The belief is that Likely will not only give the Giants another receiving mismatch along side Theo Johnson , but that he’ll fit well with Jaxson Dart ’s penchant for improvisation. Patrick Ricard (fullback) – Ricard followed Harbaugh from Baltimore to the Meadowlands to be an impact player, literally. The fullback was brought in for his familiarity with Greg Roman’s running schemes and to add some added thud to the Giants’ downhill runs. Matt Nagy (and Brian Callahan) could also look to use Ricard as an added blocker or to force defenses into base packages with running looks alongside Likely and Johnson. D.J. Reader (defensive tackle) – The Giants (eventually) signed Reader to be the rock in the middle of the defense after Dexter Lawrence left town. Not only are the Giants signing the long-time vet to improve their depth and interior run defense, they also want him to help enable their linebacking corps. The Giants have one of the longest and most athletic groups of linebackers in the NFL. The hope is that Reader (and at least one more defensive tackle) will be able to occupy blockers and allow those linebackers to take over games. Ar’Darius Washington (safety) – One of the dominos to fall in Harbaugh’s arrival in New York was Washington’s injury in the spring of 2025. He was coming off of a breakout season for the Ravens and looking to become one of the big names at the safety position in the NFL. Modern NFL defenses demand a talented “STAR” to blur the lines between box safety, free safety, and slot corner, and allow the defense to be multiple without constantly shifting subpackages. The Ravens definitely noticed Washington’s absence in 2025 and now the Giants hope he can once again be a multifaceted sparkplug for the defense. Welcome to SB Nation Reacts. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Giants fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys
Roster turnover is only natural in the NFL from year to year. Whether it’s free agency, the NFL draft, or through trades, newcomers are going to be added to each team’s roster around the league. That’s just the nature of the game ever since the salary cap was implemented. Today, we’re going to look at each team the Dallas Cowboys will play the season and identify the most intriguing newcomer they will face. Some of them are well-seasoned veterans, while others are fresh to the league. Most of these new additions could impact the game one way or another. No offense to the fifth overall pick this year, Arvell Reese, but the Giants most intriguing newcomer is TE Isaiah Likely. This is an interesting matchup right out of the gate for Cowboys’ rookie Caleb Downs . Likely proved he has what it takes to be a go-to receiving threat during his time in Baltimore and will likely be a favorite of second-year QB Jaxson Dart . Washington signed Odage Oweh to a big money contract to hopefully upgrade their pass rush, but it’s their first-round pick, Sonny Styles, who gets the nod as their most intriguing newcomer. The seventh overall pick this year was continuously linked to the Cowboys throughout the pre-draft process and is one of the most physically gifted LBs we’ve seen in quite some time. Vega Ioane, the top-ranked guard in the draft this year, is an interesting candidate to be the Ravens most intriguing newcomer, but not over DE Trey Hendrickson, if for no other reason than the entire Maxx Crosby debacle. Regardless of how that situation ended up turning out, Hendrickson in his own right is a dominant pass rusher worth watching this year. Houston upgraded their offensive line (Keylan Rutledge) and defensive line (Kaydon McDonald) with their first two picks in the draft this year, both of which should make an immediate impact. The most intriguing newcomer though is RB David Montgomery. He’s been one of the most consistent, yet underrated, backs in the league and could test Dallas’ run defense. The Buccaneers were surprisingly quiet in free agency and didn’t make any major acquisitions. They did however make several smaller moves, but the most intriguing newcomer came via the draft, Rueben Bain Jr.. Bain was another player link to the Cowboys throughout the draft process and worth keeping an eye on when these two teams play in Week 5. The most intriguing newcomer Dallas will see in Week 6 against the Packers is someone they showed some interest in in the pre-draft process, CB Brandon Cisse. He’ll likely be a full-time starter at this point in the season and will have his hands full attempting to contain CeeDee Lamb , George Pickens , and Ryan Flournoy . Advantage Cowboys! Shout out to CB Riq Woolen as someone to watch for the Eagles, but the most intriguing newcomer in Philadelphia is A.J. Brown ’s replacement, rookie WR Makai Lemon. Not only is it an interesting storyline about how they traded up with Dallas to acquire Lemon in the draft, but how he’s going to replace an All-Pro after Brown was traded to the New England Patriots . There’s only one name that comes to mind as the most interesting newcomer to watch in the Week 8 matchup with the Cardinals, RB Jeremiyah Love. The rookie out of Notre Dame is expected to be a generational type of talent and one of the best running backs the league has seen in some time. He could be a challenge as both a runner and receiver for the Cowboys. The Indianapolis Colts didn’t really had any significant new faces in free agency, instead they focused on retaining/re-signing several of their own. Because of that, LB CJ Allen is probably the most intriguing newcomer the Cowboys will face in Week 9 when these two teams meet. Allen was someone linked to the Cowboys throughout the draft process mostly due to their need at LB. The most intriguing newcomer the Cowboys will face in the Week 10 matchup with the 49ers is a tie between DT Osa Odighizuwa and WR Mike Evans. The trade that landed Odighiz
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There is a definite sense of optimism surrounding the New York Giants, and real excitement for what the team can be in 2026. The Giants are considered one of the most likely teams in the NFL to make the leap from worst to first and could challenge the Philadelphia Eagles for the division crown. The biggest reason for that is the arrival of head coach John Harbaugh, but the Giants have also had a strong off-season that may have brought upgrades to almost every position on the field. The first priority for the Giants this off-season has been to build an environment in which Jaxson Dart can mature into a true franchise quarterback. ESPN polled their NFC East writers on the state of the teams they cover, and the very first question was how each team’s off-season impacts their respective quarterback. Giants writer Jordan Raanan noted the Giants’ many additions to their skill positions as a potential improvement for Dart, but believes the (potential) improvements to the offensive line will have a bigger impact. The Giants have contingencies for Jaxson Dart with the signings of tight end Isaiah Likely and wide receivers Darnell Mooney , Calvin Austin III and even Odell Beckham Jr. Of course, it would also be nice if he had star wide receiver Malik Nabers at his disposal. Nabers is still recovering from a serious knee injury and remains uncertain for Week 1, although the Giants remain hopeful. It would be a bit more than “nice” if the Giants have Nabers for the start of the 2026 season. That said, the Giants have certainly done a good job of giving themselves options when it comes to pass catchers. Isaiah Likely and Darnell Mooney will probably be quality additions to the offense, with the potential to be much more. Calvin Austin III has the potential to be an explosive weapon, while Beckham and Smith-Schuster could become reliable options for Dart. There’s the potential for high variance with all these players, and they’re all more likely to hit their positive outcomes with Nabers on the field. If Nabers isn’t ready to start the year, Raanan believes that the additions of Sisi Mauigoa and Patrick Ricard will help smooth things out while Nabers finds his way back to the field and rounds into form. Still, the biggest offensive upgrades this offseason have been to the offensive line. Shhhh, don’t tell anyone. The Giants’ offensive line isn’t just fixed, it’s the strength of the offense after the additions of right guard Francis Mauigoa with the 10th draft pick and the signing of All-Pro fullback Patrick Ricard. The biggest thing Dart has going for him is that he should have the help of quality protection and a running game. It’s honestly kinda weird that people still cite the Giants’ offensive line as a problem. I get it: Narratives go around the world while facts are still tying their shoes. But still, the Giants finished 11th in pass protection and 18th in run blocking. And that’s with Andrew Thomas (4 games), Jon Runyan Jr. (1 game), John Michael Schmitz (4 games), and Jermaine Eluemunor (1 game) all missing time last year. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the Giants’ offensive line was a weapon against defenses, but it was certainly a “quality” unit. Dart certainly wasn’t running for his life and was his own worst enemy when it came to protection at times It will be interesting to see how the Giants’ running game changes with the new regime, as well as Mauigoa and Ricard. The Giants were 5th in rushing yards per game, rushing touchdowns, and rushing EPA last year, so it’s also not like that was lagging in any regard. That said, we do need to see the load shift from Jaxson Dart to the running backs. Dart is one of the best running quarterbacks in the NFL, and legitimately runs like a running back. His vision and agility make his legs a weapon, but it should be a weapon of last resort. Fielding a top-5 running game that’s only supplemented — not driven — by the quarterback will be a big unlock for this team. Turning ba
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Good morning, New York Giants fans! NY Giants news: GM Joe Schoen’s contract extension length revealed What do advanced stats tell us about Jaxson Dart’s rookie season passing? Summer scouting: Can safety Koi Perich have a breakout season for Oregon? Who are the best Giants from each region of the country? New York Giants: A+. The Giants started the 2026 offseason with a bang, hiring Harbaugh after his departure from Baltimore . The new coach wasted no time rebuilding the roster in his image. New York signed four players who played for the Ravens last year — including breakout TE candidate Isaiah Likely — and notable defenders like LB Tremaine Edmunds , CB Greg Newsome II and DTs DJ Reader and Shelby Harris . Then Big Blue proceeded to absolutely crush the draft, picking up Reese at No. 5, Mauigoa at No. 10, CB Colton Hood at No. 37 and WR Malachi Fields at No. 74. My colleague Gennaro Filice ranked their draft class second among all 32 teams. The G-Men arguably improved in every facet this offseason and are one of my favorites sleeper teams in 2026. What has been the most underrated move by your team? The upgrade at inside linebacker. The Giants signed Tremaine Edmunds and drafted Arvell Reese fifth out of Ohio State. Even though many had Reese pegged as an edge rusher at the NFL level, the Giants do not. He’s an inside linebacker for them. Now New York has two long, physical linebackers in the middle of its defense. Reese and Edmunds are both listed at 6-foot-4 and should make it difficult for opposing quarterbacks to find passing lanes. It should be an upgrade from last year’s starting combination of Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden . The Giants now have McFadden, a proven NFL starter, in a reserve role. Fellow Giants quarterback Jameis Winston was recently asked about Dart prior to his second year in New York. Winston praised the young quarterback for his confidence and work ethic. “He’s so confident,” Winston told Giants Huddle. “His obsession with learning every single day and challenging his teammates and challenging his coaches, it’s so inspiring.” 7. Jaxson Dart was his own worst enemy in the pocket. The Allowed Pressures section of the QB Annual doesn’t just measure how often a quarterback is pressured — it also identifies QB-fault pressures, where the quarterback’s own pocket management or decision-making contributed to the pressure rather than the offensive line. It’s an important distinction when evaluating how much of a quarterback’s pressure profile is self-inflicted. In 2025, Jaxson Dart recorded the highest QB-fault pressure rate among qualifying starters, with 39.1% of the allowed pressures he faced attributed to his own decisions in the pocket rather than breakdowns in protection. Viewed alongside traditional pressure statistics, the split helps separate offensive line performance from quarterback responsibility. It provides another layer of context for evaluating whether pressure is primarily a protection issue, a quarterback issue or a combination of both. Tier 3: Promising Prospects. The mystery is the blessing (and potential curse). None of these quarterbacks played more than a single season. Each showed some level of promise during their rookie season. There are legitimate reasons to believe that each of these quarterbacks could be in line to do something special this fall. New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart. While he’s not Lamar Jackson , Dart nonetheless has impressive physical gifts and equally impressive determination. John Harbaugh is again tasked with helping his quarterback maximize his talent while also helping him avoid taking unnecessary hits, which has been Dart’s Achilles heel. Cardinals TE Trey McBride excited to have RB Jeremiyah Love ‘on our side’: That dude’s a ‘stud’ | NFL.com Texans waive DB Ajani Carter, LB Xavier Thomas off of IR | Pro Football Talk Denver Broncos’ defense searching for more turnovers in 2026 | ESPN.com Have a Giants-related question? E-mail it to bigb
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