John Harbaugh's Giants: What's a realistic goal in Year 1 with new coach?

Since Tom Coughlin resigned in January 2016, the Giants have gone through a carousel of coaches. None could stop the team’s downward spiral from contender to cellar rat.

The Giants hope to change that this season. They hired John Harbaugh not just as a proven winner but a leader. There’s a reason they didn’t let him leave town after his interview without a verbal agreement that he’d be their next coach.

Harbaugh has been delivered, and now it’s his turn to deliver on expectations. Win games. Build a tougher team. Give the Giants hope that they’ve finally reversed 10 years of despair and poor play.

“I really feel like this is a team that is very determined to be a great football team,” Harbaugh said. “Now let's see if we can go make something of it.”

The Giants have gone 7-27 over the last two seasons, one of the worst stretches in team history. That’s why Harbaugh is being greeted as a savior. He’s leading the charge this first season with a team that is bigger, stronger and more physical.

It starts with Jaxson Dart. The Giants trust the second-year quarterback to lead the offense and they’ve made upgrades around him.

Gone is Wan’Dale Robinson after his 1,000-yard season. Replacing him are Darnell Mooney and rookie Malachi Fields. Tight end Isaiah Likely is on board after being a reliable Ravens weapon for Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson.

All Dart must do is stay healthy and avoid taking unnecessary hits that send him to the blue medical tent. Besides his arm, he’ll contribute to a ground game that could carry offensive coordinator Matt Nagy’s new scheme.

Cam Skattebo is healthy after his exciting rookie year. Tyrone Tracy Jr. had his second straight 1,000-yard season in terms of yards from scrimmage, but his place in the rotation is being challenged by free-agent signee Najee Harris and  Devin Singletary. Fullback Patrick Ricard adds a new dimension blocking for the stable of backs.

If the offense thrives, however, it won't be only because of Dart’s skill, four returning linemen and new weapons. It will help if Malik Nabers, who is returning from a devastating ACL injury, is healthy and better than the sensational rookie he was in 2024. Neither he nor the team have committed to having him play in Week 1, although he's trending toward possibly being ready by then.

"I'm going to be making sure that I'm ready to go out there and I'm healthy enough to play all four quarters," Nabers said. "That nobody got to make sure I'm not in on every play or they have to make sure I got enough snaps or my snaps are limited."

If he returns and again is a dominant presence, it will help Dart’s growth and elevate an offense that lacked big plays last season.

As far as the defense is concerned, the Giants were terrible holding leads and allowed five fourth-quarter comebacks last season. Their run defense was among the league’s worst for the second straight year.

It’s enough to make Lawrence Taylor, Michael Strahan and Harry Carson feel blue, but Harbaugh is trusting new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson to fix things.

Step 1 to stop the run? Signing linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and drafting rookie Arvell Reese in the first round. The tall, lanky duo are responsible for manning the middle. Like Abdul Carter last season, Reese’s versatility and ferocity make him a precocious talent.

Step Two? Replacing All-Pro Dexter Lawrence by committee. There’s no true way to fill the void after Lawrence was traded to the Bengals, but adding D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris is a start, along with trusting second-year tackle Darius Alexander to show some growth.

Brian Burns is coming off his first All-Pro season, Carter is ready to build on a strong finish to a shaky first season and Kayvon Thibodeaux is motivated in his contract season.

The Giants must do everything possible to maximize their pass rushers’ ability to wreak havoc, and that starts with fixing the run defense and protecting leads.

Of course, the biggest addition might be Odell Beckham Jr., and after eight years away, the wide receiver will suit up hoping a return to his first team gives him one last moment of glory.

There’s a new kicker with rookie Dominic Zvada. After the Giants’ last three seasons of kicking issues, Zvada aims to be the solution with a powerful leg that proved to be accurate in camp.

All eyes, though, are on Harbaugh. He promised change and had only three losing seasons in 18 years in Baltimore. That’s why some believe the Giants can make the leap to being a playoff contender.

Some aren’t so sure. ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said that while this team could improve, the playoffs aren’t a realistic goal yet.

“I see this as a difficult team to play against, an annoying team to play against,” Orlovsky told Newsday. “If you’re the Giants, realistically it's playing meaningful games late November, early December, games that matter. Where you sit there and go, ‘If we can win three out of four, we got a chance to be the seven seed.' ”