Sunday night marks the first time in over a decade that the New York Giants have had a Super Bowl-winning coach leading the way, and the excitement surrounding the John Harbaugh era has persisted into September.
There’s been no shortage of attention paid to the Giants throughout the offseason, whether it involved Harbaugh’s hire, questions about Jaxson Dart’s viability as a franchise quarterback, or the divisive reunion with former star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who survived final cuts and is expected to suit up against the Cowboys.
But of all the offseason storylines involving the Giants, these are the ones we’re most interested in watching in Week 1:
Get ready to see Isaiah Likely thrive in prime time
Few players on the Giants drew more offseason buzz than Likely, and that includes the rookies. To his credit, Likely immediately emerged as Dart’s favorite target throughout training camp and the preseason, and we have high hopes for how the duo will fare on Sunday night.
Darius Slayton’s release shouldn’t have a significant impact on Likely’s targets, only because the expectation for several weeks has been that Dart will primarily throw to Likely and Malik Nabers. Don’t be surprised if third-year tight end Theo Johnson also plays a major role, especially in the red zone.
Tyler Smith’s injury is excellent news for Arvell Reese’s debut
They say that no news is good news, and Giants fans should be encouraged that we never heard about Reese struggling with the transition from edge rusher to a more traditional linebacker role.
Dallas will be without three-time Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith, who is likely to miss at least four weeks following thumb surgery. Although Smith wouldn’t have been the one typically tasked with blocking Reese, the news nonetheless bodes well for the No. 5 pick and an explosive Giants pass-rush.
John Harbaugh and the Giants are buying high on Najee Harris
We’ve previously discussed Harris’ impact on the Giants’ running back room, so we’ll try to keep things simple. Tuesday’s unofficial depth chart listed Cam Skattebo as the top running back, with Harris, Tyrone Tracy Jr., and Devin Singletary all listed at the co-No. 2 spot.
Barring injuries, we’re not anticipating much from Tracy or Singletary on Sunday night. The former appears to have lost much of the goodwill he’d generated with the previous coaching staff, and last month’s missed block against the Vikings did Tracy no favors. We’ll see whether the Giants activate all four running backs or if one, which would presumably be Tracy or Singletary, are healthy scratches.
Keeping our eye on Patrick Ricard, Jordan Stout, and the other ex-Ravens
Reciting the amount of former Ravens players who followed Harbaugh to the Giants nearly takes as long as rattling off all 46 presidents. Malik Harrison’s recent arrival on the practice squad makes it at least nine ex-Ravens who have spent time with the Giants this year.
Likely and Beckham Jr. are the big names, so it’s easy to forget the Giants added an All-Pro punter in Jordan Stout. We’re curious to see how often veteran fullback Patrick Ricard lines up as an in-line tight end on passing plays. Ricard played 41% of the Ravens' offensive snaps last year, his most since 2022, and Harbaugh is a longtime fan of the six-time Pro Bowler.
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