Wherever you’ve looked, you’ve probably seen nonstop praise for John Harbaugh, Joe Schoen, and the New York Giants this offseason.
Harbaugh and many of his ex-Ravens assistants are now in New York, as are former Baltimore tight end Isaiah Likely and All-Pro punter Jordan Stout. Then came the draft, when Ohio State edge rusher Arvell Reese and Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa arrived in the first round.
Many NFL analysts and talking heads, including Colin Cowherd and Greg Olsen, have suggested the Giants are a potential playoff team. CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards clearly isn’t buying in, as he omitted the Giants from a list ranking the league’s 10 best offseasons.
“New York missed the cut because the Dexter Lawrence loss has to be taken into account just as much as its additions,” Edwards wrote. “The Giants lost wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson, tight end Daniel Bellinger and others as well.”
CBS Sports overreacted to the Giants’ offseason revamp
Of the three players that Edwards noted, the only loss truly worth noting is Lawrence — and even then, he looked a step slower last season and feuded with Giants legend Carl Banks amid the worst year of his career.
Robinson leaving for the Titans hurts from a statistical perspective, but it’s the inclusion of Bellinger that caught us off guard. The duo of Likely and Theo Johnson sounds far better than that of Johnson and Bellinger, the latter of whom received over $14 million in guaranteed money to be Tennessee's No. 2 tight end.
Had the Giants given Bellinger that three-year, $24 million contract, they’d most likely have been branded an offseason loser for overpaying a blocking tight end. Yet we’re going to hold that against them?
Harbaugh’s arrival alone should have earned the Giants a spot on Edwards’ list. He’s the most accomplished coach to take over the Giants since Tom Coughlin over two decades ago, and he’s brought instant credibility and optimism to a franchise desperately needing a reason for hope.
Edwards admitted that he had three teams — the Giants, 49ers, and Saints — battling it out for the final spot, with San Francisco taking the title after signing Mike Evans and Dre Greenlaw. We don’t disagree with that decision, but arguing that the Texans and Commanders had better offseasons than the Giants?
Washington is arguably the NFC East’s worst team, whereas the Giants are positioned to take advantage of a winnable division. So how did the Commanders earn the No. 8 ranking?
Luckily for the Giants, they'll have four chances to prove Edwards wrong, beginning with a Week 5 trip to Washington. Harbaugh and the Giants then play the Texans in Week 7, host the Commanders three weeks later, and battle the 49ers in Week 13.
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