When John Harbaugh took over as the New York Giants' head coach, it was officially his team, and he would be running the show.
Don't believe it? Well, look at some of the players he's brought over who have already contributed five games into the season. The most obvious among them is tight end Isaiah Likely, whom the Baltimore Ravens showed little to no interest in bringing back.
Likely signed a three-year, $40 million deal with New York during the offseason. Despite never having been a full-time starter in the NFL, he garnered plenty of preseason hype. After just five games in New York, he has already lived up to the expectations.
Giants TE Isaiah Likely is proving preseason hype was no fluke
In an ESPN article, Seth Walder predicted before the regular season began that Likely would lead the Giants in receptions. Five games into the 2026 campaign, that prediction has held up.
So far this year, the 26-year-old tight end leads Big Blue with 33 receptions for 284 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 8.6 yards per catch. Likely is also coming off a career-high 11-reception performance for 94 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday in the Giants' tie against the Washington Commanders.
Many of those receptions are coming on third downs, when Likely has been New York's go-to target.
Likely was brought in as an elite pass-catching tight end and a solid security blanket for Jaxson Dart (now Jameis Winston) after the Giants were unsure how long it would take for Malik Nabers to fully bounce back from his season-ending torn ACL he suffered early last year.
But with Nabers looking like the player he was during his historic rookie season, the Giants' tandem of pass catchers is proving to be a scary one.
Despite losing the aforementioned Dart to a season-ending knee injury, Likely is proving to be just as dangerous as a pass-catching tight end with Winston at the helm. He is well on his way to leading the Giants in receptions in year one with the franchise.
If Nabers continues to get 20 targets each game or complain when he doesn't, the receiver may pass Likely for the team lead in receptions at some point this season. Both players are capable of commanding primary roles in the offense. For a Giants that has lacked pass-catching options in recent years, that's a good problem to have.
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