John Harbaugh walked into the building in East Rutherford and immediately the bar for this franchise got raised by about six floors. That’s what happens when you hire a guy with a Super Bowl ring and a 15-year résumé of controlled chaos in Baltimore. Now comes the real test: can Joe Schoen actually put the pieces around Jaxson Dart to make this thing work, or is this offseason going to be another slow-motion disappointment dressed up in press release language? Free agency opens March 11, the Giants are strapped for cap space, and the wish list is longer than the Lincoln Tunnel. Let’s talk about who actually matters.
Start with Tyler Linderbaum, because if the Giants don’t get this right, none of the rest of it matters. The offensive line in front of Dart is looking dangerously thin, with Jermaine Eluemunor and Greg Van Roten both heading into free agency. Linderbaum followed Harbaugh’s entire run in Baltimore, and his 97.2% pass block win rate tied for second among qualifying centers league-wide last season. This isn’t a luxury add. It’s a foundational piece. You don’t hand a second-year quarterback a shaky interior and expect him to develop. Harbaugh knows Linderbaum, trusts Linderbaum, and the Giants reportedly can’t stop talking about him. If Schoen lets him walk to the Raiders because he flinched on the contract number, Big Blue fans have every right to be furious.
Then there’s Kenneth Walker III, and look, the buzz started at the Combine when ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported the Giants were evaluating top backs including Walker and Travis Etienne, with Walker projected to command around three years and $27 million. Harbaugh built Ravens teams that ran the ball down your throat and dared you to stop it. Greg Roman is already in the building as a senior offensive consultant. The infrastructure for a dominant ground game is there. Cam Skattebo flashed real upside last season, but there’s a difference between a promising rookie and a proven back who just demonstrated he can carry a team in January. Walker would immediately change the identity of this offense, take pressure off Dart, and open up the play-action game that Harbaugh runs better than almost anyone.
The secondary situation is genuinely complicated. Cor’Dale Flott had a breakout 2025, making 14 starts with 11 pass breakups and a career-best 73.3 passer rating against, and Harbaugh has publicly said he wants Flott back. But Flott is going to get paid, and he’s the kind of player whose asking price might not match his risk profile. The Giants ranked 17th in yards allowed per completion last season, so corner is absolutely a position of need if Flott walks. Eric Stokes is the budget option with a boom-or-bust track record, but the more intriguing name is Nahshon Wright. Wright put up five interceptions and a Pro Bowl nod with the Bears in 2025 at 6-foot-4, which fits perfectly under Dennard Wilson’s scheme preferences for press-man and Cover 2. The one-year wonder concern is real. But one year of elite production in a scheme fit is exactly the kind of gamble a Harbaugh-era Giants team should be willing to take on a team-friendly deal.
This offseason has to be different from 2025’s ill-advised spending spree. Harbaugh and Schoen need to be selectively opportunistic, not reactive. The Giants aren’t rebuilding anymore. They have a young quarterback, a real coach, and a fanbase that has been extremely patient for an extremely long time. Linderbaum locks in the line, Walker transforms the run game, and one smart bet in the secondary gives Dart a legitimate supporting cast heading into year two. Miss on all three, and the Harbaugh era is off to a very awkward start. The window opens March 11. How aggressive this front office is willing to be will tell you everything about whether they actually believe in what they’re building.
Other Names Worth Watching
Alec Pierce, WR — At 6-foot-3 with a league-best 21.3 yards per catch in 2025, Pierce is the kind of vertical threat that makes defensive coordinators lose sleep game-planning for a young quarterback. The Giants’ receiver room is currently one bad hamstring away from a crisis, and Pierce at the right price would give Dart a genuine downfield weapon without requiring the kind of contract that breaks a tight cap situation.
Jaelan Phillips, EDGE — The pass rush was a problem all of last season, and Phillips is one of the most intriguing boom-or-bust adds on the market. After being traded to the Eagles mid-season, he posted two sacks and 27 pressures in Vic Fangio’s system and flashed legitimate upside. He has 28 career sacks and 150 pressures over five years. The injury history is a real concern, but if Harbaugh gets him on the right contract structure, the ceiling is worth chasing.
Odafe Oweh, EDGE — If the Giants want a younger, healthier edge option, Oweh is the name. He racked up 7.5 sacks and 27 pressures with the Chargers after being traded from Baltimore mid-season, and added three more sacks in the wild card game. He’s 27, he’s ascending, and the fact that Harbaugh coached him in Baltimore for years means there’s zero adjustment period. This is exactly the kind of reconnection signing that makes sense for both sides.
Rasheed Walker, OT — The offensive line can’t just be fixed at center. Walker’s pass block win rate of 93.8% ranked 11th among qualifying offensive tackles last season, and at 26 years old he’s hitting the open market at exactly the right time for a team that needs to build protection around a developing quarterback. The technique needs polish, but the athleticism and mobility to match speed off the edge is already there.
Alontae Taylor, CB — If the Flott negotiation goes sideways, Taylor might be the most versatile Plan B on the market. He spent four seasons in New Orleans racking up 4 interceptions, 40 pass breakups and 7 sacks, which is a remarkably productive corner profile for a player who can line up anywhere across the formation. He fits Wilson’s scheme and won’t cost Linderbaum money to sign.
J.K. Dobbins, RB — The high-risk, high-reward dart throw on the running back market. When healthy in Denver last season, Dobbins averaged 5.0 yards per carry over 10 games before a Lisfranc injury ended his year. He cost Denver $2.75 million in 2025. If he shows clean bill of health by summer, that’s a potential Pro Bowl back on a team-friendly deal, which is exactly the kind of calculated gamble a cap-strapped roster should be hunting for.
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