Despite significant reasons for optimism heading into the 2026 season, the New York Giants were recently listed among Bleacher Report’s biggest losers of the organized team activities (OTAs) period.
The franchise added Super Bowl-winning head coach John Harbaugh, appears to have secured its quarterback of the future in Jaxson Dart, and bolstered the roster with high-upside draft selections in linebacker Arvell Reese and offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa.
1 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 13 vs. Dallas Cowboys, 8:20 p.m. ET
(Vincent Carchietta, Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)
1 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 13 vs. Dallas Cowboys, 8:20 p.m. ET
(Vincent Carchietta, Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)
2 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
Week 2: Monday, Sept. 21 at Los Angeles Rams, 8:15 p.m. ET
(Getty Images)
3 / 18
New York Giants 2026 schedule: 5 most intriguing games
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 27 vs. Tennessee Titans, 1:00 p.m. ET
(George Walker IV / Tennessean.com, George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK)
4 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 4 vs. Arizona Cardinals, 1:00 p.m. ET
(Getty Images)
5 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 11 at Washington Commanders, 1:00 p.m. ET
(Peter Casey, Peter Casey-Imagn Images)
6 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
Week 6: Sunday, Oct 18 vs. New Orleans Saints, 1:00 p.m. ET
(Stephen Lew, Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)
7 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
Week 7: Sunday, Oct 25 at Houston Texans, 1:00 p.m. ET
(Troy Taormina, Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)
8 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
9 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 8 at Philadelphia Eagles, 1:00 p.m. ET
(Bill Streicher, Bill Streicher-Imagn Images)
10 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
Week 10: Thursday, Nov. 12 vs. Washington Commanders, 8:15 p.m. ET
(Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com, Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
11 / 18
Kayvon Thibodeaux: Giants defense ‘almost cursed with too much talent’
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 22 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1:00 p.m. ET
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports)
12 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 29 at Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 p.m. ET
(Giants Wire)
13 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 6 vs. San Francisco 49ers, 1:00 p.m. ET
(Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com, Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
14 / 18
3 games where New York Giants could pull off a sneaky upset
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 13 at Seattle Seahawks, 4:15 p.m. ET
(Getty Images)
15 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 20 vs. Cleveland Browns, 1:00 p.m. ET
(Jason Miller, Getty Images)
16 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
Week 16: Monday, Dec. 28 at Detroit Lions, 8:15 p.m. ET
(Lon Horwedel, Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images)
17 / 18
2026 New York Giants schedule: Photos
Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 3 at Dallas Cowboys, 1:00 p.m. ET
(Kevin Jairaj, Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images)
18 / 18
New York Giants face brutal stretch to close out 2026 regular season
Week 18: Saturday/Sunday, Jan. 9/10 vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 1:00 p.m. ET
(Vincent Carchietta, Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)
However, injuries cast a shadow over the proceedings. Defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris suffered an Achilles injury during OTAs. While the team has not placed him on injured reserve (IR) and believes he could potentially return by season’s end, his absence compounds challenges on the defensive line following last year’s trade of Dexter Lawrence, leaving the Giants without their top two interior defenders from 2025.
Advertisement
Running back Cam Skattebo participated on a limited basis before taking first full-team reps in minicamp, but wide receiver Malik Nabers remains in a prolonged recovery from a complex knee injury. Harbaugh acknowledged the difficulty of Nabers’ rehabilitation process, though both the coach and general manager Joe Schoen have expressed confidence in his availability for Week 1.
That was Kristopher Knox’s argument for why the Giants are OTA “losers.”
The Giants could still be in store for a bounce-back season under Harbaugh, but they’re certainly not where they’d prefer to be health-wise.
The Giants retain potential for a strong bounce-back campaign under Harbaugh, yet health concerns have tempered early momentum
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants ranked among ‘biggest losers’ of 2026 NFL OTAs