Gotham football, everybody!<\/p>\n
In any event, the Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll last November after a 2-8 start to an eventual 4-13 finish, and interim head coach Mike Kafka was set aside in favor of longtime Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. Jim\u2019s older brother put up a 180-113 regular-season record in 18 years with the Ravens, with a 13-11 postseason record and a victory in Super Bowl XLVII over Jim\u2019s San Francisco 49ers. In this regard, Harbaugh would seem to bring more stability than any Giants head coach in a long time, because the Ravens have been one of the NFL\u2019s bastions of continued success in this millennium.<\/p>\n
Harbaugh knows that he\u2019s in for a bit of a rebuild, but he\u2019s also been conditioned to expect a certain level of success and improvement over time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a profound honor to be entrusted with the responsibility of coaching the New York Football Giants \u2014 one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports,\u201d Harbaugh said in his introductory presser<\/a>. \u201cI wanted this job to be on the biggest stage in the biggest sport. I know the challenges. I understand the expectations. I know the fans are hungry for a winner. We are here with one mission — to become, to earn the right, to be called the world champions in New York, and that\u2019s what we plan to do.\u201d<\/p>\n If that\u2019s to happen, Harbaugh will need more than the expected performances from the Giants\u2019 star players \u2014 he\u2019ll also need major bumps from those players whose potential remains under the radar.<\/p>\n Here are your Hidden Gems for the 2026 New York Giants \u2014 one underrated veteran, one underrated free agent acquisition, and one underrated draft pick.<\/p>\n Underrated veteran: DB Dru Phillips<\/p>\n FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 1: Dru Phillips #22 of the New York Giants looks on during the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on December 01, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael Owens\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to be playing nasty. We\u2019re going to play physical. We\u2019re going to play violent. We\u2019re going to live on the edge, play on the edge, but we\u2019re not going to hurt the team. We\u2019re going to be suffocating to the point we impose our wills on people. The players are going to buy into that mindset. It all starts from a mindset. We\u2019re going to play the New York brand of football, and that\u2019s violent defense.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s what new Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson said back in April<\/a>, when asked what kind of defense he would put on the field.<\/p>\n Philosophically, this would represent a serious improvement over the Giants\u2019 2025 defensive unit. That group ranked 26th in DVOA<\/a>, 26th in points allowed<\/a>, 27th in yards per play allowed, dead last in rushing yards per play allowed\u2026 well, you get the idea. It was Not At All Good, and going into a new season without Dexter Lawrence means that others will need to step up.<\/p>\n One of those who could use a bump in performance is third-year defensive back Dru Phillips, selected with the 70th overall pick in the third round of the 2024 draft out of Kentucky. 2024 was the first season under defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, who had replaced Wink Martindale, and that didn\u2019t really work out, though Phillips had a decent first NFL season. Playing primarily in the slot, he allowed 41 catches on 50 targets for 373 yards, 297 yards after the catch, one touchdown, one interception, no pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 96.1.<\/p>\n But before the 2025 season began, Phillips expressed frustration as to how his rookie season had gone.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year, I was part of the problem in communication,\u201d Phillips said in August. \u201cI was so young. I didn\u2019t feel like I was that confident in it. So we\u2019ve all grown, but then when you bring [safety Jevon Holland and cornerback Paulson Adebo in free agency] in, it\u2019s just like the level of knowledge in the room feels like it\u2019s way more than we had in the past. These guys, they play ball at a high level, they know ball also at a really high level. It\u2019s already people that know it, so communication makes it easier.\u201d<\/p>\n In some ways, Philips did his absolute best to make Big Blue\u2019s defense better. You won\u2019t find a lot of DBs totaling 12 pass breakups and nine tackles for loss in one season without garnering some national attention, but he somehow managed to accomplish all of this in 2025.<\/p>\n Dennard Wilson has a history of wanting his defensive backs to play aggressively, which would seem to match Phillips\u2019 playing personality to a \u201cT.\u201d Yes, he\u2019ll need to continue to balance his own aggression with consistency, but the Year 2 tape could be the preface to a much better story.<\/p>\n Underrated free agent: TE Isaiah Likely<\/p>\n Dec 15, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) makes a catch during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Harbaugh didn\u2019t take a lot with him from Baltimore, but the Giants did sign former Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely to a three-year, $40 million contract with $27 million guaranteed. Likely brings his talents to a group of targets for Jaxson Dart that could be formidable if everybody (mostly Malik Nabers) is healthy, and his addition to the Theo Johnson\/Chris Manhertz tight end group could be verrrrrrrry interesting.<\/p>\n Harbaugh comes from a Ravens franchise that obviously knows how to utilize multiple tight ends, and the 2025 Giants were surprisingly adept in this regard. They jumped from a 17.40% 12 personnel rate (one back, two tight ends, two receivers) in 2024 to 32.81% last season, and Giants quarterbacks (Dart, Jameis Winston, and Russell Wilson) completed 91 of 140 passes in 12 personnel for 1,245 yards, 693 air yards, seven touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 106.3 \u2014 ninth-best in the league.<\/p>\n Now, Likely comes on board after a 2025 season in which he caught 27 passes on 34 targets for 307 yards and a touchdown. That was a downturn from 2024, when he caught 49 passes on 68 targets for 603 yards and seven touchdowns, but Baltimore\u2019s passing game wasn\u2019t quite up to its own level last season. Likely also dealt with a foot injury all season long, and missed three games late in the season.<\/p>\n If there are any lingering issues (and Harbaugh would know), the head coach doesn\u2019t seem too concerned.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a playmaking football player,\u201d Harbaugh said<\/a> after the deal was struck. \u201cI think Jaxson is going to really like him running the routes and being in his line of vision. He\u2019s got a big catch radius. He can make plays after he makes the catch.<\/p>\n \u201cHe can get upfield. He can make people miss. He can run people over. He\u2019s a very good perimeter blocker. You\u2019ll see that. That\u2019ll be good for our run game. All those things he brings to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n Any port in a storm for an offense that ranked 26th in DVOA last season<\/a> \u2014 if Likely allows the Giants to take hold of the new multi-tight end trend<\/a>, all the better.<\/p>\n Underrated draft pick: WR Malachi Fields<\/p>\n![\"FOXBOROUGH,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/gettyimages-2249616886.jpg\"\/)
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