CBS Sports HQ is at New York Giants training camp on Wednesday, and it's one of the most interesting camps in the NFL under new head coach John Harbaugh and with a rising star quarterback in second-year Jaxson Dart. In some regards, the 2026 Giants look a lot like the 2025 New England Patriots did this time last year with Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye on the way to surprisingly reaching the Super Bowl.
The 2025 Patriots were coming off a 4-13 record the year before, hired a veteran head coach in Vrabel, had a second-year starting quarterback in Maye and had been one of the top 10 free-agent spenders in the league in the offseason. New England of course kicked its rebuild into hyperdrive a year early, per most experts, by becoming the first team in history to reach a Super Bowl following 13-plus loss season and the first club to get there with a starting quarterback in his first two NFL seasons and a head coach in his first season with the club.
Fans can stay up to date with information from our NFL news page, and bettors should also look for picks from the SportsLine Projection Model and our experts during the 2026 NFL season.
The Giants finished 4-13 last year under coaches Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka and with Dart showing massive promise as the No. 25 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Dart started exactly 12 games (got into 14) ... just as 2024 first-round pick Maye did as a rookie with the Pats. Both threw exactly 15 touchdown passes and had between 400 and 500 rushing yards as rookies. Dart had one more pass attempt (339 to 338) and Maye four more passing yards (2,276 to 2,272).
In fact, Dart became only the third rookie in history with at least 10 passing touchdowns and eight rushing scores, along with future MVPs Cam Newton and Josh Allen. The only knock on Dart was that he was too cavalier with his running style and has to play it safer and run out of bounds/slide to avoid big hits. He took several big hits and had a few concussion scares.
For this season, Dart is +4500 for MVP, +8000 to lead the NFL in passing yards and +6000 in passing touchdowns. His Over/Under season totals are 3,150.5 passing yards, 19.5 passing TDs, 449.5 rushing yards and 5.5 rushing scores.
Two key Giants players are coming off major injuries that ended their 2025 seasons early in tailback Cam Skattebo and wideout Malik Nabers. The battering-ram Skattebo quickly became a fan favorite and only the fifth player in NFL history with at least 400 rushing yards, 200 receiving yards and seven total TDs through Week 8 of his rookie season.
Nabers' 127 catches are the second-most career through a player's first 19 career games. The Giants also got Dart a red-zone target this offseason in 6-foot-4 tight end Isiah Lively, formerly of Baltimore with Harbaugh. Big Blue hasn't had a tight end reach 750 receiving yards in a season since 2005.
As for Harbaugh, he could have gone to a handful of NFL teams this offseason but clearly liked the Giants having their franchise QB in place in Dart. After being dumped by Baltimore, Harbaugh became the first head coach in league history with at least 18 straight seasons with one club to then become head coach of another.
And now he looks to become the first to win a playoff game with three different starting quarterbacks in their first or second season, as Harbaugh did it with both Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson with the Ravens. The coach was 8-15 in Baltimore without one of those two as his starting QB.
Harbaugh is the +600 favorite for NFL Coach of the Year (he won in 2019) and taking heavy action. Just be worried if the Giants get up double digits, as Harbaugh's teams have 26 losses in games when leading by double digits since he became head coach in 2008. That leads all NFL coaches since.
At BetMGM, the Giants' win total is 7.5 and the Over is taking the most tickets of any Over at the sportsbook with 91% of action. The handle is at 94%. With the Giants having won only four games last season, that +3.5 betting win total increase is the largest among NFC teams from their final 2025 record.
At +260 to make the playoffs, New York is taking among the most tickets and handle. The SportsLine Projection Model forecasts the club for 7.0 wins and a 13.7% shot at the playoffs. Pass-rusher Arvell Reese, the No. 5 overall pick, is +800 for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The Harbaugh Era kicks off Saturday at home vs. Minnesota, and I think all NFL fans know how good of a wager the Ravens were in the preseason under him (47-17 ATS). New York's season opener is Sunday night in Week 1 vs. the Cowboys.
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