One Pivotal Question at Every Giants Position on Offense

The John Harbaugh era is just days away from getting underway in East Rutherford as the excitement continues to boil over.

So far, Harbaugh and his staff have shown they have a plan to get the New York Giants back on the winning track through better schemes, more targeted personnel usage, and the ability to adjust.

While the roster Harbaugh is expected to take into Sunday night’s Week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys is pretty much set moving forward, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few lingering questions that still need to be answered at each position group.

We’ll start with the offensive side of the ball, leading off with what we believe is one of the biggest questions that not a lot of people are talking about.

Offensive Line: Is the Run Blocking Going to be Better?

All indications point to the Giants planning to be a power-rushing offense this season. But if they are going to go that route, they need to get better run-blocking results, particularly from their interior linemen, to make things easier for their running backs.

Last season, Cam Skattebo, before his season-ending ankle injury, averaged 0.5 rushing yards per carry during Weeks 2-7, according to NFL+. That was the fourth-lowest average among NFL running backs with at least 50 carries in that span.

While Skattebo, who projects as RB1 for Week 1, managed to force missed tackles on 29.2% of his rushing attempts, it would be nice if the Giants' run blocking made life a little easier not just for Skattebo but for all the running backs.

Quarterback: Is Jaxson Dart Ready to Work Under Center?

One of the biggest changes for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart has been working more under center, which has required him to get used to different footwork and a different overall perspective on the field.

While Dart didn’t play much under center in his limited preseason work—when he did, he usually handed the ball off—he did get plenty of reps working under center against a very good and confusing-looking Giants defense which undoubtedly threw everything it had at the young signal caller.

Dart recently said that his comfort level has grown by leaps and bounds.

“I feel so much better. I feel in command. I feel confident,” he said last week. “In this offense, there's a lot that's put on the quarterback's plate, but it's exactly how I want it. It's exactly how I viewed this coming together.

“And we still have a lot of room to improve and grow as a unit, but I'm definitely feeling way better every day, continuing to learn, continuing to grow as a player, and just the comfort in the offense, seeing the defense and putting ourselves in great situations.”

The question now becomes: is that confidence and swagger going to be there when the red jersey comes off, and the quarterback is no longer protected from being hit? Dart seems to be trending toward that direction, which will only bode well for the Giants moving forward, but this first game should be a nice starting litmus test regarding how far he’s actually come.

Running Backs: How Many Will the Giants Dress?

Aug 28, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants running back Najee Harris (22) carries the ball against the New York Jets during the first half at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dressing four running backs plus a fullback is extreme. Will Najee Harris be ready for a sizable load? Thus far, Harris has only had limited snaps in the preseason finale, those being his first game snaps since he tore his Achilles last season.

That said, at some point Harris does figure to get a decent-sized slice of the pie, and when that happens, assuming that all the other running backs are healthy, who ends up not getting a gameday suit? Or will the Giants simply carry all four plus fullback Patrick Ricard on a week-by-week basis?

Receivers: What Are the Deployment Plans?

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The answer to this question boils down to how much, if any, Malik Nabers will be able to give to the offense.

The expectation is that Nabers will be listed as limited all week in practice and land with a “questionable” designation.

Besides that question, who else in the group might pick up the targets?

And as a secondary question worth considering, if the Giants plan to bring up Braxton Berrios from the practice squad, will they dress all of the receivers, or will someone be moved to the inactive list?

In that instance, Darius Slayton would make the most sense to move to the inactive list, but again, it boils down to what the injury report looks like this week.

Tight Ends: How Will Theo Johnson and Isaiah Likely Co-exist in the Offense?

New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The usage of 12-personnel has been a staple of a John Harbaugh-led team, so there’s no reason to believe that won’t be the case with the Giants this week when Big Blue hosts the Dallas Cowboys.

But what isn’t yet known is how the Giants plan to deploy their top two tight ends, Isaiah Likely and Theo Johnson, and in what scenarios. Will one be a red zone favorite over the other? Will one be primarily asked to run up the seam? M

Make no mistake: Johnson and Likely will see a great deal of snaps on offense, but their specific roles—Likely is not much of a blocking tight end, so don’t expect him in that role—will be rather telling about how this offense intends to evolve.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news, and send your mailbag questions to us.

Add us as a preferred source on Google