Giants news, 7/2: Eli on Year 2 jump for Jaxson Dart, stacking up the tight end room

From Big Blue View

Other Giant observations

The reasons to be optimistic about these Giants | New York Post

It is the start of July. That means your favorite Giants players and coaches are somewhere other than the team facility, probably on vacation.

The early weeks of summer are upon us, and if you cannot muster up some level of optimism about your favorite team, you are either a doomsayer or do not want to get your hopes up, at all.

Andrew Thomas talking up the running game

Betting the Giants in 2026 | CBSSports.com

New York Giants futures picks: Under 7.5 wins (-110). I get having optimism with the Giants considering the wins left on the board last year and the likely upgrade at head coach. I’m just not sure the offense will be ready to push for a winning record in Dart’s first year under Matt Nagy, who was largely underwhelming in Chicago before serving as offensive coordinator in Kansas City, where the offense took a step backward the last two seasons. If Dart’s play style results in injury, the offense turns over to Jameis Winston, who is capable of making big plays for either team on every drive. I think this is probably a seven-win team and if the market will give me even odds on Under 7.5 at some point, I’ll likely jump on it.

Healthy Skattebo gets full summer to prepare for season | ESPN.com

At least the Giants can feel better about the running back position with Skattebo near full health. Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. give them two solid options at the position. Tracy has averaged 4.3 yards per carry in his first two professional seasons and topped 1,000 total yards in each of the campaigns. Skattebo flashed with seven total touchdowns in eight games. Skattebo seems to be the kind of running back that Harbaugh prefers.

“I thought he was just what you saw, a downhill runner, a tone-setter type runner. He’s a tough tackle. That’s what you look for,” Harbaugh said. “How many guys can make yards when they’re not supposed to make yards on their own? It seems to me he was that kind of guy at Arizona State and the exact same guy that I saw on tape last year. You guys know better. You watched him up close and personal. He’s a top tier back, and he’s planning on playing that way this year.”

Ranking the NFL’s best scrambling quarterbacks using PFF data | PFF

Jaxson Dart tops the leaderboard after converting more than half of his scrambles into first downs or touchdowns as a rookie. His confidence as a runner noticeably increased throughout the season, particularly as he became more comfortable extending plays outside the pocket.

Ranking the NFL’s Five Best Pass-Rushing Duos for 2026 | SI.com

5. New York Giants: Brian Burns and Abdul Carter. This is a bit of a future hedge, but also rooted in some underlying numbers. While Carter posted only four sacks as a rookie, he also notched 23 quarterback hits, ranking tied for 13th across the league. He also got better as the season progressed. After totaling more than one quarterback hit just once in his first 11 games, Carter did so three times over the final six. All told, he had 14 of his 23 QB hits over that span.

As for Burns, he’s long been one of the premier pass rushers in the league. When New York acquired Burns from the Panthers, it gave up second- and fifth-round picks, while also signing him to a five-year, $141 million extension, including $87.5 million guaranteed. Last year, Burns earned second-team All-Pro honors after a career-best 16.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss and 31 quarterback hits. League-wide, those figures ranked second, third and fourth, respectively.

The Giants Foundation to host annual 5K Race and Kids Run, presented by Quest | Giants.com

The Giants Foundation will host their annual 5K Race and Kids Run presented by Quest, on Sunday, November 8, at 9:00 a.m. at MetLife Stadium with net proceeds benefiting The Giants Foundation. In addition to the 5K Race and Kids Run, the one-mile fun run introduced in 2025 will return for its second year.

Following the conclusion of The Giants Foundation 5K, the event continues with a 100-yard Kids Run for ages 6 and under starting at 10:30 a.m. Registered participants will get the chance to run out of the Giants home tunnel, run 100 yards across the field and finish in the Giants end zone.