{"id":774309,"date":"2026-02-25T00:14:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T00:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/774309\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T00:14:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T00:14:23","slug":"10-giants-takeaways-from-john-harbaugh-joe-schoen-nfl-combine-pressers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/774309\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Giants takeaways from John Harbaugh, Joe Schoen NFL Combine pressers"},"content":{"rendered":"

INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 Giants<\/a> head coach John Harbaugh<\/a> and GM Joe Schoen<\/a> didn\u2019t divulge their entire 2026 offseason plan on Tuesday at the NFL Combine. In fact, they laid far fewer breadcrumbs than in previous years of Schoen\u2019s tenure.<\/p>\n

But they did cover a lot of the key players and topics that will be critical to determining how they build this roster for the regular season next fall. Here are 10 key takeaways from Harbaugh and Schoen, who each did two media availabilities: one on the podium and a second off camera with the traveling New York media, including the Daily News.<\/p>\n

1. Schoen said he fell behind in his normal scouting process this year due to the Giants\u2019 coaching search and is still cramming to catch up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was behind, but this past week I was crushing it in the office doing film, because the research for the head coach it did set me back,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was my priority. first and foremost, to find the best head coach for the New York Giants. So I spent a lot of time in December when I would normally be watching film doing a lot of research on the coaching candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schoen said: \u201cI wasn\u2019t able to go the Senior Bowl, the East-West Game, so this will be my first opportunity to get in front of these guys,\u201d meaning the college draft prospects, \u201cand get to know them.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I feel like I\u2019m in a good spot from a free agency standpoint,\u201d he added. \u201cIn the last week, I\u2019ve been able to play catch-up on the college draft prospects, and I\u2019ll continue to do so. But really going to start focusing on free agency this week with the meetings that we\u2019re going to have and then the strategy and planning starting next week.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. The Giants GM sang the praises of edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux<\/a>, his former No. 5 overall pick. But Thibodeaux, who carries a $14.7 million cap hit next season in a pricy pass rush rotation, still profiles as a player who could be traded this spring. And Schoen left the door open for that possibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, Kayvon\u2019s gonna be with us,\u201d Schoen said first. \u201cHe played well. He\u2019s going into his fifth year and he\u2019s motivated, and you can\u2019t have enough pass rushers. You really can\u2019t. I\u2019m proud of the development and the maturation of Kayvon. He\u2019s come a long way, and I expect big things next year out of him with that rotation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then Schoen was asked if he had gotten trade calls on Thibodeaux recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got calls on him at the trade deadline,\u201d he said of the fall, confirming what has been reported. \u201cKayvon was probably one of the more popular ones. Having just got here [to Indianapolis] and haven\u2019t really talked to anybody, I haven\u2019t heard anything yet. But my job as the general manager is if people come and they ask if I\u2019m gonna be interested in trading \u2013 if we\u2019re interested in their players \u2013 you take into consideration everything. Doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re gonna do it. But we\u2019re always gonna listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

So the Giants are listening if calls come in on a player who was a \u201cpopular\u201d trade target in October.<\/p>\n

3. Harbaugh said corner Cor\u2019dale Flott, slot receiver Wan\u2019Dale Robinson and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor are \u201call guys that we want back.\u201d But the Giants are still the process of determining what their market will be.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bottom line is I saw all guys that we want back,\u201d the coach said. \u201cYou want the guys back. Now, do we have the wherewithal to bring them back? Is it a good use of resources which is the cap? That\u2019s the next part of the conversation. That\u2019s the planning that\u2019s taken place, and we\u2019ll find out more this week what the values are and what\u2019s realistic.:<\/p>\n

Schoen indicated the decision on Robinson could be about exactly how prominently Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy intend to feature a slot receiver of that skill set in their offense.<\/p>\n

The GM also seemed to indicate that Eluemunor has a chance to return at the right price and alluded to Flott either being expected to leave or potentially overplaying his hand on the open market and returning when he said: \u201cFlott had a good year, we\u2019ll see what he gets.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWan\u2019Dale caught over 90 balls the last two years, he\u2019s an 1,000 yard receiver,\u201d Schoen said. \u201cHow much are we going to use the slot receiver? Is it going to be an integral part of the offense? You have those conversations.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight tackle, you need a right tackle regardless,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd Jermaine was actually with Baltimore, so he has a relationship with Coach in the past. But a receiver like Wan\u2019Dale, you definitely have to have those conversations to make sure you\u2019re gonna get value from the player if you\u2019re gonna pay him what he\u2019s probably gonna get.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Harbaugh interestingly mentioned free agent Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, a potential Giants target, when discussing his opinion of what could make a good option in the slot in an NFL offense.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe like them. We\u2019re in favor of slot receivers. We like those guys,\u201d Harbaugh said with a smile. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t really matter what type of slot receiver. You just need a good one. Cooper Kupp does it his way, [Julian] Edelman did it his way, Zay Flowers does it his way. Sometimes you\u2019re inside, sometimes you\u2019re outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it\u2019s a tight end,\u201d he continued. \u201cI think about Isaiah Likely or Mark Andrews is in the slot, maybe [Daniel] Bellinger go out there and play the slot. It just depends how you build that gameplan.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Schoen was asked if Dexter Lawrence<\/a> is definitely going to be on the Giants\u2019 roster this season. He said: \u201cThe plan is for Dexter to be on the roster.\u201d The GM said Lawrence has not asked for an extension or new contract and the Giants \u201chave not gotten calls on Dex.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know where the Dex stuff\u2019s coming from,\u201d Schoen said, seeming genuinely confused.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s where it\u2019s coming from: Lawrence is exhausted from all the losing and dysfunction. Some of his best friends and teammates have won Super Bowls the last two years after escaping the Giants.<\/p>\n

It was Saquon Barkley with the Eagles last year and Leonard Williams and Julian Love with the Seattle Seahawks this year.<\/p>\n

A new contract might be the best way to reclaim some trust with Lawrence, the Giants\u2019 best player when he\u2019s healthy and at the top of his game, and to assure him of where this is headed. But Schoen said: \u201cNine sacks might have been an outlier the year before, so the expectation rises.\u201d That didn\u2019t sound like someone who intended to give Lawrence a raise at the moment.<\/p>\n

The GM did circle back, though, to say that Lawrence \u201cstill has a lot of good years left. And it wasn\u2019t just Dexter last year in terms of I can\u2019t put anything on him [with last year\u2019s defense]. The expectation is he\u2019s gonna be on the team and come back and have a really good season for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harbaugh, meanwhile, has not met Lawrence in person yet. But he has spoken to him and said\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t think he needs that assurance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s my job to assure him,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s like, \u2018Let\u2019s go to work together. We\u2019re both together for a reason.\u2019 I look at it that way. That\u2019s just how I just view the universe. There\u2019s purpose. So we\u2019re Giants. he and I together. God brought us together for this very time. So what are we gonna do with it?<\/p>\n

\u201cI had that conversation with him,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like he feels that way. He\u2019s excited. So I really don\u2019t have to think that way, because I already know we\u2019re there. How important is he? Really important. Super important. He\u2019s a cornerstone football player. He\u2019s more like a middle stone. He\u2019s right in the middle. But he\u2019s a very big stone and he\u2019s a very active, athletic stone. So we want him in there. We want him. We need him.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. With Dawn Aponte running the Giants\u2019 salary cap, Harbaugh said he is open to whatever mechanisms make the most sense to build the best and most efficient team, regardless of whether those strategies are rooted in his Ravens history, the Giants\u2019 way of doing things or otherwise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m open to strategy of any kind,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to look at every possible option to build the best team you can the most efficient way you can, and then you gotta try to be right. Because when you make mistakes, that\u2019s when it costs you. It costs you the resources that aren\u2019t paying off. So that\u2019s the bottom line.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ravens have done more voidable years in the last couple years than they did,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were a flat cap team. Now they\u2019re not as much. But you\u2019re still not like the [Philadelphia] Eagles, [who defer and spread cap hits into extra void years in a lot of player deals]. You\u2019ve got to kind of figure out where you want to go in that point in time. It\u2019s not a moral question. It\u2019s a strategic question.\u201d<\/p>\n

7. Schoen admitted he has \u201cevolved\u201d in his thinking of positional value when asked about the possibility of drafting a player at a less premium position high, such as a running back or a safety. This was an intriguing comment because Notre Dame running back Jeremyiah Love and Ohio State safety Caleb Downs are both projected top 10 picks this spring, and the Giants hold the No. 5 overall selection. Downs would fill a big need on the defense, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave I evolved? Yes. Do I like it? No,\u201d Schoen said. \u201cWhen you think about what Malik [Nabers] would get on the open market or even Jaxson [Dart] or Abdul [Carter], you get a surplus value from taking those players where you took them. And there\u2019s some positions where you don\u2019t get the benefit of that. But does that mean I won\u2019t take a player because of that? No. I\u2019ll take the best player available.\u201d<\/p>\n

8. Harbaugh, when asked about his stance in the positional value debate, notably identified middle linebacker as a position that he considers extremely important for any team regardless of other factors. That\u2019s interesting given that Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles could be in play in the top 10, as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI go back to [Ravens Hall of Fame GM] Ozzie Newsome always saying \u2018best player available,\u2019 but you always knew that was a caveat to need,\u201d Harbaugh said. \u201cIt depends on what you need. But at the end of the day, you gotta put as many good football players that play the way you want to play out there.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t want to sacrifice a really good player because it\u2019s not a need or value position,\u201d he added. \u201cThe inside linebacker isn\u2019t always considered a value position, but you can\u2019t stop the run without an inside linebacker making tackles in the middle. Can\u2019t do it. So I think everything\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

9. Harbaugh admitted he wanted his first Giants defense to lean on the scheme and principles that they preferred and emphasized in Baltimore during his tenure. So Dennard Wilson\u2019s familiarity, as a Ravens defensive backs coach in 2023, was a key reason for his hiring.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, Dennard\u2019s talent and his ability,\u201d Harbaugh said. \u201cHis tenacity, his determination. I think he\u2019s really smart. He has a great knowledge of the game. He\u2019s an excellent teacher. He\u2019s very demanding, and yet he\u2019s very relationship oriented.<\/p>\n

And at the end of the day, I wanted to stay in the system,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s a system that we built over a long time, and that\u2019s a system we will be continuing to run. And he represents that, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

10. New quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan, the son of longtime NFL offensive line coach Bill Callahan, can help young quarterback Jaxson Dart<\/a> learn a lot, including how to understand protections, the reasons behind them and the benefits of different alignments, Harbaugh said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at his record, right? He\u2019s proven,\u201d he said of Callahan. \u201cAnd I didn\u2019t really know Brian that well. It wasn\u2019t like we had a close relationship, but we started to talk football in those interviews, and I became really impressed with his knowledge and also his demeanor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got a great understanding of every part of offensive football,\u201d he continued. \u201cPassing game, run game, protections. I mean, your dad\u2019s Bill Callahan, you\u2019re gonna have a great understanding of protections. The fact he\u2019s gonna be able to immerse our quarterback in that understanding of the game, especially the protection standpoint but every part of it, is gonna be good for our offense.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 Giants head coach John Harbaugh and GM Joe Schoen didn\u2019t divulge their entire 2026 offseason plan…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":774310,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2067],"tags":[7,519,201,2909,1917,56,2321,2469,6,927,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-774309","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-giants","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-giants","10":"tag-joe-schoen","11":"tag-john-harbaugh","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-giants","14":"tag-newyork","15":"tag-newyorkgiants","16":"tag-nfl","17":"tag-nfl-combine","18":"tag-nfl-draft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116128387383208163","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=774309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/774310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=774309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=774309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=774309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}