The New York Giants enter the 2026 campaign in a much better spot than the previous year. Following the breakout performances of rookies like Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, alongside the signing of Super Bowl winning head coach John Harbaugh, many are raising the expectations for this team. However, the Giants still have some holes in this team that need to be addressed. Many of the issues that face this team will come down to young players making a much needed step up in productivity. But which guys on the roster should fans be expecting breakout years from?

Last year's rookies

Let's start with the main reason for optimism, Jaxson Dart. Despite an incredibly impressive rookie campaign, the sophomore slump comes for many quarterbacks.  CJ Stroud and Jayden Daniels were the latest two that were hit with it, and Dart can't afford a step back after so much time in the spotlight the past year. New York fans will turn on you very quickly if they feel you're not helping the team be better. While I certainly expect Dart to have a great season, there is way more pressure than last year.

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Cam Skattebo heads a solidly deep running back room alongside Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary. But Skat is the clear number one and needs to act like it. His intense nature is one of the reasons Giant fans fell in love with him, but he is going to have to prioritize his health at some point and stop doing backflips if he wants to make a serious leap.

Abdul Carter is the guy I look to the most to have a breakout season. Going into the draft Carter was regarded as the most talented player in the class, and the Giants had a no brainer pick at 3. But his rookie season was a bit underwhelming from a statistical perspective. With only 25 tackles and 4 sacks, many were left wondering if Carter was as good as it seemed heading into the draft. Well here is his opportunity to show everyone just how good he is, especially with another rookie linebacker coming to town in Arvell Reese.