Ex-NFL head coach: Jaxson Dart can take Giants from 'worst to first'

The New York Giants underwent a facelift in 2025, taking two seminal players in the first round of the NFL draft in linebacker Abdul Carter and quarterback Jaxson Dart. Those moves still did not move the needle for them in the NFC East standings, however. Big Blue lost 13 of its 17 games and finished last in the division.

Going forward, however, things might be looking up. The Giants brought in John Harbaugh as head coach, and with Harbaugh comes all the accoutrements: Discipline, purpose, direction, and, yes, winning. Eric Mangini, the former head coach of the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns, is currently a studio analyst for FOX Sports.

On a recent episode of First Things First , Mangini, in analyzing the Giants, said he believes that Dart can take the Giants from "worst to first" under the guidance of Harbaugh and his staff. Coach Mangini thinks Jaxson Dart has potential to take the Giants from worst-to-first: “He did a lot of good things last season…they scored 30+ points in those two games…. My concern with him is gonna be more whether or not he can tone down this bravado.

” pic. twitter. com/znuHnllRA6 — First Things First (@FTFonFS1) April 8, 2026 "When you look at that division, Dallas, who knows how they're going to come out when all is said and done defensively.