John Harbaugh’s Firm Response to Reporter Quizzing Him About Player Availability Ahead of Cowboys Game

John Harbaugh refused to go into details regarding the Giants starting team against the Dallas Cowboys on opening day of the 2026 NFL Season.

John Harbaugh’s Firm Response to Reporter Quizzing Him About Player Availability Ahead of Cowboys Game

John Harbaugh (Image via Yahoo Sports/X)

Reporters tested John Harbaugh’s patience on Wednesday. Harbaugh refused to give out any information about the Giants’ starting eleven against the Dallas Cowboys on opening day despite continued efforts.

The Giants host rivals the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, September 14th. Dallas are 3-point favorites even though it’s an away game, and they will be without Pro Bowl offensive lineman Tyler Smith, who hurt his finger.

Reporters are obviously curious to learn about whom Harbaugh will start in his first-ever game as the Giants’ boss. But they have to wait until Monday to find out.

I’m not going to tell you who is playing in the game. I’m not going to tell you who is starting, what package we have in, [or] what play we’re running. I’m not going to tell you any of that. So, we can make it great and have a great press conference, or we can make it uncomfortable. I’m not going to tell you because what you know, the Cowboys know, and every other team knows. That’s not in the competitive interest of our football team. I think you can respect that.

John Harbaugh said via SNY

History is not in the Giants’ favor. They are 10-1 against the Cowboys in week-one fixtures, according to StatMuse. Dak Prescott is 3-1 against the Giants on opening day and 14-3 overall. He was 1-1 last year. On the other hand, John Harbaugh is 4-1 against the Cowboys in his career. Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens defeated the Cowboys 28-23 in Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season. Prescott had a 54% completion rate and threw two touchdowns that day.

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John Harbaugh gets annoyed with questions about Darious Slayton

The Cowboys weren’t the only team to make a major reshuffling in their roster. The Giants shocked the fans by cutting veteran receiver Darious Slayton.

John Harbaugh's Firm Response to Reporter Quizzing Him About Player Availability Ahead of Cowboys Game
John Harbaugh won a Super Bowl as the Baltimore Ravens head coach (Image via IMAGO)

Reporters constantly asked Harbaugh to explain the reason behind Slayton’s departure just days before kickoff. Harbaugh refused to disclose the Giants’ strategy behind the move.

No strategy to it. There’s a lot of – there’s a lot of factors. I mean, maybe you can get a trade. Maybe you try to wait as long as you can to see if you work out a contract change, right? There’s a lot of reasons to it, which I really don’t feel obligated to explain. I appreciate the questions. You kind of ask them kind of in a sharp way, like you’re mad or something about it. I don’t really get the emotion coming from you two guys, but we did it because it’s the best thing for our team. And that’s what we’re doing going forward.

John Harbaugh said via SNY

The Giants drafted Slayton 171st overall in 2019. He made 148 appearances for the Giants. He caught 296 passes for 4435 yards and scored 22 touchdowns. Last year, he missed three games after undergoing core-muscle surgery.

Slayton’s cut surprised a lot. Sure, he never hit his full potential, but he was arguably the Giants’ best receiver barring Malik Nabers. Some experts believe Slayton is a cap casualty to balance out the books for Nabers’ return. Nabers missed a chunk of last season due to injury. His rehab has gone really well, and he could play against the Cowboys.

Because Slayton’s release is a post-June 1 move, the Giants save $3.161 million on the cap this year, but they must eat $12.749 million, most of it the guaranteed money owed to Slayton. The former Auburn man said his goodbyes to the Giants fandom on X.

Grateful for my time in NY. 7 years a Giant, nothing but love for one of the most prestigious organizations in the NFL. Excited to see what’s next.

In August, the Giants released former third-round pick Jalin Hyatt. They retained Odell Beckham Jr. and Darnell Mooney. Malachi Fields is the only rookie to make the 53-man roster. Calvin Austin and Gunner Olszewski are part of the practice squad.

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