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Giants news, 11/21: Jaxson Dart’s status, Brian Burns, Andrew Thomas

Good morning, New York Giants fans!

From Big Blue View

Other Giant observations

Among those who league sources expect to be involved in the search for the Giants are Schoen, Chris Mara, John Mara, Steve Tisch and Tim McDonnell. John Mara and Tisch are likely to oversee the search. Schoen is expected to compile the list of candidates with input from others.

The same group of multiple league sources who have spoken to the Giants believe they are looking for a head coach who can “command the room.” Someone who can oversee the operation and develop a sustainable culture. Previous head coaching experience (whether at the collegiate or professional level) is preferred. It might be necessary in part because of the difficulty of the New York market and the setup of the Giants organization.

The Giants are part of ‘Hard Knocks Midseason’

Can it ever work when an NFL coach gets fired but the GM remains? | The Athletic

That the Giants have identified their quarterback of the future in Jaxson Dart helps if a high-demand coach is considering an offer. Still, that head coach won’t just need to articulate to the organization how he plans to develop Dart, but also needs assurances from Schoen that he will build roster tools for and support around the quarterback and also let the coach operate without backseat-driving that developmental process.

Other considerations: Do players want to come to the organization in free agency, or will a team have to overspend or the coach over-recruit? What positions does a GM say he values investment in — and does the roster reflect that? How has the GM treated players in negotiations, or members of support staff and football operations? A league source noted that a head coach may have to spend time rebuilding bridges with agents and other league personnel if the front office has a poor reputation.

One thing I do think is interesting to consider, though, is that the Giants’ greatest successes of the past half century came under coaches who were barely coordinators, on either side of the ball, at all. Bill Parcells spent two years as Giants defensive coordinator before being elevated in 1983, and Tom Coughlin’s seven years as an NFL assistant were all spent as a position coach (he became Boston College’s head coach from there, then went to the Jaguars, then the Giants). Those guys weren’t known as tacticians. They were five-star generals. Just something to keep in mind as we get closer to the end of the year (I also wouldn’t dismiss interim Mike Kafka’s ability to win the job over the next month and a half).

Ranking NY Giants coaching candidates with our initial Top 6 names to watch | The Record

Not all head coaching searches are created equal. And when teams refuse to consider all options, they might miss out on the candidate who may end up becoming the NFL’s next big thing.

The New York Giants are about to enter the fifth head coaching search for the organization since Tom Coughlin’s exit following the 2015 season, and just because Brian Daboll’s firing came with seven games remaining, there is time for this list of candidates to evolve between now and season’s end.

Giants national scout Marcus Cooper saw what separated Andrew Thomas from the rest | New York Post

In Part 4 of the Post’s Scout of the Blue exclusive series, this Giants national scout was on Andrew Thomas early. “I always tell these kids when I’m talking to them we’re not just looking for athletes, we’re looking for professional athletes.”

Andrew Thomas praises John Michael Schmitz

13.0: OLB Brian Burns recorded two more sacks last week and now has a career-high 13.0 with six games remaining. He entered Week 11 tied with Myles Garrett for the NFL lead, but Cleveland’s All-Pro defensive end notched four on Sunday vs. Baltimore. Burns is still on pace for just the third 20-sack season in Giants history. Michael Strahan set the single-season NFL record with 22.5 in 2001 (T.J. Watt tied it 20 years later), and Lawrence Taylor had 20.5 in 1986.

Cam Skattebo makes bold Giants prediction for 2026 after another lost season | New York Post

Cam Skattebo believes the 2-9 Giants have the potential to turn things around swiftly in 2026. During a recent interview with YouTuber N3on, the breakout rookie running back boldly predicted Big Blue will reach the postseason for the first time since the 2022 season.

“Like, this year’s probably not going so well, but next year is gonna be pretty insane,” Skattebo said. “… I’m gonna say we’re gonna go 12-5 regular season and then it’s playoffs obviously.”

New York Giants Mock Draft: Giants bolster the secondary with Ohio State star Caleb Downs | PFF

Round 1, Pick 3: S Caleb Downs, Ohio State The Giants find themselves in the rare position of drafting inside the top five without glaring needs at quarterback, offensive tackle or edge. Receiver would certainly be a justifiable direction, but for this exercise, we’ll bolster the secondary with a potentially generational prospect who can impact the game at every level of the defense. Downs has allowed just 134 total yards this season, and opposing quarterbacks have managed a passer rating of only 50.8 when targeting his coverage.

The rest of the picks are: Round 2, Pick 35: CB Colton Hood, Tennessee; Round 4, Pick 103: WR Malachi Fields, Notre Dame; Round 5, Pick 142: G Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech; and Round 6, Pick 182: LB Sammy Omisigho, Oklahoma

This week’s opponent

Lions injury news: 3 starters return to practice on Thursday | Pride of Detroit

The Lions got three starters back on the practice field on Thursday. Safety Brian Branch (toe), left tackle Taylor Decker (shoulder) and right tackle Penei Sewell (shoulder) were all listed as limited participants after missing Wednesday’s practice. The team will issue injury designations for their game against the Giants after Friday’s practice.

Cornerback Terrion Arnold (concussion) and safety Kerby Joseph (knee) were the only Lions players out of practice on Thursday. Arnold did not play last Sunday and Joseph has missed the last four games.

“Our head coach believes no matter where I put this defense, they’re going to put the fire out,” Sheppard said Thursday. “So, I don’t care if Dan (Campbell) goes for it on every fourth down. It’s our job as a defense to go out there and stand tall in that test. We’re the firefighters on this team. That’s the mentality you’ve got to have as a defensive player. No pointing the fingers, no ‘what if’ this, no ‘what if’ that. Always take the field like this unit did for the most part of that Philadelphia game. Understanding no matter the situation, we are able to go in and control the elements to our liking down in and down out.”

The Eagles said after the game that they identified something about Goff’s throwing motion that told them they’d be able to get their hands on his passes. Goff said he didn’t hear what they said but doesn’t believe it’s anything other teams will be able to replicate.

“They did a good job. Whatever it was, they did a good job. Tip your cap,” Goff said. “If it continues to happen, sure, yeah, you would look at something, but right now I would consider that an outlier.”