The New York Giants are finishing yet another season gone wrong. They have fired the head coach and defensive coordinator. They might yet decide to replace the general manager.
As they head toward an offseason with major decisions to make about their future, they appear to believe at least two things.
- They have more talent than a 2-12 record would indicate. Coaching has been the primary issue.
- In Jaxson Dart, they have a quarterback to build around.
Are the Giants right? What do others in and around the game think. We surveyed executives, people who have worked in the league, and a number of SB Nation writers for opposing teams to get their opinion of a variety of questions regarding the Giants.
Their answers are below.
The Giants feel they have a good nucleus of talent and should be better than they are. Are they right, or are they fooling themselves?
An NFC executive:
“The team has some good pieces, but the record over the past two seasons is what it is.”
A former NFL scout:
“They have some key players at valuable positions (Burns, Nabers, Thomas, hopefully Dart). That said, other key areas (other parts of OL, secondary, DT/LB) are real needs. Doesn’t feel as good as recent comments from them indicate they think it is.”
Tim Lynch (Mile High Report):
I think the Giants have a good, young football team. They stayed competitive despite losing some of their best talent on offense. They are definitely trending in the right direction.
Nic Jennings (Canal Street Chronicles):
I wouldn’t say they’re fooling themselves, but rather that it just hasn’t come together quite yet. There’s no questioning the talent they have on the defensive side of the football, and the injuries suffered at the skill positions were difficult to overcome. If they can add a few young playmakers in the upcoming draft and bring in some key veterans in free agency, talent shouldn’t be the concern for New York.
RJ Ochoa (Blogging The Boys):
As a proud Arizona State alum I am so bummed out about Cam Skattebo fully realizing everything I dreamed for him for the Giants specifically. I fully believe that he has the power to transform a franchise and would argue that we began to see that, and obviously I am wishing him well in his recovery (if the Giants draft Jordyn Tyson I am going to lose my mind). While this is the case, I don’t know that I personally feel concerned about the overall nucleus of talent that the Giants have as far as the Cowboys’ position is concerned. Jaxson Dart has had moments to fully buy in around, but the recent injury concerns certainly have taken some of the wind out of those overall sails. I recognize that this is unfair, but until there is more proof of concept I am not going to fully buy in on anything Giants.
(“Mongo Peanut” – Windy City Gridiron):
Not at all. The Giants feel like bad coaching, a lack of experience, and injuries have held them back from truly reaching their potential. With the right coaching staff, good health, and the development of their young talent, I can see them making a similar jump to the Bears, Jaguars, and Patriots this season.
[NOTE: ‘Mongo’ uses a nickname in his writing for professional reasons]
(Gary Baugher Jr. – Windy City Gridiron):
I think there is something to this, the Giants defensive front is elite and their WR corps when healthy, is very good (I’m a big fan of Wan’Dale Robinson). All the while Jaxson Dart has been off to a hot start despite working in utter turmoil. They have 7 draft picks going into 2025 and $17m in cap space to work with without any restructuring or releases. They are a very pesky 2 win team and have taken a lot of the NFC elite to the wire. I think with a good offseason addressing their back end defense they will be set up nicely to turn some heads in 2026.
An NFC executive:
“A coaching staff is a major part of a successful team. With the right staff on both sides of the ball there should be improvement.”
A former NFL scout:
“It’s a huge piece. Getting players to buy in and putting them in positions to have success can lift most organizations. Sounds like maybe internal culture/discipline may not have been where it should be.”
Tim Lynch (Mile High Report):
Nothing damages a young quarterback’s development than a revolving door at the top. Trust me, as a Broncos fan, I am intimately familiar with this issue. Dart isn’t a polished player and needs quality coaching to get the most out of his abilities. The wrong hire and you end up with a Daniel Jones or Sam Darnold type who needs to go to a situation that fixes the damage done by the drafting team.
Nic Jennings (Canal Street Chronicles):
I think it definitely can be. Like I said in my previous answer, I don’t feel like talent is New York’s biggest concern. This season alone, we’ve seen multiple examples of the right head coach completely changing a franchise’s culture, with teams like the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars all exceeding expectations.
The lack of connection between the team and Brian Daboll reminds me a lot of the disconnect between former Saints HC Dennis Allen and his locker room. It’s clear the players ride for one another in New York, and with the right leader and culture in place, everything could turn around.
RJ Ochoa (Blogging The Boys):
A few months ago Ed Valentine asked me for my thoughts on Mike McCarthy as the Giants coach. My argument for McCarthy to Ed was that the coach could really help raise the floor of the organization which I think the Giants are in sore need of. The Giants are in a place, in my humble opinion, where they have to let go of legacy and who they are and how things have been run for however long. They need a proper coach who can raise the floor of their operation and I certainly believe that this can happen. It’s just a matter of taking that process seriously for once.
(Mongo Peanut – Windy City Gridiron):
Without a doubt. Look around the league at what good coaching hires have done for floundering franchises. This year, the Bears, Patriots, and Jaguars have increased their win totals by five, seven, and 6 respectively (so far) after bringing in respected coaches. In 2024, Jim Harbaugh helped the Chargers improve by 7 wins, while Mike McDonald improved the Seahawks by 1 game last season and appears to be improving on that this year. As a Bears fan, we haven’t known what good coaching looks like since Lovie Smith left – and 14 games into the 2025 season has proven that good coaching is vital. If the Giants get it right this time, expect young talent to develop, and to start winning one score games rather than fumbling them at the end. The Giants could be a sneaky contender for the competitive NFC East crown.
(Gary Baugher Jr. – Windy City Gridiron):
A million times yes, success starts on who’s holding the clipboards out there. Pairing Jaxson Dart with an offensive minded, proven head coach or play caller is going to do wonders for the young QB. You don’t have to look very far to see how this has affected other teams. Caleb Williams in Chicago and Drake Maye in New England stand out in this regard.
Getty Images
Are they right to feel they have their QB of the future in Jaxson Dart?
An NFC executive:
“Dart has shown enough so far to make them feel that way. Pairing him with the right HC and play caller is very important.”
A former NFL scout:
“We do this for every rookie who doesn’t fall on his face (Bo Nix is a recent example) and we really do this for guys who perform well (CJ Stroud, Jayden Daniels). We talk as if every ? has been answered and magically they are just good. period. end of conversation. The truth is, the NFL is freaking hard and 1 year of good performance does not predict future performance. So we don’t know who Dart will be. He has done things that give them every reason to try and build around him, but so did Tua and Kyler Murray.”
Tim Lynch (Mile High Report) :
They have their QB for right now. The future of Jaxson Dart, in my opinion, will depend on the quality and sustainability of the next coaching staff. The wrong hire will likely tank his career. You see it happen all the time in this league.
Nic Jennings (Canal Street Chronicles) – Absolutely. Dart was heavily connected to New Orleans throughout the draft process, and seeing his early success before the Saints ultimately turned to their own rookie quarterback (who has also impressed) made a lot of fans question whether the Saints should have taken him with the ninth pick.
I think Dart has shown more than enough to make fans believe he can be the future of the franchise. He’s got moxie, he’s got grit, and not only can he tear a defense apart with his arm—he’s shown he can be lethal with his legs, too. New York should be excited to have a guy like Dart in the building.
RJ Ochoa (Blogging The Boys):
As noted I definitely have some concerns with Dart from an injury perspective. We did not see much of him in the game that Dallas played against New York earlier this year, but he has popped a ton in other moments across the rest of the season. I want to see more of him as a passer before I declare fear in any real sense, but I do think this is the closest that the Giant shave been to finding this specific answer in a long time.
(Mongo Peanut – Windy City Gridiron):
I think so, under a few conditions. First, and less problematic, is his sack rate. He is in the top half of the league in sack rate. While a lot of this is due to an inconsistent OL, he is still prone to holding on to the ball too much in an effort to make things happen. Learning to throw the ball away is important. To that end, Dart needs to learn how to protect himself for his team, career, and health. Having already had a concussion and been pulled for precaution multiple times, you worry that plays a little too recklessly. While you never want to take the competitive attitude away from him, you need to teach him how to take care of his health, as the best ability is availability. If he can get those two things sorted out, then I think he has the potential to be a top 10 quarterback in the league pretty quickly. He’s proven to be able to stack simple plays and exceptional plays alike. Giants fans should be thrilled with their new QB.
(Gary Baugher Jr. – Windy City Gridiron):
What he’s shown is very promising, against the Bears he was the better of the two quarterbacks to start (and a billion drops certainly didn’t help Caleb’s case). The main concern with him is just how he plays. Long term success in the league as a quarterback stems from limiting the impact of taking, well, impact. And Jaxson does not shy away from it. That’s the major thing I worry about with him, he plays similar to Jayden Daniels in the sense that instead of sliding they will look to extend a bit more, leading to hits and potential injury. I would feel much better about him being the long term answer there if he can limit that.
What, in your view, is (or should be) the Giants’ greatest strength?
Tim Lynch (Mile High Report):
The defense can be really good. You should try to emulate how Sean Payton rebuilt the Broncos in just three years. Defense, defense, defense. Add in a good young quarterback and you got yourself a contender while the young quarterback figures things out.
Nic Jennings (Canal Street Chronicles):
It should be the defensive line, in my opinion. They’re currently tied for 13th in the league with 29 sacks, but when you have Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter on your roster, you’d expect a bit more pass-rush production. They didn’t record a single sack against the Saints in Week 5, despite facing a fairly poor offensive line.
RJ Ochoa (Blogging The Boys):
The Giants teams that have annoyed me most were always those with incredible defensive lines. I remain a bit worried that Brian Burns and Abdul Carter are going to turn into a duo that terrorizes the division for the foreseeable future (we will see about Kayvon Thibodeaux). There is so much invested here that it makes sense that things would finally turn around at some point.
(Mongo Peanut – Windy City Gridiron):
It’s the DL this year, and if they can retain/develop that talent, it could be unstoppable. I will be the first to admit that Carter’s rookie season has been a disappointment from the outside, but with the right coaching staff and strength/conditioning, he can still be a plus plus player in this league. Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns remain elite at their positions, with Kayvon Thibbodeux being a high end compliment piece. One player that doesn’t get as much love is the behemoth Darius Alexander. I loved this kid out of Toledo and felt like he had a bright future, so seeing him with 2.5 sacks in a rotational role is exciting to see.
(Gary Baugher Jr. – Windy City Gridiron):
The trenches, specifically the defensive side of them. The Giants hold one of my favorite fronts in the league, and it was one of the fronts I feared the most (even more so than the Eagles, Packers or Browns) just because of how deep and how many different ways they can come at you. If the Giants can control the line of scrimmage early it will set up obvious passing downs late, which will let all those fantastic pass rushers tee off.
What, in your view, is the Giants’ biggest weakness?
Tim Lynch (Mile High Report):
I honestly don’t know. It feels like maybe the front office is the issue. You’ve been going through a similarly brutal stretch since 2016 that the Broncos have just emerged from post Super Bowl 50 run. You have a storied franchise that can’t figure out how to turn things around. In Denver, the turnaround began with the hiring of George Paton. It starts at the top, but it’s also not enough. Paton needed Sean Payton to complete the transformation.
Nic Jennings (Canal Street Chronicles):
From an outside perspective, I’d say the Giants’ biggest weakness is a lack of direction. It hasn’t seemed like everyone is on the same page—from the front office to the coaching staff and even the players—and reports of players not taking meetings seriously suggest there hasn’t been enough accountability.
A good head coach sets a standard. The right leader in New York could establish expectations, hold players accountable and still build the trust that gets everyone pulling in the same direction.
RJ Ochoa (Blogging The Boys):
I somewhat alluded to this, but I think the Giants can’t get out of their own way because they insist on doing things their way. The Giants have had way more success this century than the Cowboys in the important areas, but they seem (from a leadership standpoint) to be committed to doing things that specific way. I think a fresh voice and fresh spin in how the organization is run could really go a long way.
(Mongo Peanut – Windy City Gridiron):
The front seven is very strong, but the secondary is porous. While Holland and Flott are both serviceable, there is a general lack of high end talent back there. The Giants need to acquire a few pieces to shore up the back end and give their talented pass rush time to get to the QB.
(Gary Baugher Jr. – Windy City Gridiron):
Backe nd defense. I think the Giants have some nice pieces in the LB and secondary corps, I really like Cordale Flott. But they are missing some real impact players back there. I think spending some money in FA or draft capital there to look for that will go lengths in solidifying that defensive unit. Outside that I like the foundations they have at WR, RB, OL, and DL.
[NOTE: Our thanks to everyone who participated. Especially to the lone NFC executive who was willing to answer our questions.]
See More:
