To say the Brian Daboll experience in New York has been chaotic would be putting it lightly, which is why he finds himself in the hot seat for the 2025 season. Not only does he have a lot to prove to keep his job, but the Giants have a lot of catching up to do in their division, as they now have the Super Bowl Champion Eagles reigning supreme, with the Washington Commanders not far behind them.
It is a significant amount of pressure on the shoulders of Daboll, who was known for being an offensive guru during his tenure as the Bills' offensive coordinator. He helped bring quarterback Josh Allen to new heights, but he has yet to accomplish that with his current team in New York.
That was on full display during the 2024 season, when he regained play-calling duties and the Giants' offense was nearly ranked last in the league. Current reports suggest that Mike Kafka will be back on the clipboard for this upcoming season, which doesn't have analysts too optimistic about what the team can accomplish, despite a projected improved quarterback situation.
New rankings don't give much hope to the Giants' offense for the 2025 season
Although the quarterback room is far from ideal, even with rookie Jaxson Dart impressing far more this spring than anticipated, there might be a bigger problem on the Giants' hands, and that is the offensive coordinator role. It's still unclear who will definitively be making the calls, but the assumption remains that it will go back to Kafka.
Regardless, the team at Pro Football and Sports Network doesn't have much faith in things getting significantly better for New York this fall, ranking their OC team at 21st in the league, which is not exactly where a franchise hoping to turn things around wants to be.
"Daboll has battled with offensive coordinator Mike Kafka for play-calling duties. However, the Giants’ offense was abysmal with Daboll calling plays last season, finishing 31st in QB+. It appears that he’s willing to give the reins back to Kafka this season, according to SNY Giants.
Daboll showed glimpses last season of what New York’s offense is capable of, especially with how he manufactured opportunities for explosive rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers despite lackluster quarterback play. With a QB room of Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Jaxson Dart, New York is still looking for the long-term answer. Whether it’s Daboll or Kafka calling plays, there will be pressure to maximize the talent they have before it’s too late."
Because they appear to have improved some of their weaker spots on the team, especially at quarterback, there is a good chance that whoever is calling plays by Week 1 will have far more success than anyone can project ahead of training camp.
It's easy to believe the absolute worst when the Giants are a long path away from regaining relevancy, especially in a division as dominant as the NFC East. But with an upgraded offense and better quarterback play, an offensive coordinator's job instantly becomes a lot easier.
That could be enough for either Daboll or Kafka, especially since the latter was the OC the last time the Giants made the playoffs, and that was with Daniel Jones under center. There should be quite a bit of growth offensively from what we saw last year, and hopefully that's the case. Or the organization might be looking for a lot more than just a head coach next year.