The New York Giants finally have a foundation in place for the future, but the one thing they're missing is the coaching staff to lead this team back to the playoffs. Brian Daboll certainly wasn't a coach who united the locker room, and if the last few games are any indication, the same could be said for Mike Kafka.
Now that the Giants have finally their franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart, the head coaching search has taken a drastic search that's seen them cast a wide net. But Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox believes finding the right coach for Dart should be Big Blue's biggest priority this coming offseason.
Usually when a young quarterback is involved, NFL teams tend to gravitate towards hiring offensive-minded head coaches, but the crop of potential offensive minds is weak this year. Despite what Knox believes, the G-Men should solely focus on hiring the most qualified candidate rather than trying to hunt for a new Sean McVay or Ben Johnson.
Giants' next head coach needs to continue setting Jaxson Dart up for success
The first-round pick out of Ole Miss has enjoyed an impressive rookie season, and that's while missing two of his top weapons for most of the year, and others have been less than adequate. So beyond coaching, adding additional weapons is the other major priority in New York this offseason.
That said, the 22-year-old was hand-picked to run Daboll's system, but he has enough raw talent to thrive in most systems. That's seen the Giants' coaching search center around several defensive-minded coaches in hopes that the offensive coordinator hire will be able to work well with Dart.
Coordinators like Vance Joseph, Jeff Hafley, and Chris Shula are among the top candidates to replace Daboll, but a candidate who's gaining steam is Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, who took the Fighting Irish to the national championship last year, but his NFL experience is lackluster.
The big concern is that only one of those candidates comes with a succession plan at OC, and that's Joseph, who would likely bring former Giants' QB Davis Webb back to New York to call plays for Dart. And that's why many fans are in love with the idea of hiring Seattle Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak.
However, there have been several reports the G-Men are circling an experienced head coach to help develop Dart, but the main second-time coaching candidates are Matt Nagy, Arthur Smith, and Mike McCarthy. But none of those offensive minds will be able to get the best production out of Dart.
Knox is correct in his assessment that the right head coach will work wonders for the man who has ignited this New York offense; it does not mean they have to force the right hire. And his words prove that anyone but Joe Schoen should be leading this coaching search.