The New York Giants are still a ways away from contention. Nobody is denying that. Recently, Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab ranked the G-Men 27th in his offseason power rankings, noting that head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen are both squarely on the hot seat going into the 2025 season.
On the bright side, he did grade their offseason a respectable B+.
After a frustrating regression following their surprise 2022 playoff run, that’s hardly surprising.
Expectations were high after New York won its first playoff game since the 2011 Super Bowl run. Daboll was fresh off a Coach of the Year award, Daniel Jones had followed up his career year with a lucrative new contract, and Schoen made a splash by landing linebacker Bobby Okereke in free agency.
But it was that offseason that did more harm to Big Blue than good. Jones regressed sharply, and the offensive line got worse than ever before, reminding people why the Big Apple was touted as a rebuild when the pair took the job.
Whatever way you slice it, retaining Jones over Saquon Barkley was a colossal mistake. But for the first time while running the show for the G-Men, Daboll and Schoen finally have their chosen quarterback in first-round rookie Jaxson Dart.
People tend to forget that it wasn’t Schoen and Daboll who signed off on Jones, it was Gettleman.
Despite what reports might suggest, it is unlikely we will see much of the 22-year-old this season, if at all. This is why Big Blue brought in both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to provide Dart the development he needs.
Drafted for Daboll and Mike Kafka’s system, it would be remiss to fire the staff that sought to mold him into a franchise QB before he gets a real opportunity to transform the franchise.
We’ve seen this movie before. Firing Pat Shurmur after Jones’ rookie season turned out to be a detriment to his development.
Recent history suggests that a rookie quarterback’s growth can suffer when their head coach is replaced early on. Yes, in some cases it does serve as a benefit, like when the Rams hired Sean McVay for Jared Goff, but that is the exception.
Don’t write off New York Giants' Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen just yet
Despite the noise, there's reason to believe that Daboll and Schoen might stick around longer than many expect. First, ownership stability plays a major role. The Mara and Tisch families aren’t known for their knee-jerk reactions. They value continuity, even in the face of adversity.
Even the Joe Judge-Dave Gettleman conglomerate (who accomplished far less than Schoen and Daboll) was granted more time than they probably deserved. Let’s not forget Jones, who was given a leash of six seasons as the team's starter in the face of his decision-making, which left a lot to be desired.
Adding to the challenge, the Giants are in arguably the NFL’s toughest division and have the league’s most difficult schedule this upcoming season—a factor that will factor heavily into John Mara’s evaluation of the former Bills duo’s future.
As he grows more aggressive in the free agent market, Schoen’s draft classes are trending in the right direction. Andru Phillips and Tyrone Tracy were great finds in last year’s draft, and day-three picks Cam Skattebo and Marcus Mbow should carve out a role early on this season.
2022 and 2023 first-rounders Kayvon Thibodeaux and Deonte Banks are showcasing upside, while the move to guard could resurrect Evan Neal’s career.
Malik Nabers has superstar written all over him. Even Russell Wilson sees it. And rookie linebacker Abdul Carter looks poised to become a multi-time Pro Bowler after a prolific career at Penn State.
Yes, the pressure is mounting. And no, another six-win season likely won’t cut it. But unless the locker room completely implodes, both Daboll and Schoen may be more insulated than outsiders think.