The New York Giants are in the market for a new coach after crashing down to the ranks of 4-13 and finally parting ways with Brian Daboll. It seems as though former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is at the top of Joe Schoen's hypothetical list of replacements.
While Harbaugh should be the North Star for this team as they try to get back to respectability, the idea of poking around the Mike McDaniel situation might be worth considering, especially now that he can be had following some organizational turnover in South Beach.
McDaniel was fired after four seasons in charge of the Miami Dolphins. While he never managed to break through in the postseason, his reputation as a masterful offensive planner precedes him, and that could help him bounce right back into a starting role sooner rather than later.
Harbaugh is likely going to get his pick of jobs, and there could be reasons for him to leave the Giants at the altar. If that happens, and the Giants want someone who could turn Jaxson Dart into a more consistent passer, no one available in this cycle will help New York achieve that goal quite like McDaniel.
Giants may hire Mike McDaniel if they miss on John Harbaugh
McDaniel went 35-35 in Miami, making the playoffs twice in four years but never winning a playoff game. While he did lose a bit of the bloom on his rose as far as his offensive efficiency, there were problems in Miami that went far beyond his control that sunk him.
Between a very poor allocation of resources in both the draft and free agency, a defense that never managed to get up off the mat, and Tagovailoa's injury problems exacerbating what was already some uneven quarterback play, McDaniel's Dolphins had a very hard ceiling.
McDaniel would, if nothing else, get Dart performing at a well-above-average level. While he would need to nail it with the defensive coordinator hire, the fact that he brought on someone who is getting head coaching buzz in Anthony Weaver is encouraging. Maybe Weaver would follow him to New York?
Making Dart a high-end quarterback would paper over a ton of the cracks that New York currently has, and not even Harbaugh can claim to have the same level of expertise with developing passing games. In terms of helping Dart out, McDaniel may be the best man for the job.