The New York Giants may have expected well-regarded offensive coordinator Todd Monken to reunite with John Harbaugh and undertake the task of helping Jaxson Dart develop, but that plan has quickly been thrown into turmoil as Monken chose to become head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
The Giants are now scrambling to find a coordinator, so much so that they aren't even limiting their search to top NFL names. Some reports suggest that one of the best college minds might be coming to the NFL.
Connor Hughes of SNY is reporting that sources around the NFL believe that former Ole Miss offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., who currently holds the same position at LSU after following Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge, is garnering lots of attention for the Giants' OC job after Monken left them at the altar.
Charlie Weis Jr. hot name in Giants' offensive coordinator search
Weis, who will only turn 33 in April, is the son of former New England Patriots offensive coordinator and Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis Sr. Weis has been Kiffin's offensive coordinator at both Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss in addition to his current gig with LSU.
Weis played a humungous role in helping Dart develop into a standout quarterback, and Dart's familiarity with Weis' offense could be a major asset with such a young team. However, of the options that have been floated, Weis is without question the riskiest of them.
Not only is promoting a college offensive coordinator to a professional job an inherent gamble, but Weis never even called plays in college. The Kiffin-Weis offense was also regarded as very rudimentary in terms of whatit asks the quarterback to do pre-snap, which may not work against NFL defenses.
Art Stapleton has mentioned multiple non-Monken names in contention for the Giants OC job, with recently deposed New York Jets OC Tanner Engstrand among them. As low as the floor could be for Weis in the pros, his ceiling may exceed that of any other candidate New York can bring in.
So much of Harbaugh's success in New York will be tied to making sure that Dart can thrive, so why not bring in someone who he clearly likes and has a hand in making him the player he has become today? It may be an unlikely move, but Weis may end up moving to the pros soon anyway if he kills it in Baton Rouge.