Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll find themselves on the hot seat as the New York Giants enter yet another make-or-break season. Big Blue looks to be a real Super Bowl long shot this season, but the surplus of young talent on the roster offers plenty of promise.
Schoen’s 2024 NFL Draft bought him and Daboll time, but it’s the 2025 class that has the opportunity to save their jobs entirely. The Giants selected Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart in the first round of a draft class that has wasted no time producing multiple impact players.
Both Dart and fifth-round tackle Marcus Mbow impressed in the preseason, and it looks like Daboll and Schoen finally have a foundation in place, which is exactly what CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards thinks. Edwards believes that the franchise will be in a good position to succeed if both Dart and Carter pan out.
Giants’ rookie class is wasting no time to make an impact
In the preseason, the 22-year-old Dart completed 68% of his passes for 372 yards and totaled four touchdowns — three through the air and one rushing score. The performance only reinforced the belief that the Giants may have finally found their long-term answer under center, as he already beat out Jameis Winston to be the team’s QB2.
However, he’ll still have to push 10-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson if he wants to see meaningful snaps in 2025, and even Edwards said it would “come as a surprise” if the Ole Miss standout didn’t play this season.
Meanwhile, Carter failed to post eye-popping preseason numbers, but still flashed glimpses of superstar potential throughout the summer and has lived up to the lofty expectations set when New York selected him No. 3 overall.
He’s drawn comparisons to Micah Parsons, who just became the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, so it’s no surprise that Daboll and his staff are banking on him to make an instant impact. And he’ll be playing on a defensive line riddled with talent, so Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and company will be able to help the G-Men get the most out of their generational talent.
Even Cam Skattebo and Darius Alexander could be immediate difference-makers for Big Blue, so it isn’t just the big names turning heads.
For a franchise searching for stability, the message is clear: the rookies are giving Daboll and Schoen a fighting chance. If they keep progressing, the Giants may finally have the building blocks to escape years of mediocrity.