We’ve seen this movie before. A top quarterback prospect hosts his Pro Day, the NFL world shows up in full force, and for some reason… New York Giants head coach, Brian Daboll, is not there. Now, there are many reasons why this could happen, and not all of them are bad, but still. Big Blue remembers how that played out last year, and not fondly.
On Monday, all eyes were on Miami’s Pro Day, where projected No. 1 pick Cam Ward took the stage and lit it up. Everyone and their mother came out to watch Ward, and the Giants sent a strong crew: General manager Joe Schoen, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, quarterback coach Shea Tierney, and even tight end coach Tim Kelly.
But for reasons unannounced, arguably the most important face was missing.
Brian Daboll misses Cam Ward's Pro Day
Daboll didn’t make the trip. And while that might seem like a shrug-it-off moment on the surface, it’s hard not to feel some sort of deja vu. Again, it could mean absolutely nothing, but it's hard not to remember what happened last year.
Let’s rewind. Same setup. Same time of year. The Giants were reportedly circling the Drake Maye sweepstakes. Daboll skipped his Pro Day too—instead choosing to check out Michael Penix Jr. at Washington.
The result? The Giants didn’t get either quarterback, albeit for very different reasons. Maye went No. 3 to the Patriots. Penix was still on the board when New York picked at No. 6, but they took Malik Nabers instead. It’s fair to say you can’t be in two places at once, so missing Maye’s Pro Day made sense. But not showing up for Ward’s when there weren't other scheduled high-profile Pro Days? That raises more questions.
Fast-forward to now, and Daboll’s absence from Ward’s Pro Day just feels… ominous. It was assumed he'd be there.
Yes, they could still meet privately. Yes, Daboll could see Cam throw in a different setting. But one can't help but wonder if there's something they know that we don't.
Cam Ward, by the way, put on a clinic. Deep balls. Sideline lasers. Bootleg magic. He even caught a touchdown on a trick play for good measure. The guy looked every bit the No. 1 pick, and the Giants are one of the few teams seemingly within striking distance at No. 3.
So why wouldn’t your head coach be there? Is this a sign that they've already moved on from trading up with the Titans? Does this infer they've moved into Shedeur Sanders or bust mode?
There’s still time for private workouts, and this really could all be much ado about nothing. But you never know what's going on under the hood. Daboll should have been in Miami, so why wasn't he?