New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh has filled a number of spots on his coaching staff, but has yet to find an offensive coordinator to run the team’s offense and steward the development of second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.
That’s not for a lack of trying. Harbaugh and GM Joe Schoen skipped attending the Senior Bowl to hunker down in East Rutherford, N.J. and work on the coaching staff. Harbaugh, of course, wanted Todd Monken to follow him from the Baltimore Ravens to run the offense. The
Cleveland Browns wrecked that plan by naming Monken head coach.
So, Harbaugh has been hard at work on Plan B. Here is what he said recently about the type of offensive coordinator he wants:
“I don’t want a one system guy, who has his fit and you’ve got to build all the players to fit ‘my system.’ I want a guy that can look at our players and say, ‘OK…’ Because Jaxson Dart can live in different worlds. He can be under center, he can play action, he can drop back in the gun, he can run the RPOs — I like all the different things he can do, so I want to have a coach that reflects that ability that he has.”
Let’s look at the known candidates and where things stand currently.
Davis Webb
The Denver Broncos pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach interviewed for a number of head-coaching jobs this cycle. He removed himself from the last one he had a chance at — the Las Vegas Raiders opening — last week.
The Giants have requested an interview with their two-time backup quarterback, but that has not happened yet. The 31-year-old is considered a fast-rising star in the coaching industry, and there is a push-pull between the Broncos and Webb’s other suitors to see whether he will actually leave Sean Payton and the Broncos.
The Broncos fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi after losing to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. They could easily promote Webb to that spot. The sticking point is that Payton calls plays, so how much would that actually advance Webb’s career?
There are even some in Denver calling for Payton, one of the game’s best play callers, to give up that responsibility in order to keep Webb.
Charlie Weis Jr.
Dart would love having his former Ole Miss play caller in that role for the Giants.
“I loved playing with Charlie,” Dart told Big Blue View in an exclusive interview. “Made tremendous strides as a player each year playing under him. Obviously just have a great relationship with him, his dad [Charlie Weis Sr.], his wife Jen. They’re a great family and I couldn’t say anything bad about Charlie.
“He’s a great coach. He’s a bright young mind in this game, and he’s going to have a long career and is going to win a lot of championships. Whatever level that is, I have all the respect in the world for him.”
Problem is, it seems unlikely Weis is going to move. He went from Ole Miss to LSU to follow Lane Kiffin, but not before insisting on calling plays for Ole Miss during the College Football Playoff. To this point, he has resisted overtures to return to Ole Miss and to become offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Could the chance to coach Dart sway him? So far, no interview with the Giants is on the docket.
Shane Day
The Chargers’ quarterbacks coach, a favorite of Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert, interviewed with the Giants on Saturday. Could he move from working for Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles to John Harbaugh in New Jersey?
Michael Peterson of SB Nation’s Bolts From the Blue told Big Blue View Day moving to the Giants would be a “huge loss” for the Chargers.
“I think Day’s bright and engaging personality is a sign of a man who absolutely loves his job and everything that comes with it. You won’t catch anyone with a negative thing to say about him. Guys like that are easy to like and even easier to trust. It’s not a surprise he went from high school position coach to the University of Michigan, then to the San Francisco 49ers in the span of six years. The work ethic he exudes has produced results and I believe everyone can see that wherever he happens to be coaching.“
Jim Bob Cooter
An NFL assistant coach since the age of 25, the 41-year-old Cooter is currently offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts. Cooter was offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions from 2016-2018. He is currently blocked from play-calling duties in Indianapolis as head coach Shane Steichen handles those.
Cooter is scheduled to interview with the Giants on Sunday. He has also interviewed twice with the Philadelphia Eagles for their offensive coordinator job.
Alex Tanney
The one-time Giants’ backup quarterback seems like the most unlikely of the candidates who have emerged thus far. Tanney works under Cooter as passing game coordinator for the Colts, and has only been coaching since retiring after the 2020 season.
Tanney interviewed on Friday.
Kliff Kingsbury
Kingsbury’s name keeps coming up in the media and in the fan base. I have not yet seen or heard any credible reports that the Giants actually have interest in the former Arizona Cardinals head coach and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator.
