Giants' rebuilt offense must complement physical run game, elevate franchise QB Jaxson Dart

The Giants believe they have their future quarterback in Jaxson Dart. Now it’s time to see if the offense can better elevate his strengths.

Sunday night isn’t just about Dart’s second season. It’s offensive coordinator Matt Nagy’s return as play-caller, something he hasn’t done since 2021. Even Nagy admitted there’s weight on his shoulders to guide Dart into an upward trajectory.

“It's a lot of pressure because you want to make sure that you put him and the rest of the offense in the best position possible to score,” Nagy said. "There's going to be some good play calls and there's going to be some bad play calls. And we need to work together and make sure that we're understanding when a play goes the wrong way, how do you fix it and why.”

Yes, Dart needs to play better in his first full season. He needs to stay healthy and be smarter to avoid big hits. But the coaches and players around him have to do their part considering the weapons are different from Dart’s last start in January.

New starting running back? Everyone yell “wooooo” for Cam Skattebo. New tight end? Welcome Isaiah Likely. New starting receivers? Enter Darnell Mooney, rookie Malachi Fields and Malik Nabers returning from his ACL injury last season.

All of them have a job to do. Make plays. Be efficient and explosive. Help show Dart is capable of taking a second-year leap.

That’s why Sunday, all eyes won’t just be on Dart. It’s how this offense looks. Can Nagy and Co. let Dart rip it a bit? Can they finish drives? Can the running game take pressure off Dart with Patrick Ricard clearing the way at fullback?

There’s going to be natural adjustments from learning a new system. But Dart sounded more at ease last week being confident in with Nagy’s system.

“In this offense, there's a lot that's put on the quarterback's plate, but it's exactly how I want it,” Dart said. “It's exactly how I viewed this coming together. And we still have a lot of room to improve and grow as a unit, but I'm definitely feeling way better each and every day.”

That’s good because people don’t need to be reminded how limited this offense was last season. Dart had just one game with over 250 passing yards. His longest completion was 43 yards.

The Giants' longest run was 31 yards, the lowest season-high run by any team. With Nabers hurt, the offense chugged at a slow pace without any game breakers.

That can’t repeat that again. That’s why Harbaugh arranged an experienced offensive staff including Nagy, quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan and senior offensive assistant Greg Roman. Running backs coach Willie Taggart is inheriting the NFL’s fifth best rushing offense last season.

Jameis Winston called it a “gumbo” with a great mix of minds in the room. That’s what this offense needs to be. Don't just pound teams on the ground -- complement it by dicing them with the passing game.

It’s also what Dart expects.

“There's just a lot of answers. There's a lot of plays that you can get to,” he said. “There's a lot of options that you can get to, and it lets us just go out there and play football. It lets the creators know that we have to make plays, get open in space, and us just being on the same page and getting a ton of reps has really helped.”

What does that mean? It means Fields need to adjust quickly as a rookie. Mooney needs to reminds why his best season in 2021 (1,055 yards) came with Nagy as his head coach on the Bears.

Nabers just needs to get healthy. He’s the Giants’ best downfield threat and that element was sorely missing last year. That opens the game up for Dart to do more but Mooney, Fields and Likely must also produce to give Nabers those deep looks.

Likely needs to translate his great training camp rhythm with Dart to sweet music on Sundays. Likely doesn’t think it’ll be difficult given how the two often ask each other questions watching film.

“It's really just seeing the game from his point of view, seeing the game from his eyes, and really just trying to make his life as easy as possible is my number one priority,” Likely said.

Skattebo must stay healthy and prove he can carry a starter’s load for a full season. He can’t just bulldoze defenders. The Giants need big plays from him and the rest of the running back room.

Dart has enough pressure to improve in his second year. But to get to that next level, he needs help from Nagy and this group of weapons. As much as Dart makes them look good, they have to make him look better by helping this offense be exciting, not just physical.

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.