Giants Offense Eyes Deep Game in Year 2 of Daboll-Kafka Era

The New York Giants offense took a demonstrable leap forward in the 2022 NFL season, largely thanks to adjustments from head coach Brian Daboll. In his first season with the team, he hit the reset button in a monumental way, increasing the offense’s overall efficiency and limiting turnovers, despite the lack of a true WR1 for blossoming quarterback Daniel Jones.

The Giants’ offense improved in almost every team metric worth considering, and even better than that, it translated to wins. Despite their placement in the NFC East — arguably the most competitive division in football — the team managed not just a winning record for the first time since 2016, but it also marked their first trip to the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs since 2012.

2021	2022
Score %	27.5	37.3
Turnover %	15.9	7.3
Points Scored	258	365
Offensive yards	4,884	5,676
Plays	1,050	1,089
Yards per Play	4.7	5.2

However, none of that would have been possible without Jones’s development as a quarterback. He posted career-highs in pass yards, pass yards per attempt, completion percentage, passer rating, TD-to-INT ratio, among others. Those efforts earned him a 4-year, $160 contract extension that currently ranks ninth among quarterbacks in average annual salary.

The Giants shouldn’t get too comfortable with their progress, though, as there’s one area of vital importance to improve before they can truly contend with the big dogs in the NFC. That area is the deep pass attack.

Giants are starting from the bottom--literally

The theme of Daboll’s first season with the Giants offense? Safety. This team went back to the basics, taking time to deploy the new offensive scheme and, ultimately, rebuild the confidence of their potential franchise quarterback.

Jones finished his 2022 campaign tied with Colts quarterback Matt Ryan for the league's lowest average depth of target at just 6.5 yards. That's not to say it didn’t work, though. Per Pro Football Focus, Jones ranked first among all quarterbacks with an 80.1% adjusted completion rate (which measures the percentage of on-target throws) while leading all quarterbacks with a 1.1% interception rate.

What the Giants sacrificed to achieve that level of efficiency was explosive play opportunities. Jones finished the year with the second-lowest big-time 920+ yards) throw rate (1.4%).

The Giants finished dead-last among all NFL teams with just 24 total pass attempts of 20 or more yards, per Next Gen Stats. The quality of those deep pass attempts was on point, though, with Jones averaging the sixth-highest passer rating (111.9), totaling 359 pass yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions on such attempts. There just weren’t enough of those deep attempts to tip the scales.

What a deep passing attack looks like

The Giants won’t need to look far to find one of the most productive deep pass attacks over the last several years, as he’s right there, in the building.

It probably won’t surprise those who watched the Buffalo Bills during Daboll’s tenure as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2019 through 2021.

Per Next Gen Stats, the Bills ranked third among NFL teams in deep pass attempts under Daboll, ranking 10th in yardage on such attempts. The evolution of that pass attack only becomes more impressive, considering that just 15.4% of their total deep yards came after the catch — the fourth-lowest rate in the league.

At this point, the Giants have established the foundation of the offense. Now it’s time to build on it by expanding their game downfield. Theoretically, as they continue to push the ball further down the field, they’ll assume more risks, which could mean a decent jump in turnover rate next season.

However, what they gain with the sheer threat of the deep pass will most likely be worth it. The ideal execution would spread defenders more widely across the field and away from the line of scrimmage. Eliminating pressure on Jones will be key, having been pressured on 242 dropbacks last season — third most in the league, translating to 43 total sacks.

Ouch!

Enter Darren Waller & Jalin Hyatt

While Giants fans waited for the team to zig in the direction of a true WR1, the team decided to zag, trading the No. 100 pick to acquire tight end Darren Waller. Since 2019, Waller has ranked third among all tight ends in receiving yards (3,394) and receptions (380) despite missing 14 total games over the last two seasons.

Much of Waller’s production has come down the field, too, ranking second among tight ends in targets, receptions, and receiving yards on deep pass attempts. It’s a huge bonus for New York, who can celebrate not just the fact that they finally have a player (albeit not a wide receiver) to truly lead this receiving attack but also one with experience with the deep passing game to help it flourish.

Complementing Waller in this offense will be veterans Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, and Parris Campbell (who made quite the buzz in OTAs). Unfortunately, contributions from Sterling Shepard and Wan’Dale Robinson could be limited to start the season as they both target returns from torn ACLs, suffered in Weeks 3 and 11, respectively. Still — add Waller into this mix, and suddenly the depth starts to pop. You can envision the potential.

Where the Giants could see their most significant contributions down the field, if the offense is executed to a tee, is with rookie WR Jalin Hyatt. Hyatt was selected by New York, who traded up to get him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

The rookie had a stunning breakout season with the Tennesse Volunteers last year, concluding his 2022 campaign with 67 catches for 1,267 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns while also receiving the Fred Biletnikoff Award and All-American honors.

Standing 6-foot and 189 pounds, Hyatt wasn’t always the biggest man on the field, but he was one of the fastest. His 4.40 40-yard-dash time provided plenty of opportunities to get open in Tennessee’s offense, dominating the FBS as one of the best deep threats in college football.

It remains to be seen just how well that skillset will translate to the NFL, given the relatively simple offense the Volunteers employed, but we know one thing for sure.

The upside is there… as long as they make the attempt.

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