Analyst Argues Giants' Head Coaching Vacancy Might Not Be That Attractive

Bill Barnwell cites two reasons for concern, but do both actually hold as much water?

NFL analyst Bill Barnwell pours cold water over the theory that the New York Giants head coaching job is highly attractive. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Currently, two head coaching vacancies are a given: the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants, the two teams that fired their respective head coaches during the season.

But this notion that the Giants have the most attractive vacancy given their projected 2026 draft capital, cap space, and young talent core isn’t necessarily true in the eyes of ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell, who ranks the Giants’ spot fifth out of eight spots, his list including projected openings around the league, including the Bengals, Browns, Cardinals, Dolphins, Falcons, and Raiders in his analysis.)  

The Giants, Barnwell notes, have the 18th most projected 2026 cap space and the most projected 2026 draft capital. But he cites two main reasons that could take some of the shine off the Giants’ vacancy.

The Jaxson Dart Factor

Dec 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) looks to pass during the second quarter against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart has been a lightning rod for discussion given his fearlessness as a runner, which has stirred up concern about the quarterback’s chances for longevity.

More importantly, though, Barnwell noted that when asked to be purely a passer, Dart hasn't been as impressive. 

“On dropbacks that ended with a pass attempt or a sack, Dart's 42.9 Total QBR is 26th in the league.”

Given Dart’s fearlessness and his consistent defiance when questioned about it, Barnwell believes it could turn off coaches.

Such a concern over that aspect of Dart’s game might seem a bit extreme. While Dart is certainly defiant when it comes to his fearlessness, he has insisted that he’s made sound decisions on when to give himself up, and expressed frustration and bewilderment over the increased attention he’s received regarding concussion checks.

Further, Dart has proven to be very coachable so far. With a strong offensive playcaller in his ear, perhaps the calls for designed runs become a little more strategically placed and less frequent than they were under Daboll.

The passing part of the equation? Dart has been without Malik Nabers since being named the starter, and the other receiving targets haven't exactly lit up the scoreboard.

With some additional talent around him and the aforementioned creative offensive mind, which would be the head coach's hire, this particular argument Barnwell presents really isn't as big a deal as Barnwell makes it out to be.

The Joe Schoen Factor

New York Giants General Manager Joe Schoen | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The biggest mark against Schoen has been his track record of roster building.

From mixed results in the drafts, particularly the premium (top 100) picks, to letting free-agent talent walk away only to see them flourish elsewhere, Schoen’s roster-building process has left a lot to be desired.

Ownership, in its statement announcing the Daboll firing, indicated that Schoen would be retained. Still, it's fair to wonder whether that will hold if a really strong candidate wants his own person in the general manager's chair.

Barnwell also argues that keeping Schoen puts the general manager and head coach on different timelines, which is not a good way to fix the franchise.

But that argument is not foolproof either. In Giants history alone, George Young was firmly in place as general manager well before Bill Parcells was named head coach, while Jerry Reese was named general manager well after Tom Coughlin was hired as head coach.

Those duos account for all four of the franchise's Super Bowl championships, proving that you don't have to have the general manager and head coach on the same timeline.

The roster-building argument is more of a concern, as Schoen has only produced one playoff team, that in his first season, and one that can be argued still had several players from the Dave Gettleman era.  

Final Thoughts

The Giants are unlikely to give up on Dart after one season, but the looming question is what becomes of Schoen, who is not believed to be on as solid ground as he was this time last year.

Would ownership acquiesce if the next Ben Johnson (Bears) or Liam Coen (Jaguars) insisted on having a different general manager as a condition of taking the Giants’ job?

The odds of that situation coming up aren't very high. But what really needs to happen for the Giants to get out of this rut is that the general manager--whoever that person might end up being--and the head coach align themselves in terms of defining a vision and direction for the team, something that, as time went on, wasn't always necessarily the case with Schoen and Daboll.

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