What Changes Might Mike Kafka Make to the New York Giants Offense?

Now that Mike Kafka is the interim coach, what changes will he make to the New York Giants offense?

New York Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka is in position to change the offense for the rest of 2025. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

The New York Giants recently fired Brian Daboll as head coach and replaced him with assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka in the interim.

Kafka has been the play-caller for the New York Giants and will continue to do so for the remainder of the season, but now it should be more of a Kafka offense than a Daboll one.

There’s only so much that can change week to week, as calls take time to install and be ready for gameday.

What’s more likely to happen is that tendencies get broken and some of the lesser-called plays work into the rotation.

There will also be the challenge early on of having Jameis Winston as the starting quarterback with Jaxson Dart in concussion protocol.

Kafka spent five seasons on the Kansas City Chiefs staff under Andy Reid, and now that he gets to run his own offense, we may see some similarities to the Chiefs' offense.

Here's a list of things that could seep into the Giants' offensive game plans moving forward with Kafka at the helm.

Tight End Usage

New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson (84) celebrates with teammates after scoring the first touchdown during a week 9 game between New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Part of what makes the Chiefs offense what it is is the freedom route-runners have.

Tight end Travis Kelce has helped make a name for himself on option routes, consistently finding soft spots in coverage and attacking.

Theo Johnson isn’t Kelce, and he never will be, but he can help attack defenses with option routes.

Johnson has the athletic ability to challenge all three levels of a defense, something that hasn’t been evident based on his current usage.

Kafka will hopefully get Johnson more involved in the passing game, especially with the Giants' injuries in the wide receiver room.

Screen Passes

Don't be surprised to see more elements of Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid's offense find its way into the Giants' offense under IHC Mike Kafka. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

I don’t know exactly how he does it, but Andy Reid's teams consistently run screens more effectively than any other team.

While the Giants likely won’t suddenly become this great screen team, throwing more screens would benefit this offense even if they weren’t as effective as Reid teams.

Dart has thrown screens on just 8.5% of his dropbacks, while Russell Wilson was at 7.8% when he was the starter.

Those rank 22nd and 25th, respectively, leaving the Giants well behind the league average in usage, with much better offenses having considerably higher screen percentages.

This doesn’t just include running back screens; wide receiver and tight end screens are also welcome, especially if the offense doesn’t run a flea flicker to get to the screen.

Increased Pre-snap Motion

Pre-snap motion should help New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart with identifying coverages. | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

The Giants' offense has used motion on just 34.4% of their snaps; it's the offense in the NFL.

Pre-snap motion and motion at the snap are critical tools that good offenses use to help them identify what coverage a defense is in and if there’s a blitz coming.

Putting a receiver in motion usually prevents teams from playing press coverage on him, leading to free releases.

Most offenses use motion between 50-60% of their offensive snaps. This shows just how far behind the curve the Giants have been.

Motion also benefits an offense in the run game, as it sends a player across the formation into and out of the backfield to displace certain defenders and create easier rushing lanes for backs.

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