New York Giants mailbag: How good will the offense be?

Norm Weiss asks: Ed, last year when Nabers went down and Skattebo went down, based on past history, I thought the offense would collapse. Instead, they were consistently better than they had been in years. I believe that the growth of the offensive line into a quality unit and intangibles from Jaxon Dart’s leadership were at the heart of the improved offense. With the drafting of Mauigoa, Dart’s further development, new coaching staff and the return of Nabers and Skattebo, do you think the Giants will have a top offense or am I just dreaming?

Ed says: Norm, offense was not the problem for the Giants in 2025. Despite losing Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo, the Giants scored 22.4 points per game, 16th in the league. That is six more than in 2024 (16.1), and more than the Philadelphia Eagles (22.1). A team at the midpoint of the league in scoring should be competitive in most of its games.

Whatever their shortcomings, ex-coaches Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka get some credit for that.

Development is never linear, though. Simply because the offense improved a year ago does not mean it is going to take a similar leap this year. There are a lot of questions:

• Beyond being physical, which has constantly been promised, what will the scheme look like?
• Will Jaxson Dart, with a new scheme and new coaches, take a step forward? Will he regress?
• When will Nabers be available? How close will he be to the player he was in 2024?
• Who else steps up at wide receiver?
• Will tight end Isaiah Likely be the impact player the Giants are paying him to be?
• How will Sisi Mauigoa play as a rookie?
• Will Andrew Thomas stay healthy?

The most important of those questions is, of course, the development of Dart. I have no concerns about the working relationships of the Giants offensive coaches, many of whom have previously been head coaches or play callers. I have talked to most of them about the situation. They each know the jobs they signed up for, the chain of command, the expectations of the head coach, and that team success is the best thing for each of their careers.

I believe the offense has a chance to be better this season, but I’m not predicting a massive leap.

*Christopher Scanlon asks: For good reason, there’s been an awful lot of talk about our hopes for the D line’s ability to stop the run this season. I’d like to pivot to the D line’s impact on the pass rush, though. Specifically, Dexter Lawrence‘s impact on the edge’s productivity. Brian Burns had a career year last year. From non-Giants fans, though, there was murmuring about him being overrated and that a good number of his sacks were a result of double teams on and pressure of the middle by Lawrence. I’m not a film guy so I don’t know how much credence to give that...