PHOENIX \u2014 It\u2019s a new coaching staff shaping the New York Giants\u2019 offseason, and having the quarterback situation sorted has meant a completely different kind of offseason.<\/p>\n
Last year at this time, the Giants didn\u2019t have Jaxson Dart. Twelve months later, Dart is at the center of the team\u2019s future plans, as the franchise finds itself in an ideal scenario: a young quarterback on his rookie contract.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt goes back to the surplus value that you\u2019re getting in that right now in terms of the price point, and taking advantage of that window,\u201d general manager Joe Schoen said this week at the NFL annual league meetings. \u201cThe quarterback is obviously the centerpiece. So we\u2019re going to continue to build around Jaxson.\u201d<\/p>\n
That process began last offseason with the Giants trading up to select Dart with the No. 25 pick after signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency. The Wilson experience lasted three games before Brian Daboll switched to the rookie. But with the Giants parting ways with Daboll midway through last season, John Harbaugh and his new coaching staff will be tasked with moving Dart along his professional career.<\/p>\n
From the get-go, Harbaugh has been open about building his team around the quarterback. For Harbaugh, that\u2019s creating a \u201chigh-powered offense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt starts with building a system that\u2019s going to be elegant and enough to handle all the complicated things that go with attacking defenses nowadays, but simple enough that the players can operate it in action, in battle, in the heat of battle \u2026 in a real effective way,\u201d Harbaugh said. \u201cOne of the many great things about Jaxson Dart is he does so many things so well. I mean, he can live in a lot of different worlds.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you watch the offenses that we\u2019ve had over the last many number of years, is it\u2019s built around a lot of different elements. There is a lot of different elements that Jaxson can play in. Power run, drop back pass, quarterback driven stuff, RPOs, quick ball out-type of completions, throw the ball downfield, throw it off the play-action. I\u2019m not sure what he really can\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n
During free agency and with the draft still to come, the Giants have been adding pieces to the puzzle. Isaiah Likely was their most notable free-agent addition. The tight end spent his first four seasons with the Ravens, so Harbaugh is plenty familiar with his game and his potential. Likely will step into an expanded role after playing alongside Mark Andrews in Baltimore, where Likely never tallied more than 477 receiving yards in a season. But Harbaugh has a vision for Likely, just as he has an idea of how the tight end will aid Dart.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Jaxson is going to really like him running the routes and being in his line of vision,\u201d Harbaugh said. \u201cHe\u2019s got a big catch radius. He can make plays after he makes a catch. He can get up field. He can make people miss. He can run people over. He\u2019s a very good perimeter blocker. You\u2019ll see that. That will be good for our run game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Likely will join Theo Johnson in the tight end room; there\u2019s sure to be more 12 personnel on the docket for the offense. The Giants added fullback Patrick Ricard, who can block for running backs Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy. And there\u2019s star wideout Malik Nabers, who is recovering from a torn ACL and meniscus, with Darius Slayton and free-agent additions Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III providing depth behind him.<\/p>\n