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USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 NFL season: The biggest question facing each NFC team
2025 NFL season: The biggest question facing each NFC team Show Caption Hide Caption Five NFL games we can't wait to watch in the 2025 season The NFL schedule for the 2025-2026 season has been released. Here are a few games on our must-watch list. The NFL regular season will kick off in less than 100 days. NFL mandatory minicamps begin next week, and training camp gets underway in July. Every team has multiple unanswered questions this time of year. Rosters are still being formed, rookies are learning new systems, roles have yet to be defined and coaches are incorporating plans for the season ahead. Plus, several impact free agents are still available. As minicamps get ready to commence across the league, USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon provides his biggest question for every team in the NFC. Here's a dive into one major question for all 16 teams in the NFC: TOP REMAINING FREE AGENTS: Best fits for Keenan Allen, Aaron Rodgers, more NFC East Dallas Cowboys When are the Cowboys and Micah Parsons going to finalize a contract extension? Parsons presumably will become the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history once an extension is finished. Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett currently holds the title, earning an annual average of $40 million. The Cowboys have over $32.1 million in cap space, via Over the Cap. New York Giants Is the job status of general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll contingent upon quarterback Jaxson Dart's success? Schoen is notoriously known for letting Saquon Barkley walk to Philadelphia. Daboll has an 18-32-1 record in three seasons at the helm. The Giants likely need to take a positive step forward this season for the two to remain employed in New York. Daboll said Russell Wilson is the team's starter but that could change if the temperature on his seat gets hotter. Philadelphia Eagles Are the Eagles still the team to beat despite key departures? The significant losses for the Eagles include Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Mekhi Becton and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Jr. Younger and less experienced players, such as rookies Jihaad Campbell and Andrew Mukuba, will be asked to contribute immediately for the defending champs. Washington Commanders Jayden Daniels must avoid a sophomore slump. Is Daniels the newest superstar quarterback? The Commanders are in the fortuitous position of having a franchise quarterback on a rookie contract. Washington acquired standout left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Deebo Samuel in separate trades. Now Daniels and the Commanders must build off a Cinderella 2024 campaign. TUSH PUSH: NFL fails to ban the Philadelphia Eagles' 'Tush Push' at league meetings NFC North Chicago Bears Can new head coach Ben Johnson improve the Bears offense? The Bears ranked last in total offense and Caleb Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times last year. When Johnson was the offensive coordinator in Detroit, no offense averaged more points per game (30.1) or net yards per game (402.2) than the Lions the past two seasons. Detroit Lions Will the departures of both coordinators have a negative impact on the Lions? The Lions lost both Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn to promotions. New OC John Morton and DC Kelvin Sheppard have big shoes to fill. Furthermore, the Lions must deal with the sudden retirement of center Frank Ragnow. Green Bay Packers Who will emerge in Green Bay's wide receiver logjam? The Packers have Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and rookie first-round pick Matthew Golden atop the depth chart. Watson will likely miss the start of the 2025 season as he recovers from an ACL tear. But what happens when Watson returns? Doubs missed practice last year because he wasn't happy with his role and was subsequently suspended for one game. Minnesota Vikings Is J.J. McCarthy Minnesota's franchise quarterback? The Vikings are poised to start McCarthy after Sam Darnold's career year in Minnesota. Darnold is the first QB in NFL history to record 14 wins in his first season with a team. McCarthy is often going to be compared to his predecessor. NFC South Atlanta Falcons The Falcons aren't really going to keep Kirk Cousins, right? The Falcons have turned over the quarterback keys to Michael Penix Jr. -- and they aren't turning back. But is Atlanta comfortable with having the most expensive backup quarterback in the league? Cousins has a guaranteed salary of $27.5 million this season. He's made his intentions clear about his desire to start. A trade seems like a logical solution. Carolina Panthers Can Bryce Young continue his positive trajectory? Young made positive strides as a passer after his early season demotion. He tossed seven touchdowns and had zero interceptions in his final three regular-season games as Carolina won two of those three contests last year. He ended his second year with three straight games with over a 100-passer rating. The Panthers helped Young out this offseason by adding WR Tetairoa McMillan in the first round. The two played high school football against each other. New Orleans Saints Is Tyler Shough the answer at quarterback? Derek Carr's retirement jumpstarts Shough's era in New Orleans. The Saints have an open competition at quarterback, but Shough is believed to be the favorite. Shough's seven-year college career should bode well for him as he navigates life in the NFL. DEREK CARR RETIREMENT: 'I never played just for the money' Tampa Bay Buccaneers Did the Bucs do enough to improve their pass defense? The Bucs had the 29th-ranked pass defense in 2024. Tampa Bay signed Haason Reddick this offseason and four of the team's six draft selections were on cornerbacks and edge rushers. NFC West Arizona Cardinals Will Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. develop a better rapport in the desert? During the 2024 season, Murray and Harrison often struggled to sync up with each other. Consequently, Harrison didn't meet expectations in his first year. As the top wide receiver selected in the 2024 draft, he finished fifth among rookies in both receptions and receiving yards. The Cardinals wideout told reporters this offseason, 'there's room for improvement.' Los Angeles Rams Are the Rams legitimate contenders in the NFC? General manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay have done a tremendous job of infusing the roster with youth while remaining competitive since winning Super Bowl 56. The Rams essentially preferred Davante Adams over Cooper Kupp. The defense returns defensive rookie of the year, Jared Verse. Last year's club had the eventual Super Bowl 59 champion Eagles on the ropes. San Francisco 49ers Will the 49ers evade the injury bug this season? There's a lot of talk about whether San Francisco's Super Bowl window is closed. They lost multiple starters on defense, including Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga and Charvarius Ward. Plus, Deebo Samuel on offense. But the 49ers' core pillars -- Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams remain. San Francisco is still one of the best teams in the NFL if those six can stay healthy. Seattle Seahawks Is Seattle's investment in Sam Darnold going to pay off? The Seahawks signed Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million deal after the quarterback's career season in Minnesota. Was last year an anomaly or a sign of more to come for the journeyman QB? The Seahawks are banking on (literally) that it's the latter. Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
New York Giants' Brian Daboll speaks at OTAs: 5 takeaways
New York Giants' Brian Daboll speaks at OTAs: 5 takeaways The New York Giants were out on the field on Wednesday for their second of 10 organized team activity (OTA) practices this spring. Head coach Brian Daboll met the media in the morning before the workout. Here are some quick takeaways. Perfect attendance Daboll was obviously pleased with the perfect attendance at the voluntary workouts thus far. Malik Nabers sits Phase 3, which began on Tuesday, will consist of non-contact football activities such as 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Daboll said second-year wideout Malik Nabers would not participate due to an ongoing toe issue. Quarterback plan Daboll also noted that all the quarterbacks would get reps in drills, including first-round pick Jaxson Dart who has not yet come to terms on his rookie deal as of yet. Injury updates In addition, Daboll said that left tackle Andrew Thomas will not work. Thomas was held to just six games last season with a foot injury and is recovering from surgery. Other players who will take it slow in these drills are defensive backs Anthony Johnson (shoulder) and free agent signee Paulson Adebo, who broke his leg last year. Daboll mentioned that All-Pro defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence (elbow) and guard Jon Runyan (ankle) were "coming along" as well. Evan Neal, guard Apparently, the plan to move former first-round pick Evan Neal from tackle to guard is in motion. Whether Neal also sees reps at tackle is uncertain.
Fox Sports
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Inside Brian Daboll's plan to turn Jaxson Dart into a star and save his own career
When Brian Daboll was hired as offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills in 2018, he inherited a raw, erratic, young quarterback and one of the worst offenses in the league. By the time he left, the Bills were an offensive juggernaut and Josh Allen was an All-Pro and MVP runner-up. That's the primary reason the New York Giants hired him to be their head coach in 2022. They saw what he did for the Bills and their quarterback and believed he could do the same for them. So far, they've turned out to be wrong. Now, Daboll has one last chance to show them they were right. How well the fourth-year Giants coach develops Jaxson Dart is the key to his future in New York, and possibly his future as a head coach anywhere in the NFL. The stakes are really that high after the Giants traded a third-round pick to get back into the first round and draft Dart at No. 25 overall, knowing that co-owner John Mara said finding a franchise quarterback was the "No. 1 issue" of the offseason. Now that they've got him, it's up to Daboll to develop the Ole Miss star as well as he developed Allen seven years ago, only he has to do it under very different and admittedly "unique" circumstances. The 22-year-old Dart heads into the spring a deep third on the Giants' depth chart behind two veteran quarterbacks who both expect to play. That means his time on the field will be limited, even in practice. But Daboll still has to get him ready to start by 2026, at the very least. "Look, the process of developing a quarterback is just that," Daboll said. "We're going to do everything we can to develop him and bring him along." No one doubts the Giants' intentions, but the details of the process are going to matter more. Daboll has been notorious for giving most of his practice reps to his starting quarterback throughout his three seasons with the Giants, and it might be difficult for him to stray from that this year, especially early on. Both of his veterans — 36-year-old Russell Wilson and 31-year-old Jameis Winston — are new to the Giants and Daboll's system. They're going to need plenty of practice this spring and summer, too. That could leave Dart standing and watching in camp a lot more than a rookie quarterback normally would. And while watching Wilson and Winston in action could certainly provide some benefits, at some point Dart will still need time to actually practice what he's learned. "Jaxson will get a fair amount of reps with the [third string]," Daboll said. "And maybe you'll see him in there [with the starters] — sprinkle him in when he doesn't even know he's supposed to go in there, just to see how he reacts being in a different atmosphere. He won't know when or why." That, actually, seems to be a big part of Daboll's plan for developing his future leader. As one team official said, the coach "is like a mad scientist" with quarterbacks. He likes to keep them on edge, constantly thinking, ready for whatever happens next. That has been evident in Daboll's pre-draft interactions with quarterbacks, as seen on HBO's "Hard Knocks" last offseason and in some team-produced videos since the draft. He could be in the middle of a sentence about something else, when he suddenly throws a scenario and question at a quarterback to judge both their knowledge and their ability to quickly react. With a young player like Dart, that could be an easy way to make sure he stays involved, even when he's not always in the huddle. "His expectations coming in is just to improve every day," Daboll said. "Soak it up like a sponge, learn from the coaches, learn from the veteran quarterbacks in the room, try to improve every day he can in terms of his understanding of the system." And while no specific plan is in place yet for the preseason, it figures that Dart will at least get an extensive opportunity to show what he's learned. Both Wilson and Winston will need — and will get — plenty of playing time in exhibitions to get used to their new offense and teammates. But they are veterans who don't necessarily need to play a lot, and they definitely won't need to play all three games. So, Dart figures to see at least a little time in each of the first two. And it's possible that the third preseason game — Thursday, Aug. 21, at home against the New England Patriots — could almost completely belong to him. Once the season starts, though, barring an injury to Wilson or Winston, Dart's reps as the third-string quarterback figure to come mostly on the scout team. That means more classroom work and film sessions than actual playing time for him, which could be a shock to the system for a player who spent the past three years starting for an SEC team. "I understand coming to the next level, there's definitely going to be a development piece," Dart said. "That goes for anybody, regardless of where you're at in your career, if you're taking it to the next level." Still, while it's too early again to know an exact plan, a team source expects Daboll to continue his plan to "sprinkle" Dart in to some surprise practice reps during each practice week. The limitations of practice time, though, mean most of Dart's learning and growth will come from the sidelines and in the film room. Daboll also plans some extensive, post-practice sessions for Dart with either him, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney, or all three. Daboll & Co. know, coming off a 3-14 season in which Mara's mood was famously sour, that they need to mostly focus on winning games this season. But they also can't take their eyes off Dart and what he likely means for the franchise starting in 2026. And he means a lot. It remains a stain on the résumés of both Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen that they were unable to turn Daniel Jones into a viable franchise quarterback. They had a strong belief in him after his promising season in 2022, when he led the Giants to a 9-7-1 record and a win in the playoffs. That's why they agreed to sign him to a four-year, $160 million contract, only to watch as injuries and poor play derailed Jones' career. They've spent the past two years searching for a replacement. One year ago, they tried in vain to trade up into the top three of the NFL Draft with their eyes on current Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. Once that attempt failed, they spent the next year on what was basically one, long, extensive scouting trip that ended with their decision to trade up for Dart. The "unique" part about that move is that they might not really know what they have in Dart until next season. While it's not completely unusual for a future franchise quarterback to sit most of his rookie year, it is odd for that player to spend his first year as a third-stringer. Both of the Giants' previous two franchise quarterbacks — Jones and Eli Manning — started out as the primary backups. That's how Allen began his career in Buffalo, too. It's also worth noting that while the Giants went into the rookie seasons for Manning and Jones insisting they'd spend the year watching and learning, it didn't end up that way. Jones took over for Manning in Week 3 in 2019. Manning took over for veteran Kurt Warner in Week 11 in 2004, even though the Giants were 5-4 and in playoff contention. Allen, whom Buffalo traded up to select No. 7 overall in 2018, was actually thought to be something of a wild-armed project who would need a lot of time to sit and learn when he joined the Bills. But he took over for then-starter Nathan Peterman early in the third quarter of the season opener and was the Bills' starter in Week 2. Dart seems much more likely to sit for most of the season no matter what, given how badly Schoen and Daboll need the Giants to win. But the team source stressed that there's a belief in the organization that Daboll is flexible enough to move Dart up the depth chart if he thinks he's ready. The Giants have committed only $10 million and one year to Wilson, and two years, but only $5.25 million guaranteed, to Winston, so they are not worried about their financial investment. They could cut, trade or bench either of them with ease. So, it's not impossible that Dart could move past Winston and become the primary backup at some point this season. And if the Giants aren't in a playoff race in December, they are open to the idea of Dart getting a couple of late starts, just to help him shake off some of his rookie rust and give the organization a better look at what it's got. "He's got the makings of a good quarterback, and there's a long way to go," Daboll said. "There's a developmental process that he's going to have to go through. Again, these offenses are not easy to learn, and the execution has to be at a high level." That's the big question, though: Can he execute at a high level by the time he needs to, with only limited time to actually do it in practice? Can he become their future starter mostly by watching others? And can Daboll balance what his starter needs, so the Giants can start winning, and still find the kind of on-field time Dart needs to turn into the quarterback he needs to be? "You're doing everything you can, (and) again, there's a long list of things that you have to go through with all these players," Daboll said. "Quarterback is a particularly hard position mentally. We're going to put everything we got into it. I know he will too. And there'll be some struggles and there'll be some good things, and that's what you learn from." "It's definitely new," Dart admitted. "But for me, this is just where my journey starts. I'm stepping into an amazing room with a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who can see it from a different lens at such an elite level. I can't wait to go learn from him, go learn from all the other guys. And I can't wait to go out there and compete and do all that I can to make the team better." If all goes according to plan, he'll likely get the chance to do that in 2026. If the Giants' plan to make a playoff push this season doesn't materialize — a distinct possibility, given that they're slated to play the toughest schedule in the league — maybe his chance will come later this year. The less he plays this year, though, the more next year will be like his rookie season — a chance for him to make his rookie mistakes and learn under fire. That could mean another step backwards for the franchise, although it'll be for the greater good. Of course, there's no guarantee that Daboll will still be coaching the Giants — and Dart — in 2026. All Mara has said about the prospects of keeping Daboll and Schoen beyond this season is what he said back in January: "I'm going to have to be in a better mood this time next year than I am right now." But looming over all of that is what Mara once said about Jones, on the day Schoen was hired in 2022. He lamented how his young quarterback was about to play for his third head coach, his third offensive coordinator and in his third offensive system in just his fourth year in the NFL — an untenable level of constant change. As he made a vow or a plea for more organizational stability around the quarterback, Mara said, "We've done everything possible to screw this kid up since he's been here." He surely doesn't want to do the same to Dart, which is why, barring a complete disaster of a season, Daboll could be safe for 2026, too — as long as there's some progress he can point to in his new, young quarterback. But make no mistake, Daboll's long-term future in New York is probably tied directly to how much progress Dart shows, and how quickly he shows it. This is his chance to show that the work he did with Allen in Buffalo wasn't a fluke or simply attributed to Allen's own talent. It's his job to show he can take a player he said has "the makings of good quarterback," and turn him into the long-term starter the Giants have been dreaming about since drafting Jones in 2019. If he can, Daboll and Dart could be a dynamic duo who spend many happy years together in New York. If he can't, if Daboll fails with him the way he did with Jones, the Giants will find themselves right back in quarterback hell. And then it'll be the job of another coach, and probably another GM, and even another quarterback, to try and pull them back out. Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? 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USA Today
23-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Did New York Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart take subtle shot at Shedeur Sanders?
Did New York Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart take subtle shot at Shedeur Sanders? The New York Giants met extensively with quarterback Shedeur Sanders leading up to the 2025 NFL draft, including a face-to-face with head coach Brian Daboll that went viral for all the wrong reasons. The Ringer's Todd McShay reported that during the pre-draft sit-down, Daboll presented Sanders with an install that deliberately included errors. Unprepared, Sanders failed to recognize them and things got tense. "Shedeur didn't have a great interview with Brian Daboll in a private visit," McShay said. "An install package came in. Preparation wasn't there for it. [He] got called out on it. Didn't like that. Brian didn't appreciate him not liking it." Albert Breer or Sports Illustrated followed that up with a confirming report that suggested Sanders was "pissed" at the Giants and Daboll, who are notoriously hard on quarterbacks during interviews. 'The Giants one, they give players an install, and there are mistakes intentionally put in the install,' Breer said via 98.5 The Sports Hub. 'He didn't catch them and got called on it, and it didn't go well after that. … He was pissed that they did that to him.' Although Sanders came in unprepared, Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, whom the Giants traded up and selected in the first round of the draft, did not. And during a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Dart appeared to throw some subtle (or unintentional) shade at Sanders. "You better be prepared going to do a Daboll meeting, because it's intense. He definitely wants to get the most out of you," Dart said. "I would say, if you're not prepared, don't step into the meeting, because you're going to get grilled. "So they threw all that they could at me, and I was able to handle it the best way that I could. I think that just shows how intentional and how dedicated that coaching staff is." It's entirely possible Dart had Sanders on his mind when making those comments or, more likely, he was just speaking from experience. As the football world saw during "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants" in 2024, Daboll and his staff are very deliberate when evaluating quarterbacks. The Giants put a lot of pressure on their quarterbacks and Dart passed the test. Sanders, on the other hand, did not.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Giants QB Shades Shedeur Sanders in Viral Comment
New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart may have just lit a fire under Colorado fans with his recent comments that seemed to subtly criticize Shedeur Sanders' work ethic and preparation—without ever mentioning his name. In a post-draft interview from Sports Illustrated, Dart reflected on his intense pre-draft meetings with Giants head coach Brian Daboll, saying, 'Yeah, you better be prepared going to do a Daboll meeting, because it's intense. He definitely wants to get the most out of you. I would say, if you're not prepared, don't step into the meeting, because you're going to get they threw all that they could at me, and I was able to handle it the best way that I could.' At face value, the statement sounds like standard rookie humility. But context is everything. Dart's remarks came just days after ESPN and The Ringer reported that Sanders' pre-draft interview with Daboll didn't go well—due to lack of preparation. The stark contrast between Dart's praise for Daboll's demanding style and Sanders' alleged discomfort during the same process didn't go unnoticed by fans or analysts. Advertisement It's a sharp turn for Sanders, who just last fall threw for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, while earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors. Once projected as a top-10 pick, the Colorado star shockingly fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, where he was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th pick. Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders.© Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Analyst Todd McShay offered additional insight, revealing that two teams with top-10 picks 'didn't get the sense that Shedeur cared all that much about what [they] thought of him.' Whether fair or not, that narrative seems to be gaining traction—especially after Dart's pointed comments. Now, Sanders finds himself in unfamiliar territory: with something to prove. Advertisement Buff Nation isn't likely to stay quiet. If Sanders needs fuel, he just got it straight from one of the quarterbacks drafted ahead of him. Related: See Deion Sanders' biggest growth with 'Prime Effect' in Boulder Related: Shedeur Sanders' real feelings on Browns QB room emerge
