He’s been hired to make the New York Giants a winner, largely by turning Jaxson Dart into a star, but new head coach John Harbaugh has already been accused of creating a problem for his young quarterback.
That’s according to Sheil Kapadia of The Ringer. He sees trouble from the suspect “brain trust” Harbaugh has assembled to develop Dart.
Kapadia cautioned, “About that new coaching staff … let’s review who Harbaugh hired on the offensive side of the ball. Matt Nagy is his offensive coordinator. Andy Reid seemed to stealthily fire Nagy after underwhelming results in Kansas City last season, even though they both spun it as Nagy looking for a new opportunity. Under Nagy is Brian Callahan, fresh off one of the most incompetent head coaching tenures we’ve seen in years with the Titans, who now has a job as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Harbaugh also hired Greg Roman, who Harbaugh’s brother, Jim, fired in Los Angeles, as a senior offensive assistant.”
This is a blistering take about those most responsible for helping Dart elevate his game. Kapadia isn’t the only one concerned about Harbaugh hiring these retread coaches, with Nagy, in particular, singled out more than once.
The concerns appear merited on the surface. Yet, there are underlying reasons why Harbaugh’s core hires make sense for Dart.
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Nagy’s schemes went stale for the Kansas City Chiefs, but the value of his experience working with Patrick Mahomes can’t be understated. Mahomes is a dual-threat quarterback who likes to play off-script, but matured into a more efficient pro passer under Nagy.
The Giants want Dart to make a similar transition from gifted, but raw athlete into measured signal-caller. This process will require striking a balance between letting Dart retain his natural instincts to ad-lib, alongside trusting the scheme more often.
Nagy’s a good fit to oversee that balance, and so is veteran run-game coordinator Greg Roman. His stint calling plays for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2025 proved brief, but Roman’s history as Harbaugh’s OC with the Baltimore Ravens from 2019-’22 is significant.
Roman helped Lamar Jackson earn NFL MVP honors in 2019. Jackson won the award for directing an offense tailored to his mobility.
Dart needs the same kind of system, and he’ll get it with Roman and Nagy sharing thoughts. Nagy’s own time as head coach of the Chicago Bears encompassed running passer Mitchell Trubisky getting a Pro Bowl berth in 2018.
Nagy and Roman will allow Dart to still run, even though the Giants want him to be smarter about avoiding hits. Dart can learn that skill from Callahan, whose ability to control the big picture as the man in charge can be questioned, but his expertise at football’s most important position is well-established.
Giants Have Created Safe Supporting Cast for Jaxson Dart
Kapadia’s right to point out the warning signs about the coaches around Dart, but there’s another way to view these hires. A way based on Harbaugh playing it safe with a young quarterback who’s key to his team’s success.
The Giants can’t really wait for Dart to refine every rough aspect in his game. They need him to win now, so he’ll have to lean on his rushing skills and bravado.
Those are qualities Roman and Nagy knows how to use, while Callahan can work quietly in the background at making Dart more pro-ready. Harbaugh ultimately needs the key coaches around Dart to protect him from himself.
Nagy and Callahan can do that with their experience of working with some great quarterbacks. Roman will safeguard the Giants’ QB1 by making a familiar, power-based running game the engine of the offense to control the clock and set up more play-action opportunities for Dart.
Giants’ Head Coach Accused of Creating Problem for Jaxson Dart