For their third head coaching search since 2020, the New York Giants are understandably casting a wide net. By the looks of it, it seems like a defensive-minded coach will serve as the successor to Brian Daboll, and Colts' defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is atop the shortlist of good candidates.
Anarumo is expected to be Joe Schoen's target due to their overlapping time in Miami, as well as his history coaching the Giants. The 59-year-old was the Giants' defensive backs coach in 2018 before the Bengals hired him to be their defensive coordinator in 2019, before being fired and landing in Indy.
Anarumo has a strong recent track record, but he's not the right candidate to get the most out of Jaxson Dart, which is the priority. The Giants haven't hired a defensive-minded coach since Bill Parcells, and he shouldn't be the coach who breaks a streak that has lasted nearly three decades.
Lou Anarumo is not the answer in the Giants' head coaching search
Despite the Bengals being equipped with one of the best offenses in football, they went 9-8 and missed the playoffs in 2024 in large part due to Anarumo. His defense couldn't stop a nosebleed, and that was a trend that continued through six seasons at the helm with the Cincinnati defense.
In six seasons with the Bengals, Anarumo's defense never finished above league average in the NFL total defense, and here were their rankings by season.
- 2024: 25th
- 2023: 31st
- 2022: 16th
- 2021: 18th
- 2020: 25th
- 2019: 29th
And this doesn't even account for his work with the Indianapolis Colts this season, who rank 22nd in total defense. They even traded for star cornerback Sauce Gardner midseason to help a secondary that's been among the worst in football in 2025, with only the Cowboys allowing more passing yards per game.
Yes, he helped take the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2021, but he's been equipped with elite defensive talent and doesn't have enough success to show for it. 2022 was the only year his defense was truly elite, so the people who are saying he was scapegoated last offseason are sorely mistaken.
The only reason he got any head coaching consideration is that the Colts were in the thick of the AFC playoff picture, but Daniel Jones' injury halted their momentum. Hiring a below-average DC to be the new coach because he's buddy-buddy with a GM on the hot seat and his son is a team scout, which would be a horrible choice that would set the franchise back years.
When you have a promising young quarterback, the best course of action is often to hire an offensive mind or have a defensive coordinator along with a good play-caller, and it remains unclear who Anarumo would bring to serve as his offensive coordinator to work with Dart and this offense.