If it weren’t for the red, white, and blue uniforms and the “NY” on the helmets, you’d be forgiven for mistaking the New York Giants for the Baltimore Ravens. At least, that’s what it feels like as John Harbaugh builds out his coaching staff post-hire.
Just one day after reports surfaced that assistant head coach/running backs coach Willie Taggart was a lock to join Harby’s staff, the social media feed lit up again, this time with word that another former Ravens staffer is defecting to North Jersey.
Defensive line coach Dennis Johnson will be heading up I-95 to fill in for Andre Patterson, who was relieved of his Giants duties last week. Patterson was an OG assistant from the Brian Daboll days, joining the team in 2022.
It looks like Harbaugh took a look at the run defense numbers Big Blue's put out over the past couple of seasons when making the hire, because it wasn't two years ago that Johnson was helping Baltimore's defense lead the league in rushing yards allowed, yards per rush, and first downs via the rush. Maybe this thing has some legs.
Another Ravens assistant lands with Giants as John Harbaugh builds his staff
Johnson's arrival should be met with cautious optimism. The 37-year-old has been working under Harbs since 2024. That season, he was able to get the best out of star lineman Nnamdi Madubuike, whose 6.5 sacks, 43 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 17 quarterback hits earned him his second-straight Pro Bowl nod.
Madubuike wasn’t the only one he helped develop. Massive 6-foot-4, 338-pound Travis Jones -- who would’ve been a perfect free agent target for the G-Men -- put together his best analytical seasons back-to-back under Johnson’s guidance. That bodes well for guys like Dexter Lawrence and Darius Alexander in New York.
That said, it wouldn’t be fair to ignore the valid criticism he’s leaving behind among Ravens fans.
Flock Nation likely won't be too sad to see Johnson leave... and that's never great news for the fans of the team he's going to. The biggest critique among Flock Nation will be a lack of year-over-year development -- they'll cite a lackluster 2025 performance, but, as is always the case, context matters.
Injuries decimated their defense, particularly Madubuike's season-ending neck injury suffered in Week 2. So while it's not exactly awesome, Johnson couldn't thrive in touch conditions, it doesn't mean he's not a solid hire. Let's remain reservedly positive, Giants fans.
As for the rest of Harbaugh's staff, don't be surprised if more former Ravens assistants make their way to East Rutherford. The current count is two, with several others expected to follow suit -- **Cough, Todd Monken. Cough.**
For now, Harbs has four confirmed coaches on his staff for next season:
- Tim Kelly - offensive role
- Willie Taggart - offensive role
- Charlie Bullen - defensive role
- Dennis Johnson - defensive line