When Shane Bowen was their defensive coordinator, the New York Giants had a defense that was borderline unwatchable. I still wonder what happened between Brian Daboll and Wink Martindale because the defense was great pre-Bowen, and he only got the Giants' DC job because no one else wanted it.
Thankfully John Harbaugh and a new staff are already raising the bar. Dennard Wilson is already turning the unit around. The bar is currently underground, but Wilson already has this defense in a much better place than Bowen ever did, and that's consistently been put on display during OTAs.
The defensive turnaround was specificially prevalent during Wednesday's practice session, as noted by Giants' beat reporter Pat Leonard, Leonard called the defense as "dominant" with no shortage of big names making plays, including a pass-rush that was basically lifeless with Bowen calling plays.
It hasn't taken long for Dennard Wilson to turn the Giants into a real defense
Leonard noted that Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux had good days, and Wilson had success dialing up secondary blitzes. He also mentioned that Arvell Reese, Jevon Holland, and many others made plays. That's a lot of big names who should benefit from having Wilson calling plays.
The biggest ringing endorsement? He mentioned "they overwhelmed the offense". The offense has been looked at as the area of this Giants team that has the most to be excited about. But the fact of the matter is this defense deserves more recognition for the leaps and bounds it'll improve in 2026. And this is telling given Leonard is allergic to complimenting this team.
Even without Dexter Lawrence, Big Blue has plenty of talent. They have D.J. Reader stepping into his role, then Thibodeaux, Carter, and Brian Burns off the edge. They improved considerably at LB between Reese and Tremaine Edmunds and there is athleticism up the wazoo in the front seven.
Something that may fly under the radar is Leonard's mention of Holland, who struggled in his first season New York but has been a popular bounce-back candidate now that he'll be coached by a true DB guru in Wilson. And I expect his three-year contract to age much better going forward.
The improvement on defense should confirm the G-Men's recent struggles was never a matter of talent. It was a matter of coaching. Bowen was one of the worst play-callers I've seen, so it shouldn't be all that shocking that they're thriving under new (and better) leadership.
If this is any indication, you shouldn't be surprised when the Giants' defense is within the top half of the NFL with better personnel and coaching in 2026.
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