Outside of offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, much of the talk about the New York Giants’ coaching staff has involved who John Harbaugh brought over from Baltimore.
We’ve understandably heard plenty about defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson and Harbaugh’s personal assistant Megan Rosburg, both of whom are among the 14 assistant coaches who had previously worked for Harbaugh with the Ravens.
Yet, perhaps the most intriguing name on the Giants’ coaching staff is a holdover from the Brian Daboll regime, and it bodes well for rookie Arvell Reese.
The Athletic named veteran New York Giants outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen as an assistant coach who could “break out” in 2026. Bullen, who turns 42 in September, has been the Giants’ outside linebackers coach since 2024 and served as the interim defensive coordinator last year.
“John Harbaugh has always had an eye for coaching talent,” Jordan Rodrigue wrote, “and it speaks well of Bullen’s potential that he was retained from the previous coaching regime and even got an expanded role as run game coordinator.”
Arvell Reese should be ecstatic about Charlie Bullen’s presence on the Giants
Great assistant coaches often succeed by having elite players around them. Just ask Nagy, who had Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce at his disposal with the Chiefs. It’s pretty difficult to lose when you have that three-headed monster.
But the best assistant coaches are those who know how to maximize the potential of those around them, especially with young players. We saw Bullen achieve that last year with No. 3 pick and All-American pass-rusher Abdul Carter.
The underlying metrics paint Carter’s rookie season far better than his four sacks do. Carter’s 23 quarterback hits tied for 13th leaguewide, and he was among only 28 players to record at least 20.
As for Kayvon Thibodeaux, his sacks have dropped in both years playing under Bullen. However, anyone who would simply pin that on his assistant coach is doing all parties a disservice.
Bullen’s presence is nonetheless excellent news for Reese, even as he moves from full-time edge rusher to inside linebacker. The No. 5 pick is versatile enough that Wilson and Bullen would be foolish not to use him as an occasional outside linebacker, even more so if the Giants opt to trade Thibodeaux.
In theory, Reese should benefit from playing for such an experienced staff. Bullen has been an outside linebackers coach for three teams — the Giants and Cardinals in the NFL, plus a one-year stint at Illinois in 2023 — and has directly worked with, among others, Brian Burns, Chandler Jones, and Haason Reddick.
The Athletic is buying high on Bullen, and so are we. At this rate, it won’t be long before he becomes a defensive coordinator, and a phenomenal rookie season by Reese could be the final achievement Bullen needs on his résumé.
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