If there's one clear winner from the New York Giants retaining outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen, it's Abdul Carter.
NFL insider Mike Garafolo reported Friday morning that the Giants are keeping Bullen on staff as their outside linebackers coach, while also adding the title of run-game coordinator to his plate. This comes just days after news broke that the 41-year-old was in contention for the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns' open DC roles.
There’s no sugarcoating it. This is a big win for new head coach John Harbaugh, too, who’s been extremely selective about who he retained from the previous staff. The list wasn’t long, but Bullen made the cut. It turns out, finally getting the most out of the team's third-overall pick and also helping Brian Burns post career highs in sacks (16.5), tackles for loss (22), and quarterback hits (31) is pretty awesome.
Carter’s late-season surge was largely thanks to him. Now it’s about how much more he can elevate the 22-year-old’s game and turn him into the defensive disruptor he was drafted to be.
Charlie Bullen is about to unlock Abdul Carter menace mode for 2026
The linebacker was quietly drifting toward “bust” territory under then-defensive coordinator Shane Bowen for the better part of his rookie season. But once Bowen was fired after Week 12, and Bullen stepped in as interim DC, Carter's season turned around instantly.
The former Penn State star went berserk and reminded everyone what made him the best pass-rushing prospect the league had seen since Micah Parsons. Bowen was wasting his talents, putting him in positions that just didn't make sense.
The former DC was a big "square pegs in round holes" guy, while Bullen was a "let's put our best players in the best positions to succeed" guy. And the difference was crazy:
Stats | Under Bowen (12 games) | Under Bullen (5 games) |
|---|---|---|
Tackles | 27 | 16 |
Tackles for loss | 1 | 6 |
Quarterback hits | 12 | 11 |
Sacks | 0.5 | 3.5 |
It’s no surprise Carter publicly backed Bullen to drop the interim tag and stay on as New York’s DC once the season ended.
In the six weeks (five games) Bullen led the defense, he unlocked the menace mode everyone knew was waiting to be unleashed in his star pass-rusher. Now take a look at the difference from a per-17 game sample size and tell me how outrageous Carter's rookie season could have been had they realized Bowen wasn't the guy in 2024 and took a flier on Bullen instead:
Stats | Under Bowen (17-game avg) | Under Bullen (17-game avg) |
|---|---|---|
Tackles | 38 | 54 |
Tackles for loss | 1.5 | 20 |
Quarterback hits | 17 | 37 |
Sacks | 1.0 | 12 |
We're talking about the difference between being labeled Big Blue's next biggest draft bust and runaway Defensive Rookie of the Year favorite.