Oh, Johnny boy. After watching a pair of Harbaugh-ians defect to Cleveland, New York Giants fans were ready for the floor to cave in. In response, the 63-year-old said, ‘Hold my beer,’ and got the hiring train back on track, adding an up-and-coming, fast-rising coach for Big Blue’s open defensive backs job.
CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz broke the news on Thursday night that former Baltimore Ravens DB coach and two-time Super Bowl champion Donald D'Alesio would follow his former HC to East Rutherford in a lateral move.
Harbs understands that defense wins championships, and in today’s pass-happy league, the backend matters more than ever. That philosophy showed up when he hired Dennard Wilson as his defensive coordinator, and it’s showing up again with the addition of D’Alesio.
John Harbaugh adds slam-dunk hire for Giants' rebuilt defensive staff
The 33-year-old Youngstown, OH native spent last season working with the likes of Kyle Hamilton, Nate Wiggins, Marlon Humphrey, and Alohi Gilman. It'll be a drastic change going from that group to a unit led by Paulson Adebo, Jevón Holland, Tyler Nubin, and hopefully Cor'Dale Flott.
When you actually write the names out, it shows you how far behind the eight ball this team really is.
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Before D'Alesio was coaching up Baltimore's secondary, he was leading the Kansas City Chiefs' safety room back-to-back Super Bowls in 2022 and 2023. He spent four seasons with the ketchup and mustard, coaching the safeties for the final three of them following a year as a defensive assistant.
His work with Juan Thornhill and Justin Reid helped the Chiefs earn their second Super Bowl under Patrick Mahomes, and D'Alesio helped a worse group secure its third the following season.
In 2022, Thornhill had a career year as the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII. In 2023, Kansas City finished second in scoring defense and fourth against the pass, allowing just 176.5 passing yards per game, with Reid posting a career-high 95 tackles on the way to another Super Bowl run. And in his last season in 2024, the Chiefs ranked fourth in scoring defense again, while Bryan Cook set career highs in tackles and interceptions. Tell me you're good at your job without telling me.
After a rough stretch of missed hirings and staff Ls, this feels like a needed course correction. The Giants still have plenty to sort out, but bringing in someone with D’Alesio’s background at least shows there’s a plan forming on the defensive side of the ball. He and Wilson could prove to be the perfect combo to finally get this secondary back in fighting shape.