It's been just about three weeks since the NY Giants season ended with a 27-10 win over the Eagles. As league contingents flock to Mobile, Ala., this week for the Senior Bowl, the offseason is about to take a turn in terms of staff changes. New head coaches and coordinators have been announced across the league over the last few weeks and there's still work to be done for most teams, the Giants included.
They were able to hire Carmen Bricillo as offensive line coach, Michael Ghobrial as their special teams coordinator and Joel Thomas as running backs coach. The biggest vacancy that still needs to be taken care of is defensive coordinator. After an ugly parting of ways with Wink Martindale, Brian Daboll is still on the search for a new coordinator to lead his rising defensive group of players.
Dennard Wilson, the current defensive backs coach of the Ravens, is one of the hottest names this coaching cycle and is almost certain to land a defensive coordinator job. The Giants have had Wilson in for two interviews already, but will have competition for his services. Here's why they need to go all-in for Wilson to be their new DC:
3. His coaching experience
Let's start with Wilson's coaching track record. He has 12 years of coaching in the NFL under his belt, but he first started at DeMatha Catholic High School as their DB coach and passing game coordinator. He later moved on to be a graduate assistant at the University of Maryland, his alma mater.
Wilson broke into the NFL with the St. Louis Rams as their defensive quality control coach from 2012-14. Here's a breakdown of his coaching career since then:
2012-14: St. Louis Rams - Defensive quality control coach
2015-16; St. Louis Rams - Defensive backs coach
2017-18: New York Jets - Defensive backs coach
2019-20: New York Jets - Passing game coordinator & defensive backs coach
2021: Philadelphia Eagles - Defensive backs coach
2022: Philadelphia Eagles - Passing game coordinator & defensive backs coach
2023: Baltimore Ravens - Defensive backs coach
His coaching resume is impressive, as he's been around the defensive side of the ball at all levels. His last two stops in Philadelphia and Baltimore are eye-opening, which we'll get into. Even his work with the Jets defensive backs were commendable. Let's now take a look at Wilson's impact on the secondary.
2. Dennard Wilson's coaching impact
In 2022, Wilson was the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Eagles as previously mentioned. The Eagles had arguably the top secondary in the league that year under Wilson's coaching. Of course, combine that with Jonathan Gannon's defensive scheme, the Eagles had the second best overall defense in the league that year.
In 2022, the Eagles had 17 interceptions (tied for third), allowed 6.4 yards per attempt (tied for second) and allowed the least amount of passing yards per game (171.6). Wilson was a finalist for the Eagles' defensive coordinator job before the start of 2023, but he ultimately didn't get the job and it looks like Philly made a mistake considering their DC debacle over the course of the season. Don't believe it? Here's Darius Slay saying the Eagles made a mistake by not hiring Wilson:
Darius Slay recently told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he wished Wilson would have been named DC after Gannon left last year.
— Mike Herndon (@MikeHerndonNFL) January 25, 2024
“I think he would have made a lot of difference. He was loved by us. I thought, for sure, he should have stayed.”https://t.co/eYH68Wv4T2 https://t.co/DBJRcm65kP
In 2023, the Eagles went from a top passing defense to one of the league's worst. They dropped from first to 30th in the league in passing yards per game, posted only nine interceptions and allowed 35 passing touchdowns, second most in the league. Losing Wilson clearly left a huge void to fill for the Eagles.
Since joining Baltimore? The Ravens' secondary played lights out all year, including an All-Pro campaign from second-year safety Kyle Hamilton, a seven-interception year from Geno Stone and other standout players like Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Williams.
The Ravens in 2023 allowed the sixth-least passing yards per game with 193.1, 18 interceptions (tied second), a league-leading 5.9 yards per pass attempt and just a 60.6 percent completion rate. The Ravens secondary plays aggressive, fast and they fly to the ball. Wilson has clearly made an impact in that DBs room despite only being there for one season.
1. Dennard Wilson is the best man for the job
An underrated aspect about Wilson is that he's a former player and will likely gain the respect of players quickly. He was a former safety at Maryland and was an undrafted free agent with Washington in 2004. The Maryland DB connection would be a perfect pairing with cornerback Deonte Banks, as Wilson could help elevate the young corner heading into his second season.
This is a young secondary and if they're able to retain Xavier McKinney and add more pieces across the rest of the defense, this could be a nice landing spot for Wilson. The Giants need to act quickly now that the Ravens' season is over and Wilson can join a new team if he so chooses. At the Senior Bowl, Joe Schoen said that they expect to have a new DC by the end of the week:
Joe Schoen said he expects the Giants will hire a new defensive coordinator by the end of the week.
— Paul Schwartz (@NYPost_Schwartz) January 30, 2024
If that holds true, the Giants need to make sure Wilson is the name they announce as their new DC. Several teams are interested in landing his services, but Schoen and Daboll need to do whatever is necessary to make sure he makes his way to East Rutherford.