Giants add surprise candidate Sean Desai in search for new defensive coordinator, here’s what you need to know

The New York Giants have to find a new defensive coordinator after Patrick Graham abruptly accepted the same job with the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday night.

Graham will reunite with his former New England colleague Josh McDaniels, who is the new head coach for Las Vegas. In the meantime, Brian Daboll will have a tall task ahead of him finding a new coordinator to run the defense, but there are several quality options on the market that would fit the bill nicely.

The expectation is that former Baltimore Ravens DC Wink Martindale will get an interview, according to Ian Rappaport of NFL Network.

However, Chicago Bears former DC Sean Desai has also been coined a candidate.

What would Desai bring to the Giants?

Desai is an intriguing option for the Giants, joining Chicago in 2013 as a defensive quality control coach under Mel Tucker. When Vic Fangio took over the defense in 2015, Desai was retained and continued to learn under Fangio’s leadership. In fact, Fangio will also likely be an option to replace Graham at the vacant spot.

Desai took over the defensive coordinator role after Chuck Pagano retired in 2020, showcasing creativity and extracting the most out of pass rushers Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn. Nonetheless, his defense ranked No. 22 in scoring prevention but was the No. 6 ranked in total defense.

Desai’s secondary showcased liabilities at times, having coverage breakdowns. Nonetheless, he undoubtedly learned a ton from his lone season as the Bears’ coordinator before they cleaned house.

After the Giants head coaching search was heavily criticized, following Brian Flores’s comments, expect the defensive coordinator search to be even more stringent. Desai offers a diverse background and experience as a position coach and defensive coordinator, but he’s far younger than Martindale and Fangio, who have proven to be excellent coaches over the past decade.