The New York Giants opened up Monday with a flurry of firings, parting ways with offensive line coach Bobby Johnson, special teams coach Thomas McGaughey, and outside linebacker coach Drew Wilkins.
It was always expected that the Giants would clean house on several fronts, but the extent of those firings was hard to predict. Nonetheless, surprisingly, they made a big decision on Monday afternoon, parting ways with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale — specifically, Wink resigned from his position.
Wilkins was Martindale’s right-hand man, so firing him certainly didn’t sit well with the veteran defensive coordinator. Now, the Giants will look for a new coach to take over a defense that struggled in 2023 at times, primarily due to their lackluster offense.
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The Giants are Undergoing More Big Changes
However, the failure to properly develop pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux has become a paramount concern. The Giants ranked among the worst in football from a pass-rush perspective, aside from interior defender Dexter Lawrence.
Fortunately, they kept defensive line coach Andre Patterson, who did some tremendous work helping the big men in the trenches contribute positively. However, the edge rushers struggled, and the overall scheme had its fair share of liabilities.
The Giants could transition to a 4–3 system, but it is most likely they will stick with their outside linebackers in a 3–4 and find a coordinator who will support their personnel.
Whether it be a coach who is familiar with Brian Daboll or an outside hiring that brings a specific style to their team, is yet to be seen. The Giants have a few months to make that decision, but expect the interviews to start quickly as they look to get ahead of the curve.