With the hiring of New York Giants‘ head coach Joe Judge, several changes to the coaching staff will accompany. Over the weekend, Judge hired defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, formerly of the Miami Dolphins. That hiring subsequently leads to the firing of James Bettcher, who served as the Giants’ defensive coordinator for the past two seasons. Having ranked in the bottom five defenses in the league over the last two years, a change at DC was needed.
Graham brings minimal experience as a DC, but his familiarity with Judge gives him an advantage.
Having little talent with the dolphins last year, Graham’s overall rankings shouldn’t be held against him. As for offensive coordinators, I imagine the Giants will go with an option that has head-coaching experience, helping Judge improve upon his tactics and adapt to the role more efficiently.
Here are two offense of coordinators the New York Giants will heavily consider:
1.) Freddie Kitchens
Kitchens is an interesting option for Judge, as his style predominately uses 12 personnel — he ranks sixth in the league in overall usage of that scheme. He favors tight ends and frequently uses one running back and three wide receivers. He also dabbles with play-action, which Daniel Jones excelled in as a rookie. He completed 69.4% of his passes out of the play-action, which ranked ninth in the NFL in 2019.
Kitchens’ experience as a head coach would be beneficial for Judge, even though he failed to succeed in the role. However, the personalities and new faces were hard to manage in Cleveland, especially after so many years of moral defeats. Freddie might be a reliable option for the Giants at the vacant offensive coordinator position, as Mike Shula will undoubtedly be out, and the Pat Shurmur era will officially be over.
2. Jay Gruden
Another name some have been calling for is Jay Gruden, formally the head coach of the Washington Redskins. Gruden was fired after starting the season 0-5. He typically calls play out of the 10 or 11 personnel, which would mean the Giants would likely add a few talented receivers in the upcoming draft. There are plenty of talented options in this year’s draft class. Gruden’s head-coaching experience would also be crucial to Judge’s adaptability.
I believe Gruden’s system would work well with Daniel Jones, as it would open up the field for Saquon Barkley and the play-action game. With wide receivers like Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton, the overall efficiency of the offense would likely see an increase. Another factor would be his ability to develop quarterbacks, considering his work with Alex Smith, Kirk cousins, and Andy Dalton. With offense becoming ever more principal in the NFL, Gruden’s creative mind would fit perfectly alongside the young minds of Jones and Barkley.