The Giants are searching for their next defensive coordinator under Joe Judge. Here is the latest on potential candidates for the job...
Jan 12, 5:36 PM:
The Giants are hiring former Miami Dolphins DC Patrick Graham for their defensive coordinator role, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Graham becomes Joe Judge's first big hire as head coach. The Dolphins are reportedly expected to promote cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer to DC.
Jan. 12, 11:44 AM:
According to NY Post's Paul Schwartz, Judge will be considering Saints secondary coach Aaron Glenn for the DC role.
Glenn has held the same role with the Saints for the past three seasons, while working as a DB coach in 2016. But he does have ties to New York after being drafted by the Jets in the first round back in 1994.
Following his playing days, he became a pro personnel scout for the Jets in 2012, and then a college area scout in 2013. Glenn would move on to the Browns as an assistant DB coach in 2014 and 2015 before heading to New Orleans.
Jan. 11, 6:40 PM:
The Giants could be tapping the Miami Dolphins to fill their defensive coordinator role.
According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport, the Giants have requested permission from the Dolphins to interview Patrick Graham for their vacant defensive coordinator role.
However, there's a bit of a curveball. Graham is already the Dolphins' defensive coordinator.
To interview coaches currently employed by an NFL team, the Giants would have to request permission to conduct an interview because the interviewee is already under contract. Typically this is overlooked because the candidate is interviewing for a promotion of sorts. In Graham's case, he'd be making a lateral move to another defensive coordinator position.
Despite that, the report indicates that the "expectation is that [the interview] will be granted."
Graham, 40, was previously the Giants' defensive line coach under Ben McAdoo from 2016-17. Graham also spent time with the Patriots from 2009 to 2015 in various assistant roles, connecting him to recently-hired Giants head coach Joe Judge.
Judge was with the Patriots from 2012 until this past season, most recently as their special teams coordinator.
In 2019, the Giants had the 25th-best defense in the NFL in terms of yards per game, allowing 377.3 on average. The Dolphins, who appeared to be "tanking" the season and surprisingly won five games, had the 30th-ranked defense (397.8). Graham called defensive plays for the Dolphins last season as well.
Graham spent the 2018 season with the Packers as their linebackers coach and run game coordinator.