The NY Giants are moving along in their defensive coordinator search and names like Steve Spagnuolo, Dennis Allen and Raheem Morris have come up as candidates and this comes as Jason Pierre-Paul is hitting the free agent market in 2015 and is the top player to watch for the New York Giants along with Antrel Rolle.
The Giants have been conducting interviews for their defensive coordinator position after Tom Coughlin opted to part ways with Perry Fewell last week. According to ESPN.com, the team has interviewed former Raiders head coach Dennis Allen and current Ravens defensive backs coach Steve Spagnuolo, who previously was with the Giants when they won the Super Bowl over the 18-0 Patriots. The team also has been interested in Pepper Johnson and Raheem Morris, while Jim Schwartz and Mike Nolan could be potential options.
The Giants have a top 10 pick in the first round this year and with the regular season over and the team out of the playoffs, it's of course time for mock drafts. Big Blue Nation and other Giants websites have put together some potential picks and some names that continue to come up include Alabama safety Landon Collins and linebacker Shaq Thompson. Missouri linebacker Shane Ray, Iowa tackle Brandon Scherff and Florida defensive end Dante Fowler also could be potential picks for Jerry Reese.
The Giants are dealing with Jason Pierre-Paul hitting free agency and John Mara said that he hopes to keep JPP and Antrel Rolle, who is also a free agent. JPP comes in after a strong season with 12.5 sacks and Mara said that the team would consider using the franchise tag if needed to keep Pierre-Paul. Rolle is a free agent along with Walter Thurmond and over 15 other players, meaning the Giants have work to do this offseason.
The Giants opted to part ways with Fewell after the season and it came about a week after the team announced that Coughlin would be returning for 2015. Last year John Mara was critical of the offense and Coughlin opted to split with Kevin Gilbride after basically a decade, turning things over to Ben McAdoo. After a slow start, things worked out pretty well on offense, with Eli Manning having a bounce back season and Odell Beckham emerging as a star. The team hopes to build on that and Mara said that he expects the team to be in the playoffs in 2015.
The Giants defense was not good last season and despite ending the year with a good streak over the final four games, it wasn't enough for Fewell to keep his job. The coordinator spot is open, but that hasn't stopped the Giants from changing up the rest of their staff, as they are bringing in a new defensive backs coach. According to ESPN.com, the team is bringing in Tim Walton to serve as defensive backs coach to replace Peter Giunta and he comes in after previously being d-coordinator for the Rams.
The Giants missed the playoffs for the third straight season since winning the Super Bowl and they are hoping that in 2015 injured wide receiver Victor Cruz can return to join Odell Beckham Jr. in the offense for Ben McAdoo.
