The New York Giants are getting closer to hiring a defensive coordinator to replace Perry Fewell, as names like Steve Spagnuolo, Jim Schwartz, Dennis Allen, Pepper Johnson and Raheem have emerged as candidates and this comes as the Giants have Jason Pierre-Paul and Antrel Rolle hitting free agency and they could use the franchise tag on of those players.
The Giants are getting things in order with interviews and the team could hire a new defensive coordinator within a week, according to Dan Graziano at ESPN. The New York Daily News reported that Dennis Allen was set for an interview with the Giants and it comes after he previously was the head coach of the Raiders. Allen has a strong defensive background, while Spagnuolo has emerged as the favorite after he previously served as defensive coordinator for the team.
Allen comes in with coordinator experience, as he handled the defense for the Denver Broncos back in 2011 before going to the Raiders. While things in Oakland did not go well, Allen has a strong background on the defensive side of the ball and he could be a strong candidate. Pepper Johnson is another option and he could be a fan favorite as well, as he previously played for the team. Johnson helped the Buffalo Bills to be one of the best defenses in the league as defensive line coach under Jim Schwartz and he was interviewed by the Giants this week.
Jason Pierre-Paul is the biggest name to watch in free agency for the Giants, as he is just 26 years old and could be in line for a big contract. According to ESPN New York, the Giants are not opposed to using the franchise tag on JPP, who had 12.5 sacks this season. Over the previous two years he was banged up and had just eight sacks and that came after his breakout with 16.5 sacks in 2011. The team wants to keep JPP, but if his price tag gets out of control they could use the franchise tag and then try to work out a long term deal.
The Giants were the fourth worst team in the league in yards allowed per game on defense and that is one of the main reasons why Fewell was let go. The team improved down the stretch, but change was needed and after Coughlin was retained, the team decided to bring someone new in. Coughlin likely had the final say, but John Mara pulled a similar move last season when Kevin Gilbride was let go and now the team will have a new coordinator for the second time in as many seasons, with Ben McAdoo taking over the offense this past year.
Fewell did some good things over the years and helped the team win a Super Bowl, but the rush defense was ranked 30th in the league and the team gave up 240 passing yards per game on average. The Giants offense rebounded down the stretch and that helped the defense, but despite winning three of the final four games the team felt a change at the top of the defense was needed. Spagnuolo is likely the fan choice after he also helped win a Super Bowl, while names like Allen and Schwartz as well as Pepper Johnson appear very qualified to take over as well.