The New York Giants are coming into 2015 with major questions on defense and players like Jason Pierre- Paul aka JPP, Antrel Rolle and Walter Thurmond are hitting the market in free agency and could return while defensive coordinator Perry Fewell may not and as that goes on, the team is looking towards the draft and some names that have come up include Landon Collins, Shaq Thompson and Dante Fowler.
The news broke on Wednesday about Fewell and his job status and now he is out as defensive coordinator. According to the NY Daily News, the Giants opted to let Fewell go after a tough year for the defense and that makes it two years in a row that the Giants have changed coordinators, with Ben McAdoo taking over the offense this past season for Kevin Gilbride. The defense looked better down the stretch, but it wasn't enough to save Fewell.
The Giants missed the playoffs for the third straight season, but there is hope on the horizon with Odell Beckham and Victor Cruz and with Tom Coughlin coming back, expectations are high for 2015. According to ESPN.com, the Giants plan on trying to keep Pierre-Paul and Rolle and they will not hesitate to consider using the franchise tag on one of those players if needed. Owner John Mara said that JPP could get the franchise tag, as the team is hoping to keep the defensive end after drafting him four years ago.
Coughlin's job appeared to be on the line during the season, but the emergence of Beckham helped change the narrative and now the head coach will be back for 2015. Coughlin's return set up Fewell's departure, as Mara and the fan base wanted changes, but the consensus was that Coughlin should return. Dan Graziano at ESPN.com writes that the Giants search will be "wide" for a defensive coordinator and that it could include Steve Spagnolo, who was coordinator when the Giants won the Super Bowl.
The Giants defense overall was not good this season, allowing over 375 yards per game and that was the fourth worst total of anyone in the league. The Giants are likely to go defense in the draft because of that and Big Blue View rounded up some mock picks from the internet for the G-Men, with names like Landon Collins, Shaq Thompson and Dante Fowler coming up. The team also could go offensive line or wide receiver with that pick, as players like Dante Fowler and Brandon Scherff could be available.
The Giants have major decisions on Rolle and JPP as well as Walter Thurmond, as Pierre-Paul is a free agent and will command some attention on the market. JPP had 12.5 sacks this season to bounce back after putting up less than nine over the last two seasons combined and he is just 26 years old as well. Thurmond is a free agent again after signing a one year deal and the G-Men could bring him back, while Rolle also is a free agent after completing his five year contract. The team will have a new defensive coordinator and they could end up bringing back all three players this offseason.
