Getty Giants CB Sam Beal pleads guilty to multiple charges.
News broke late Saturday afternoon that the New York Giants were actively looking to fill their defensive coordinator vacancy via a former colleague of new head coach Joe Judge.
Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the G-Men requested an interview with Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Patrick Graham in hopes that he would replace James Bettcher, who had served as the DC under Pat Shurmur the past two seasons.
Apparently, New York liked what they heard from Graham, as within less than 24 hours, not only did the team interview Graham, they’ve reportedly hired him as their new defensive coordinator, the first outside hire in the Joe Judge-era of Giants football.
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Giants Hire Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network took to Twitter in the midst of the Kansas City Chiefs’ miraculous AFC Divisional Round comeback to break some news about an imminent coaching change dealing with the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants.
Pelissero reports that the Dolphins are expected to promote Josh Boyer to their defensive coordinator, replacing last season’s DC Patrick Graham. Pelissero also stated that Graham will indeed be leaving the 305 to join his former coaching-mate Joe Judge in New York, becoming the Giants’ new defensive coordinator.
What Can Patrick Graham Bring to New York?
Graham has just one lone season under his belt as a defensive coordinator, and it wasn’t a pretty one. With Graham at the helm of their defense, the Miami Dolphins struggled mightily in 2019. The ‘Phins finished the season as the worst scoring defense in football while ranking 30th in yards allowed.
If there is a silver lining to Graham’s tenure in Miami, it’s the fact that he was dealt a poor hand from a personnel perspective. The team opted to move on from numerous talented players in exchange for draft picks, leaving the Dolphins defense talent deprived. Still, the unit showed flashes of improvement throughout the final half of the regular season, concluding with an upset victory over the New England Patriots in Week 17.
This will mark Graham’s second stint with the Giants, as he previously served as the team’s defensive line coach from 2016-2017. He also spent three seasons alongside new Giants head coach Joe Judge while both were employed by the New England Patriots.
In New York, Graham will inherit the league’s seventh-worst total defense from 2019. With that said, he will also be gifted with numerous young playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, and company present a rock-solid interior d-line, while Markus Golden is fresh off of a double-digit sack campaign. On the back end, New York is extremely young, but players such as Sam Beal, DeAndre Baker, and Jabrill Peppers present plenty of hope.
The upside is there for the Giants defense, now it’s Graham’s job to get the most out of them.
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