The New York Giants continue to fill out their coaching staff with men with Baltimore Ravens ties.
The Giants poached Ravens defensive backs coach Donald D’Alesio to fill their DBs coach slot under head coach John Harbaugh.
D’Alesio, who replaces Marquand Manuel, served as DBs coach under Harbaugh in 2025 after coaching safeties with the Kansas City Chiefs for four years under their defensive coordinator and former Giants coach Steve Spagnuolo.
D’Alesio earned two Super Bowl rings and coached in three championships with the Chiefs and played as a defensive back for four years at Youngstown State from 2010-14.
D’Alesio will work under former Ravens defensive backs coach, and current Giants defensive coordinator, Dennard Wilson. They will be joined by D-line coach Dennis Johnson, special-teams coordinator Chris Horton, strength and conditioning coach Ron Shrift and a slew of others that worked under Harbaugh with the Ravens.
Donald D’Alesio Will Coach The Giants Defensive Backs
Despite having a load of talent in 2025, the Ravens struggled to defend the pass in D’Alesio’s lone season coaching DBs. Baltimore ranked 31st in the NFL in passing-yards allowed per game (247.9), and only the Dallas Cowboys were worse.
Injuries had an impact on the Ravens’ defensive secondary, since key DBs Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton each missed time. Plus, the game script likely affected Baltimore’s defensive output, since it allowed the third-most pass attempts (625) in the NFL.
But D’Alesio helped rookie safety Malaki Starks become an impact player in his first NFL season. Starks had 84 tackles and two interceptions with Baltimore in 2025.
Giants fans can hold out hope that D’Alesio can do more for 2023 first-round pick Deonte Banks and prize 2025 offseason signing Paulson Adebo, who had 73 tackles but just one interception in a disappointing first season for Big Blue, finishing with the 74th-best grade (58.4) among cornerbacks from Pro-Football Focus.
Banks was one of the worst cornerbacks in the NFL in 2025, garnering only a 42.4 rating from PFF in 2025. That mark was 112th among 114 qualifying cornerbacks last season.
The Giants Will Need To Upgrade Their DBs To Work With Donald D’Alesio
D’Alesio will likely have his work cut out for him with the Giants, since they have nowhere near the playmakers in their secondary that Baltimore had.
But D’Alesio also has worked with less-heralded players in Kansas City. Five DBs had at least two interceptions in 2024 — including the unheralded Jaden Hicks (3) and Bryan Cook (2) — when KC finished fourth in the NFL in pass defense in 2024.
Keyed by their stingy defense, the Chiefs won the AFC but lost 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Giants are likely to address their defensive secondary in the draft, though they will not have the draft capital that Baltimore did to target an impact safety like Starks in the first round.
But even though they finished 16th in the league in pass defense (214.2 yards-allowed per game), the Giants pass defense blew two final-minute leads in losses to Dallas and Denver. That may lead them to target an impact safety or hybrid DB in free agency as well.
Giants Poach Another Former Ravens Coach As John Harbaugh Fills Out Staff