Sportsnaut
It certainly seems like only a matter of time until New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll is fired, given he has a sub-.300 winning percentage since Week 11 of the 2022 NFL season. With the veteran coach inevitably headed out the door, now is a good time to evaluate potential Giants coaching candidates.
Before diving into our analysis, we’ve already eliminated two popular NFL head coach candidates from consideration. First, North Carolina Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick not only could bring unwanted attention (Jordan Hudson) to the franchise, but he has also reportedly bad-mouthed the Giants’ organization privately. As for offensive coordinator Joe Brady, we just can’t see Mara hiring a Buffalo Bills play-caller consecutively.
Now, let’s dive into our list of Giants coaching candidates who could replace Daboll next season.
If we’re ranking Giants coaching candidates, Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is at the top. First, putting aside his excellent track record as a defensive play-caller, Minter has spent the past four seasons of his coaching career learning from Jim Harbaugh—first as the Michigan Wolverines defensive coordinator (2022–23) and then following him to Los Angeles. Before that, he spent four years under John Harbaugh as a defensive assistant (2017–18) and then a defensive backs coach (2019–20) with the Baltimore Ravens. The number of better NFL head coaches you’d want a young assistant to learn from more than those two is very small, especially from a leadership perspective.
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Now for his defensive work. In his final season as the Wolverines’ defensive play-caller, Michigan allowed the fewest points per game (10.4) and the fourth-lowest yards per play average (4.1). He then took over the Chargers defense—23.4 PPG allowed (24th), 38.4% third-down conversion rate (16th), 32.6 yards per drive (25th)—and turned it into the best scoring defense (17.7 PPG) and the fifth-best third-down defense (35.7 percent) in the NFL.
He’s having all of this success with one Pro Bowl edge rusher (Khalil Mack) and little else. In New York, he could build his defense around Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Abdul Carter. Not only would the Giants have a great shot at an immediate turnaround defensively, but Minter could also help change the culture, too.
Kliff Kingsbury has rebuilt his reputation with the Washington Commanders. When he was first hired, many viewed it as a poor fit with Jayden Daniels and the team’s offensive line. Kingsbury orchestrated an offense that ranked 10th in yards per play (5.7), fifth in scoring (28.5 PPG), and sixth in both third-down conversion rate (45.6 percent) and red-zone touchdown rate.
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Daniels gets the majority of the credit for that, but it’s also worth noting that Kingsbury helped Marcus Mariota post a 131.2 QB rating with a 77.3 percent completion rate and a 9.1 percent passing touchdown...
