NY Giants Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen Ranked in Bottom Third Among Peers

No surprise here as Bowen's defense also ranked in the bottom third of the league last year.

New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In a new analysis by Pro Football Sports Network, the architect of the league’s 24th-ranked defense last season, New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, ranked No. 23 among his fellow defensive peers.

The analysis noted that while the Giants weren’t bad last year, the unit on the whole was pedestrian. In fairness, though, to Bowen, an argument could be made that he didn’t have rough talent with which to work, certainly not to the extent of what he has to work with this year.

Last season, there were notable instances where it looked as though the schemes Bowen was running didn’t quite fit the skillset of the talent he had. 

However, it's also fair to ask how much of those struggles resulted from trying to fit square pegs into round holes, as Bowen was attempting to make do with what he had. And what's also fair to ask is whether the key members of the Giants' defense stay healthy, can the unit be a top-15 unit this coming season?

With the infusion of talent such as Abdul Carter, Darius Alexander, Jevon Holland, and Paulson Adebo, Bowen, who was a decent enough defensive coordinator for the Titans in his three years with the club, could soon find himself rising in the rankings if he can get creative enough with his personnel packages.

The biggest question for Bowen, besides obviously how to get all his pass rushers on the field, is whether this defense finally has enough personnel capable of stopping the run. 

The Giants' run defense has been a major Achilles' heel for the unit, and that’s had a trickle-down effect on the rest of the defense and its quest to get off the field. 

Thus, it’s no wonder that general manager Joe Schoen went heavy on adding defensive line depth. A more effective run defense capable of creating second- and third-and-long situations should give the Giants every opportunity to unleash what is shaping up to be an exciting-looking pass rush.  

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