3 Direction-setting Questions Giants New Head Coach John Harbaugh Must Answer

John Harbaugh is signed, sealed, and delivered as the head coach, but there are three big decisions he must make to determine what happens next.

NY Giants head coach John Harbaugh's next moves will define the direction the Giants franchise takes moving forward. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

People across the NFL will be interested in the moves the New York Giants make this offseason. 

There are many questions fans want answered in free agency, the draft, and during training camp, but the truth is, none of those questions mattered until the biggest question was answered: Who will be the next head coach? 

We now know he answered, and that the Giants hired former longtime Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh to turn the franchise around.

Harbaugh comes from a very impressive football family. His father, Jack Harbaugh, a longtime college football coach, won a 1-AA title at Western Kentucky in 2002. His brother Jim is a prominent NFL and college football coach who most recently won a title at Michigan.

John Harbaugh's resume is just as impressive. He led the Ravens to 12 postseason berths and holds the NFL record for the most career road playoff wins.

His Ravens won the NFC North six times, and he also has a Super Bowl championship (XLVII) and an AP Coach of the Year trophy (2019) among his many accomplishments.

Now that Harbaugh is the Giants' head coach, one of the main questions on everyone's minds is what his staff will look like. So let's dive into this and other top questions regarding the Giants' next moves.

Is this defense simply a better coordinator away from being elite?

Dec 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter (51) and safety Tyler Nubin (27) celebrate a defensive stop during the first quarter against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The improvements made late in the season, even with key players out, point to the fact that the Giants' defense is merely a better coordinator away from being, at the very least, a middle-of-the-pack defense.

If they were a mid-tier defense last season, they would have been in contention for a playoff berth with all of the one-score games and collapses down the stretch.

Major resources have been spent on defense. Abdul Carter, the Giants had a much better ending to his season than the beginning. 

Carter will be expected to take the next step in 2026. So will third-round pick Darius Alexander, who also came alive when he had his opportunities down the backside of the season.

Free agent signings like defensive lineman Chauncey Golston and cornerback Paulson Adebo missed big chunks of the season dealing with injuries.

Middle linebacker Micah McFadden only played in one game this season because of an injury. If this defense were to just return everyone healthy without adding pieces to improve, it should be much better with a better scheme. 

Who will that defensive coordinator be?

There have been several names bantered about for this position, and honestly, there are a few directions Harbaugh could go.

The first and least likely direction is to keep interim defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen. Some say Bullen, who took over for the fired Shane Bowen, got the defense to play better during the weeks he held the position, and the stats suggest that he did.

The #NYGiants defense has been much better since Charlie Bullen, took over as defensive coordinator. Here's a look at the numbers under Bullen and Shane Bowen from this season. #GiantsNation #GiantsDefense #BigBlue pic.twitter.com/0EhcPPpzbQ

— Locked On Giants (@LockedOn_Giants) December 29, 2025

Bulle has also been credited with unlocking Abdul Carter in the last five games of the season and helping Bobby Okereke to play faster and finish strong.

The problem with keeping Bullen is that the defensive scheme feels far too passive for what Harbaugh is used to seeing.

Also, Bullen was Carter's coach all season. If we are giving him credit for the last five games, does he not get blame for the first 13 weeks?

We think the likely favorite for the Giants' defensive coordinator is Anthony Weaver, the Miami Dolphins' defensive coordinator who worked under Harbaugh in Baltimore as the defensive line coach and assistant head coach.

Weaver could come in and restore the pride and elite performance of the Giants' defensive fronts that garnered acclaim and Super Bowl trophies.

Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver has prior ties to Giants head coach John Harbaugh. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Weaver has garnered interviews this offseason with the Ravens and Steelers, but if he does not land one of those, New York just makes the most sense as his next landing spot.

Another name to watch is Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. He is a former defensive backs coach under Harbaugh, and we all know that the Giants' defensive backfield is in desperate need of an overhaul.

It would not only be a great hire for the Giants but also take a potential asset away from a division foe, as Wilson has already interviewed with Washington for its open defensive coordinator position.

There are obviously other names connected to Harbaugh, like Broncos assistant head coach Jim Leonhard (who played for Harbaugh in 2008, the coach's first season in Baltimore); former Giants lienbaker and former Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce; and Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen, who was Harbaugh's defensive line coach from 2016-2020 before jumping to the Jaguars as thir defensive coordinator.

Zach Orr, the current Ravens defensive coordinator, who many believe is too firmly entrenched in the organization to pull away, is another candidate assuming the Ravens permit him to interview with the Giants. If so, the 33-year-old Orr would be an exciting grab.

Should Harbaugh keep the current Giants offensive staff in place?

New York Giants offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo talks with guard Aaron Stinnie (64) during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The bubbling success this offense enjoyed under the old regime gives Harbaugh a unique opportunity to implement his culture while also maintaining offensive continuity, which should allow the unit to gel even faster and build on the promise shown in 2025.

That is a tough ask, if we're being honest. There is so much stench around the last four seasons that Harbaugh will likely want to clear out the entire old regime. Still, if he did decide to keep some of them, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

This system produced a top-five rushing offense even with rookie Cam Skattebo out with a season-ending ankle injury. 

The Giants were 17th in scoring offense and over 13th. Their passing offense ranked 21st, but they lost their top receiver, Malik Nabers, early in the season, and Darius Slayton was in and out of the lineup.

Even so, Wan'Dale Robinson had a breakout season while tight ends Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger both showed their value as pass-catching options in this system.

Then there is the offensive line coach spot. There's a good chance Carmen Bricillo is retained thanks to the excellent work he has done with the offensive line in his two seasons in New York.

And if further proof is needed of Bricillo's value, just look at how the Raiders' O-line deteriorated once Bricillo left Las Vegas.

Bricillo could be the bridge from the former offensive terminology to the new terminology if Harbaugh does indeed decide to move on from the old offensive brain trust.

Harbaugh could bring his former offensive coordinator, Todd Monken, to the Giants if Monken does not land a head coaching job wth the Browns, with whom he has a second interview scheduled, or the Ravens.

If Monken does join the Giants, look for him to install some of the concepts that helped Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson light up the NFL.

In that case, Monken could express to Harbaugh a desire to bring in George Warhop, who has been the offensive line coach with Baltimore for the past two seasons.

Warhop has 29 seasons of experience, and his Ravens offensive line has done some great things in Baltimore over the past two seasons.

If he is selected, he should be able to continue the progress that Bricillo started. The question would simply be whether he can ingratiate himself with the Giants group, which has a strong fondness for Bricillo.

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