John Harbaugh Reportedly Hires Familiar Face to Head Giants Special Teams

Another member of John Harbaugh's Ravens staff is reportedly planning to join the Giants' coaching staff.

New Giants Head Coach John Harbaugh has reportedly hired Chris Horton to be his special teams coordinator with the Giants. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One down and two to go for the New York Giants in the coordinator department.

New head coach John Harbaugh has reportedly hired Chris Horton as the team’s new special teams coordinator, according to reports by CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz and by Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.

Horton, who was the Ravens' special teams coordinator under Harbaugh, was initially blocked by Baltimore from interviewing for other jobs, pending their hiring of a new head coach.  

But with the Ravens having hired former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to succeed Harbaugh as head coach, Minter decided to go in a different direction.

Horton is a former defensive back who was drafted in the seventh round by the Washington Commanders in 2008. He was also with the Giants during the 2012 offseason, his last as an active player, before he went into coaching after failing to make the Giants roster.

Coaching, though, has been good to Horton, who was with Harbaugh in Baltimore since 2014, first as the assistant special team coach, the role he held until 2018, and then most recently as the special teams coordinator, to which he was promoted in 2019.

Under Horton’s watch, the Ravens have had one of the best special teams units in the NFL. 

Since 2019, Baltimore has ranked in the Top 10 in several special teams categories, including yards per punt return (11.1, second), punt returns of 20+ yards (19, fourth), opponent yards per kickoff return (22.0, sixth), and kick return TDs (three, tied for sixth).

And since 2015, when Horton joined the special teams staff, the unit has posted 7 Top 5 finishes and 6 Top 3 finishes, with 3 No. 1 finishes. 

The Ravens finished ninth in Horton's first year leading the group (2019) and posted a Top 3 mark in each of the next four seasons – with a No. 2 ranking in 2020, No. 1 ranking in 2021, No. 3 ranking in 2022, and No. 3 ranking in 2023.

Prior to joining Harbaugh's Ravens coaching staff, Horton spent the 2013 training camp as a coaching intern with the Seattle Seahawks.

Giants New Coaching Staff Tracker

Coach	Role
Tim Kelly	Offensive Role - TBD
Charlie Bullen	Defensive Role - TBD
Willie Taggart	Offensive Role - TBD
Dennis Johnson	Defensive Line
Chris Horton	Special Teams Coordinator

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