John Harbaugh and the New York Giants have reportedly hired a defensive coordinator, and the news broke during the NFL’s conference championship games.
“The Giants are hiring former [Tennessee] Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson as their new DC, per The Insiders,” NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport relayed on X. He added that this is a “big hire for John Harbaugh.”
This news was also confirmed by ESPN NYG beat reporter Jordan Raanan, who informed: “The Giants are hiring Dennard Wilson as their defensive coordinator, sources told @DanGrazianoESPN and me. Wilson has a connection to John Harbaugh from Baltimore. Spent [the] last 2 seasons as [the] Titans DC.”
Tennessee let Wilson go after hiring Robert Saleh as their new head coach. He was immediately connected to the Giants’ job from that point on, and finally interviewed for Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator position this weekend.
On January 25, it appears Harbaugh has officially made his decision, as several reporters have now confirmed Wilson as the Giants’ DC hire.
Titans Reporter Says Dennard Wilson Coached Well Despite ‘Tough Circumstances’ in 2025
The Wilson hire has been met with skepticism from a contingent of Giants fans, but those who know the Titans well have pushed back on the narrative that Wilson was to blame in 2025.
“Happy for [Wilson]. Proved to be a good coach here in tough circumstances,” veteran Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky commented on X, following the Giants news.
After surveying the web, “Giants Nation Podcast” host Bobby Skinner also noted that “most Titans accounts have a positive view of Dennard Wilson, despite bad rankings, which feels good.”
If you’re wondering what “rankings” Skinner is referring to, the Titans regressed under Wilson’s watch in 2025, statistically speaking.
In his first year as their DC, the Tennessee defense ranked second in the NFL in yards allowed and 16th in takeaways. One year later, in 2025, they fell to 21st in the NFL in yards allowed and 26th in takeaways.
The Titans’ defense did not rank well in points allowed in either season under Wilson.
However, as Kuharsky and Titans fan social media accounts have pointed out, this wasn’t necessarily Wilson’s fault. Tennessee embarked on a major rebuild last year with a new general manager taking over.
So, the personnel was not ideal on the defensive side. Wilson should have more to work with coaching the Giants, who have plenty of talent on their defense despite having trouble unlocking said talent in recent seasons.
Giants Fans Must Trust in John Harbaugh After Defensive Coordinator News
At the end of the day, if you’re a Giants fan who loves the Harbaugh hire — which seems to be the majority of Big Blue supporters — you have to trust him as he builds out his coaching staff.
Harbaugh was always going to hire a defensive coordinator with whom he’s familiar, and that created a pretty short list of candidates.
If it wasn’t Wilson, it was likely going to be someone like Anthony Weaver or Zach Orr. Both were a part of the Baltimore Ravens’ recent coaching staffs under Harbaugh, and it really just came down to which ex-Raven he’d choose.
With Weaver getting a significant amount of head coaching interest and Orr struggling with Baltimore, Wilson ended up becoming the ideal candidate. It’s time to trust Harbaugh to get the job done.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Giants’ Defensive Coordinator Hire Leaked Amid NFL Championship Games: Report appeared first on Heavy Sports.