The New York Giants have poured assets into their defense this offseason. They spent big on the secondary in free agency and bolstered the defensive line in the NFL Draft, forming a lineup on paper that should rank as a top-10 unit in the NFL this season.
Whether or not this defense reaches its potential, however, will be up to defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. Coming off a shaky first season with the team, Bowen is out of excuses entering 2025.
The Giants’ defense was a major disappointment in 2024
Last season, the Giants’ defense was a disappointment. They had talent on the field, but failed to rank as an upper-half unit.
New York surrendered 346.8 total yards per game last season, ranking 24th in the NFL in total defense. Their run defense ranked 27th, allowing 136.2 rushing yards per game — a major point of contention for team president and co-owner John Mara at his end-of-season presser.
Worst of all, the Giants’ defense couldn’t force takeaways last season. They went from being a turnover-creating machine in 2023 (31 takeaways, ranked tied-first) to bottoming out in that category in 2024 (15 takeaways, ranked 28th). Bowen’s defense was criticized for being far too conservative and failing to pressure offenses into making mistakes.
Shane Bowen needs to course-correct this season
The most concerning aspect of the Giants’ defense last season was the lack of progression from some of the team’s young and rising talent, and the utter regression experienced by the other talents.
CB Deonte Banks saw his game fall apart in the second season of his career. EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux had his sack total fall from 11.5 in 2023 to just 5.5 in 2024. Two key players, former first-round draft picks, meant to be building blocks of the roster, instead faltered in a conservative defense, which failed to maximize the skills that made Banks and Thibodeaux such highly coveted prospects coming out of college.
According to Pro Football Focus, the data suggests Banks performed better in zone coverage last season. He earned a 62.0 coverage grade in zone versus a 33.4 coverage grade in man. However, Bowen still called man coverage at the 11th-highest rate in the league last season, and zone coverage at only the 21st-highest rate. If Bowen can extrapolate insights from this data, he should be able to recognize that Banks thrives in zone, and adjust his scheme accordingly to deploy more zone coverage next season.
The Giants have more incoming talent on defense this season with the free-agent additions of S Jevon Holland and CB Paulson Adebo, as well as the incoming rookies, EDGE Abdul Carter and DT Darius Alexander. Bowen must ensure he plays them to their strengths.
To his credit, there were some players who made great progress under Bowen last season, such as rookie CB Dru Phillips. The third-round pick quickly established himself as an impact starter in the Giants’ defense.
However, overall, the Giants’ defense was a massive disappointment last year. And now, with the incoming talent Bowen has been gifted, he has no excuses — the Giants’ defense needs to be a top-10 unit or Bowen’s job will be on the line.
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