The New York Giants hired Dennard Wilson as their next defensive coordinator on Sunday afternoon, securing an important leader on John Harbaugh’s new coaching staff.
Wilson succeeds Shane Bowen, who was fired mid-season and replaced by interim DC Charlie Bullen. He has spent the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans, achieving impressive results despite the team’s lack of talent on his side of the ball.
Now, Wilson will bring his scheme over to the Giants, reuniting with Harbaugh after working underneath him as a defensive backs coach for the Ravens in 2023. Wilson’s scheme will look much different from the one Bowen and the Giants deployed in 2024 and 2025, signaling a shift in mentality as much as schematics.
Dennard Wilson: Coaching Profile & Timeline
Wilson is a coach who cut his teeth in player personnel before moving to the sidelines. He has been a primary architect of some of the league’s most dominant secondaries over the last decade, working with All-Pro and Pro Bowl defensive backs such as Josh Norman, Darius Slay, Jamal Adams, and Kyle Hamilton, among others.
| Years | Team | Role | Notable Achievement |
| 2008–2011 | Chicago Bears | Pro Scout | Evaluated talent for Lovie Smith’s defenses. |
| 2012–2016 | Los Angeles Rams | QC / DB Coach | Developed Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson. |
| 2017–2020 | New York Jets | DB Coach / Pass Game Coord. | Turned Jamal Adams into a First-Team All-Pro. |
| 2021–2022 | Philadelphia Eagles | DB Coach / Pass Game Coord. | Led NFL’s #1 pass defense; SB LVII appearance. |
| 2023 | Baltimore Ravens | DB Coach | Coached Kyle Hamilton to All-Pro; NFL #1 in PPG. |
| 2024–2025 | Tennessee Titans | Defensive Coordinator | 2024: NFL #2 total defense, #2 pass defense. |
| 2026–Pres. | New York Giants | Defensive Coordinator | Hired to rebuild a bottom-5 unit. |
Wilson’s Press-Heavy Defensive Philosophy
Wilson’s defensive scheme borrows heavily from Mike Macdonald (former Ravens DC he worked under in 2023, current Seahawks HC), Jonathan Gannon/Vic Fangio (who he worked under with the Eagles from 2021-2022), and Todd Bowles (who was the Jets’ HC from 2015-2018, and Wilson was there from 2017-2020).
Wilson’s signature is aggressive press coverage. Unlike the off-coverage often seen in modern bend-but-don’t-break schemes (off-coverage was a staple of Bowen’s scheme with the Giants over the last two seasons), Wilson demands his cornerbacks challenge receivers at the line of scrimmage.
“From Day 1, it’s you press everything, period,” Wilson said in his introductory press conference when he was hired as the Titans’ DC in 2024.
Wilson’s press coverage strategy aims to eliminate “free access” throws (slants, hitches) that allow quarterbacks to get into a rhythm. The Giants surrendered these quick hitters far too often under Bowen’s guidance.
Wilson also believes in taking calculated risks and blitzing only “at the right times.”
“We’re going to blitz, but when we blitz, it’s going to be at the right times,” he said during his intro press conference in Tennessee. The Titans blitzed 20.9% of the time in 2024 (ranking 23rd) and 20.5% of the time in 2025 (also 23rd).
Wilson Runs a Zone-Heavy, Base Nickel Defensive Scheme
According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Titans ran zone coverage on 75.0% of defensive snaps last season, which was the 12th-highest zone coverage usage rate in the NFL. The Giants ran zone coverage just 63.6% of the time, the sixth-lowest rate in the league. Tennessee ran man coverage 18.0% of the time, compared to the Giants’ 29.7% of the time.
The Titans primarily spent their time in Cover 4 defense with four deep defenders on 21% of their defensive coverages, according to data collected by Football Insights. This was among the highest Cover 4 usage rates in the league.
One of the key areas of coverage in which Wilson’s Titans and the Giants differed was in their usage of Cover 1 Man. The Giants ran Cover 1 Man 31% of the time, the second-highest rate in the league. It was the Giants’ most-deployed coverage. Meanwhile, the Titans spent just 15% of their defensive snaps in that coverage.
Wilson’s defense deploys plenty of simulated pressures, where the defense shows blitz with six players but only rushing four, dropping into passing lanes to confuse the QB.
To protect his aggressive, pressing corners, Wilson frequently uses split-safety (two-high) shells (evidenced by his heavy usage of Cover 4). This allows corners to be physical, knowing they have safety help over the top. They also ran a fair amount of Cover 3, though, to close off the middle of the field.
The Titans’ defense was a 3-4 base but deployed a lot of Nickel personnel in the 2-4-5 formation to match modern 11-personnel offenses. They were in nickel/dime defensive packages 70% of the time in 2025, per Football Insights.
Who will benefit the most from the Giants hiring Dennard Wilson as DC?
A calling card of the defenses Wilson has coached under has been the Swiss Army Knife safety.
In New York, look for Tyler Nubin or Jevon Holland to play the Kyle Hamilton/Jamal Adams role (or potentially Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, if the Giants select him with the fifth-overall pick in this year’s draft), blitzing from the slot, dropping into deep halves, or playing the robber in the middle.
Wilson’s specialty is the secondary and defensive backs. He should be able to maximize the aggressiveness of the cornerbacks on the Giants’ roster, such as Paulson Adebo and Dru Phillips, as they thrive in press coverage close to the line of scrimmage.
Wilson’s press everything philosophy is exactly what Deonte Banks was drafted for. If Banks is still on the roster in 2026, Wilson will likely force Banks to play physical at the line, which suits his athletic profile better than the off-man looks he was playing in 2025.
Adebo underwhelmed in 2025. Wilson’s scheme, which often uses Cover 4 as a safety net, allows corners like Adebo to be aggressive on short routes, knowing they have help over the top. Wilson’s track record with James Bradberry and Darius Slay suggests he can revitalize a high-priced veteran.
In Wilson’s Ravens-influenced scheme, one safety often drops into the “robber” role to bait QBs into interceptions. Jevon Holland is the perfect candidate for this, as his range allows Wilson to disguise two-high looks before dropping Holland into the box or slot at the snap.
Dexter Lawrence could also re-emerge as the centerpiece of this defense. Wilson prefers a light box (six defenders) to keep extra DBs in coverage. This only works if the nose tackle can command double teams consistently. Lawrence is the best in the NFL at this, allowing Wilson to keep safeties deep without being gashed by the run.
The Giants’ Defense Aims to Improve Under Wilson
Schematically, Wilson is a much better fit for the pieces on the Giants’ roster than Bowen was. His specialization in the secondary could maximize the talent of the team’s underperforming defensive backs.
Philosophically, Wilson has the aggressive mindset that should mesh with Coach Harbaugh. The two already have a familiarity with one another from Wilson’s 2023 season in Baltimore. Adding a familiar face to run the defense was a crucial step for Harbaugh as he overturns nearly the entirety of the Giants’ coaching staff.
One area where the Giants really need to improve is against the run. Wilson’s defense should shift to focus on dominating in the trenches and preventing running backs from gashing the middle of the unit for chunk gains.
The Giants’ defense has plenty of talent in both the front seven and the secondary. Now, they need Harbaugh and Wilson to maximize that talent and get the defense performing to its potential in 2026.