EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- John Harbaugh is two-thirds of the way there. The recently hired New York Giants head coach has a defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator in place, but it's back to the drawing board at offensive coordinator.
Harbaugh's preference to run the offense, Todd Monken, landed a head coaching job Wednesday with the Cleveland Browns. That forced the Giants to recalibrate their offensive coordinator search.
Dennard Wilson was hired as the Giants' defensive coordinator and Chris Horton was brought along from the Baltimore Ravens to be the special teams coach, sources told ESPN over the weekend. Wilson worked with Harbaugh during the 2023 season as the defensive backs coach in Baltimore before becoming the Tennessee Titans' defensive coordinator the past two seasons.
Wilson is known as an "intense" coach who relates to players well. He sets high standards and enforces them. This should help a Giants secondary that has struggled in recent years. It should make them a tougher defense.
"He demands a ton from his DBs ... but gets a lot from them," a league source who worked with Wilson at a previous stop said.
Wilson's defenses in Tennessee were ranked second and 21st in yards allowed per game. Horton's special teams units were third in EPA from when he took over in 2019 through this past season.
The focus now is on the offensive coordinator position. This might be one of the most important hires for the Harbaugh regime. This will be the individual tasked with leading the development of Jaxson Dart.
The rookie quarterback said recently he has been part of the process, to some degree.
"There has been real good communication between all of us," Dart told ESPN. "Obviously, I'm not the one doing the hirings. ... But I have all the trust in the world in Coach Harbaugh, the guys we have upstairs in [general manager] Joe [Schoen] to help formulate the best staff and put our team in the best situation for success. I just think from a quarterback standpoint, you want to have an open dialogue between a coordinator to have those conversations of what are your favorite things, what are their favorite things."
Harbaugh will have to find the right guy for Dart and the Giants. That's his job. It is worth noting that all his offensive coordinators in Baltimore had previous playcalling experience.
Here are some potential options for the next Giants offensive coordinator:
Kliff Kingsbury
He was the offensive coordinator the past two seasons for Washington and has a strong track record of calling plays. Kingsbury is expected to be in the mix, especially after he was on the fringe of their head coaching search.
Jim Bob Cooter
The Giants are going to meet with Cooter, according to ESPN's Peter Schrager. He's the current Colts offensive coordinator but is being allowed to talk with other teams if the job includes playcalling. Cooter recently interviewed for the Eagles OC job as well.
Josh McCown and Davis Webb
Some young quarterback coaches who were discussed internally during the coaching search. Neither has playcalling experience. The Giants have already requested permission to speak with Webb, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The question is whether Webb is actually available given he's still in the running to be the Raiders' head coach and the Broncos fired their offensive coordinator.
Travis Switzer
He was the run-game coordinator for the past three years with the Ravens. He worked under Harbaugh for nine years. There has been talk about Switzer going with Monken to Cleveland as the offensive coordinator. Would that change if Harbaugh offered Switzer the opportunity to call plays in New York?
Charlie Weis Jr.
He has the support of Dart given their relationship from Ole Miss. This might be the only job that can get the 32-year-old Weis to leave LSU given the ties to Dart and his father's affinity for the organization. Charlie Weis Sr. is a New Jersey native and worked for the Giants as an assistant under Bill Parcells and Ray Handley from 1990 to 1992.
Still, it seems likely Weis remains at college.
Greg Roman
Roman has a long track record with John Harbaugh, serving as his offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2022. But he was most recently let go by Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers after he couldn't get Justin Herbert to the next level. Perhaps Roman, with his respected run game, combined with a strong pass-game coordinator in New York would work?
Jake Peetz
He's the offensive pass-game coordinator in Seattle working under Klint Kubiak. He previously worked for Sean McVay and the Rams. Peetz has some playcalling experience from LSU, where he worked with a freshman named Malik Nabers.
Justin Outten
He's the run-game specialist and assistant offensive line coach for the Seahawks. An intriguing name considering he interviewed with Harbaugh for the Ravens' offensive coordinator opening in 2023.
Lunda Wells
The longtime former Giants assistant and current Cowboys tight end coach has done impressive work in Dallas and has been getting looks for offensive coordinator openings, including across town with the Jets. He's seriously in the mix for the Steelers. Wells has a strong history working with the offensive line and run game, which seemingly fits Harbaugh's offensive desires.
Matt Nagy
There is the Andy Reid connection. Reid is Harbaugh's mentor and recently said that Nagy deserves another shot at being a head coach. That didn't work out this year, so being an offensive coordinator makes sense. Perhaps Reid puts in a good word?
Alex Tanney
New York has requested an interview with Tanney, sources told ESPN. The former Giants quarterback is currently the Colts' passing game coordinator after working in a variety of roles with the Eagles and aiding in the development of quarterback Jalen Hurts. The son of a football coach, Tanney was always viewed as a sharp football mind.