Getty Images Would Leslie Frazier join the Giants staff as a defensive assistant?
The New York Giants’ next big move could be to its coaching ranks.
Big Blue is hosting former Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier on a two-day visit expected to spark “dialogue,” according to CBS Sports Sr. NFL Insider Josina Anderson. Frazier is also visiting with the Green Bay Packers and Washington Commanders, per Anderson.
Big Blue’s current braintrust certainly trusts Frazier’s football mind.
Frazier was the Bills’ defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2022, an almost-perfect overlap with now-Giants coach Brian Daboll and now-Giants general manager Joe Schoen. That Bills connection even led Schoen to interview Frazier twice for New York’s head coaching gig before Daboll was hired, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
After a clunky departure from Buffalo that involved reports of a one-year sabbatical, Frazier made clear his goal of coaching again in 2023. And the 64-year-old coach could be yet another candidate who joins the Giants in hopes of bigger roles to come.
“Hopefully, an owner will give me a chance to talk to him about an opportunity,” Frazier told The MMQB’s Albert Breer on May 30. “If that doesn’t happen, I’m good. I’ve had a good career. I’m good. My goal is to be a head coach. I know I don’t have much time left, I’m at an age where it seems like owners are going younger and younger, but I think I have some things I can bring to the table. We’ll see what happens.”
Here’s what else you need to know about a potential Frazier fit in New York.
Could Leslie Frazier Replace Wink Martindale As Giants Defensive Coordinator?
Frazier’s visit to East Rutherford is just a friendly one — for now.
His two-day stay with Big Blue is more of a drop-in with Schoen and Daboll and less of a “job interview” for a 2023 role, according to NJ.com’s Art Stapleton.
The fastest path to another gig could be on Big Blue’s sidelines, though.
Wink Martindale garnered interest from the Indianapolis Colts for his work coordinating New York’s patchwork playoff defense in 2022. And his 2023 unit is expected to improve following player additions like linebacker Bobby Okereke, defensive linemen A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, and rookie cornerback Deonte Banks.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see Martindale appear on more shortlists if his unit takes another step forward. And it wouldn’t be shocking to see Frazier as a potential replacement, considering what Frazier accomplished during Schoen and Daboll’s last season in Buffalo.
“Under Frazier’s watch, the Bills defense led the NFL in total yardage allowed during the regular season (272.8 per game),” Stapleton wrote after the 2021 season. “The Bills also tied for third with 30 takeaways, finishing in the top 10 of that category for the fifth consecutive season.”
An injury-marred 2022 season lowered Frazier’s stock. But according to FanSided’s Doug Rush, he’d still make a great hire behind Martindale.
“He just met with the Commanders (and Packers) as well, so I would think that Frazier is definitely looking to land a job again,” Rush tweeted. “Going with his former Buffalo colleagues with the Giants now would make sense given their experience together.”
What Would Leslie Frazier’s Giants Defense Look Like?
Frazier’s scheme could be his biggest hiring hurdle.
New York has run some variation of a 3-4 defense dating back to 2017. But unlike coordinators like James Bettcher, Patrick Graham, and Martindale, Frazier has historically used a four-down front.
“Frazier uses a 4-3, so… a switch would be on deck,” Stapleton wrote of the then-head coaching candidate in 2022. “He also uses some Tampa Cover 2 he learned at the hip of Hall of Famer Tony Dungy. (His) defensive influences are Dungy and the late Jim Johnson of the Eagles.”
Big Blue once found Super Bowl success under another Johnson disciple in ex-coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. But the logistics of switching fronts could pause a rebuild Schoen and Daboll have been working so hard on.
For instance, nose tackle Dexter Lawrence would no longer play over center in a 4-3 alignment. Defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux might need to rush more passers from a three point stance. Cornerbacks and safeties like Adoreé Jackson and Xavier McKinney might play more zone under Frazier than they ever did under Martindale.
New York might not be eager to ask its top defensive players to do something different after showing so much promise in 2022. For full insurance against a Martindale departure, it’d help to get Frazier in the building as soon as possible.
