New York Giants are adding Bret Bielema and Jerome Henderson to take over as defensive coaches Joe Judge’s staff.
The New York Giants coaching staff is continuing to take shape. Tuesday, the team made reportedly made a pair of additions in Jerome Henderson and Bret Bielema. Henderson is taking over as defensive backs coach and while Bielema’s exact role is unknown, he was most recently a defensive line coach for the New England Patriots.
The #Giants are hiring former #Patriots DL coach Bret Bielema for a spot on their staff, source said. They are still finalizing details and his eventual role. As Joe Judge builds his staff, he’s adding more experience.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 21, 2020
The Giants have hired former Falcons defensive passing game coordinator Jerome Henderson as their defensive backs coach, per source. Joe Judge’s staff is coming together.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 21, 2020
Bielema comes from New England, where he’s been working alongside new Giants head coach Joe Judge the last two seasons. In 2018, Bielema served as a consultant to the head coach and in 2019, was promoted to defensive line coach.
Before New England, he was the head coach at both the University of Wisconsin and Arkansas, also spending time in the college ranks as an assistant for both Kansas State and Iowa.
What role Bielema will fill has yet to be reported or announced, but with the defensive line coach job open, that will likely be the role he fills.
As for Henderson, he comes to New York after spending each of the last four seasons as the Atlanta Falcons defensive passing game coordinator. He will be the team’s new defensive backs coach replacing Everett Withers.
In his time with Atlanta, Henderson helped the Falcons reach Super Bowl 51, where they’d fall in overtime to the Patriots.
Before joining Atlanta, Henderson spent time as the defensive backs coach with the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and New York Jets. In addition to being a defensive backs coach, he also served as the Jets director of player of development from 2006-2007.
Henderson spent nearly a decade playing in the NFL before kicking off his coaching career. He was drafted in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Patriots, where he played until 1993. He then went onto play with the Bills, Eagles, a second stint with New England, and the Jets before retiring after the 1998 season.
Henderson will be in charge of a young Giants secondary that features 2019 draft picks Deandre Baker, Julian Love, and Corey Ballentine.
