Giants HC Tracker: Who has the team targeted to replace Joe Judge?

The Giants’ search for a new head coach is underway.

John Mara, Steve Tisch, and the rest of the Giants organization have hired a new general manager in Joe Schoen, who was previously the assistant GM out in Buffalo.

Now, the search continues for a new head coach to replace Joe Judge, with Schoen leading the way.

Who may the new GM choose?

Cowboys DC Dan Quinn

The #Giants put in a request to interview #Cowboys DC Dan Quinn for their head coaching job, source said.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 19, 2022

This request was made prior to the hire of Schoen, and I definitely thought it was a head-scratching move (at least initially).

First, it’s bizarre the Giants would put in a request to interview a head coaching candidate when the belief was that they would be allowing the new general manager to lead the search.

And second…Dan Quinn? The veteran coach did a great job manning Dallas’ defense this past season but the Giants likely need an offensive-minded individual leading the staff given the overwhelming struggles on that side of the ball.

Plus, Quinn only led the Falcons to two winning seasons out of the five in which he was their head coach, going 7-9 in both 2018 and 2019 before an 0-5 start in 2020 led to his firing.

However, the Giants could’ve just been doing their due diligence in case the eventual general manager wished to inquire about Quinn…

There's been a lot of interest in Quinn on the market, so Giants figured they'd put in a request, even though they don't have a GM yet.

NJ native has options. Would expect Denver to be the landing spot. But NYG don't want to hire the GM and have the GM say, "Hey, what about DQ?" https://t.co/6oRKrHikQm

— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) January 19, 2022

Bills OC Brian Daboll / Bills DC Leslie Frazier

The #Giants are expected to interview two of their HC candidates — #Bills OC Brian Daboll and DC Leslie Frazier — this weekend in Buffalo, source said. Their new GM Joe Schoen is still in town, so this all makes sense. Both should happen tomorrow.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 21, 2022

Schoen is reportedly expected to interview both Brian Daboll and Leslie Frazier, two incredible candidates who have done wonderful jobs in their respective roles in Buffalo.

I honestly would go with Daboll. As I just mentioned, the Giants need an offensive-minded head coach given how putrid their offense was each of the last two seasons.

Also, after seeing how Daboll has played a role in the development of Josh Allen, it’s clear hiring the Bills OC could do wonders for Daniel Jones and his hopeful improvement (should the Giants retain the young signal-caller).

Former Dolphins HC Brian Flores

According to Ian O’Connor of the New York Post, the Giants have reached out to recently fired Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.

John Mara reached out to Brian Flores a couple of nights ago, a source told The Post. Very good conversation. Mara assured Flores that he's a serious candidate and that Giants will be willing to eat money to clear up some cap space…This could be Flores-Daboll steel cage match.

— Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) January 21, 2022

Many believe the Dolphins shouldn’t have fired Flores after he recorded back-to-back winnings seasons with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback for the majority of that time. It remains to be seen if the Giants will choose him to lead the staff moving forward, but regardless of what you think of the other candidates, it would be a great hire for Big Blue.

However, let’s stop treating Flores like he’s Bill Belichick, shall we? The takes I’ve stumbled across on Twitter have been ridiculous.

Giants DC Patrick Graham

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports the Giants are expected to interview their own defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, for the head coaching vacancy.

The #Giants are expected to interview defensive coordinator Patrick Graham for the head coaching position, per source. Graham interviewed in last year's cycle, gets an in-house look this year.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 22, 2022

To be honest, I believe Graham is a long shot for this job. But I do think he’ll be a head coach one day and believe the Giants should absolutely consider retaining him as the DC.

It’s also worth noting Graham was Flores’ defensive coordinator in Miami in 2019. If the Giants hire Flores, there’s a decent chance Graham remains in his current role within the organization.

Bengals DC Lou Anarumo

We have completed a head coach interview with Bengals Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo

Details: https://t.co/HVazi8cZ5B pic.twitter.com/UsJRjzbBbK

— New York Giants (@Giants) January 23, 2022

Lou Anarumo and the Cincinnati Bengals are headed to the AFC Championship, and the veteran coach is in the running (at least currently) to earn the Giants’ head coaching job.

Anarumo was previously with the Giants in 2018 as the defensive backs coach under Pat Shurmur.

Follow Ryan Honey on Twitter: @RyanHoneyESNY

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