The New York Giants have fired two key figures over the past month, former head coach Brian Daboll and former defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, but all this departure news further exposes general manager Joe Schoen heading into Week 13.
“There’s nowhere left for Joe Schoen to hide,” The Athletic’s Dan Duggan stated after Bowen was officially let go. “The HC is gone. The DC is gone. Now the focus shifts exclusively to the roster the GM assembled that hasn’t been able to make a play to secure a win in the three games they’ve led by double digits in the fourth quarter.”
In other words, with Daboll and Bowen fired, there are no more scapegoats to blame. The Giants won’t fire interim head coach Mike Kafka or interim DC Charlie Bullen.
Why would they? At this point, they need someone to coach out this final string of games.
Having said that, the more the Giants lose without Daboll and Bowen, the more Schoen’s resume will come into focus for ownership.
They’ll start to ponder — Maybe the roster really isn’t as good as we thought. Maybe we’ve let Schoen fool us into thinking this was a coaching problem.
Questions fans and reporters have already begun to ask.
Duggan Blasts Joe Schoen for Ignoring Giants’ Run Defense During the Offseason
GettyNew York Giants general manager Joe Schoen (left) and former head coach Brian Daboll (right).
In an accompanying article, Duggan pointed out one area where Schoen’s rosters have consistently come up small.
“For all of the money and draft assets Schoen has poured into the defense in his four years as GM, he has never placed a priority on stopping the run,” the NYG beat reporter noted. “Schoen has made 14 picks on the first two days of his four drafts. He has only used one of those picks on a defensive tackle — third-rounder Darius Alexander this year — and no picks on an inside linebacker.”
“Schoen dealt away Pro Bowl defensive tackle Leonard Williams at the 2023 trade deadline and has tried unsuccessfully to fill that void with veteran stopgaps,” Duggan continued. “The lone splash Schoen made to the spine of the front seven was the four-year, $40 million contract for inside linebacker Bobby Okereke in the 2023 offseason. Okereke was a standout in his first year in New York, but the 29-year-old’s play has fallen off a cliff over the past two seasons.”
He concluded that “with Bowen being retained after last season, the only way to expect the run defense to improve was to upgrade the personnel. But Schoen instead focused on splashy additions to address the pass defense. The result is a run defense that has fallen into disrepair.”
But this is just one unit that has consistently underperformed.
Schoen’s Shortcomings Go Way Past Run Defense
If it were just the run defense that was the problem, Schoen wouldn’t be on the hot seat. But it’s been so much more.
The Giants have had kicker issues for his entire tenure. The offensive line has taken years to improve, although it has finally gotten better in 2025. The wide receiver corps showed its lack of depth without Malik Nabers this year. And, most of all, the quarterback position has been an utter disaster up until Daboll seemingly pounded the table for Jaxson Dart.
There have also been several bust draft picks, poor free agency decisions, and embarrassing moments — some of which were caught on camera during the Giants’ edition of HBO’s Hard Knocks.
All in all, Schoen’s time as GM has been largely forgettable outside of the Brian Burns trade and a few draft hits (Nabers, Dart, Cam Skattebo, Theo Johnson, Tyler Nubin). The question is, how many of those draft selections were Daboll guys, and how many of them did Schoen recommend?
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