The New York Giants finally got their guy at defensive coordinator in 2026.
The Giants wanted Dennard Wilson to run their defense after the messy divorce between Brian Daboll and Wink Martindale. Wilson has had a long and winding road through the NFL’s coaching ranks, but he coached under Mike MacDonald for the Baltimore Ravens and is familiar with the “Ravens” style defense that Martindale installed.
Instead, Wilson went to the Tennessee Titans, and former Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen came to the Giants. Now, Wilson has come from Tennessee to run the Giants’ defense for former Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh
Safety Jason Pinnock was there for it all, and noted the difference between Martindale, Bowen, and now Wilson after Practice on Wednesday. Pinnock said that the defense is similar, in some ways, to what Martindale ran… And also much more of an “attack-style” defense than what Bowen ran in 2024.
“Front-wise, I guess, and a little bit tighter back end,” Pinnock said, comparing Wilson’s defense to Martindale and Bowen’s schemes. “You know, Wink was a bit more pressure-based. … But just the looks, everything, I won’t go too much in detail. But very similar.”
The Giants’ new coaching staff has promised clean slates all around, and that means that everyone is fighting for their jobs, which also means guys like Pinnock have the chance to move up the depth chart.
“It’s going to be tough, you know? It’s going to be however the cards are dealt,” Pinnock said.“‘Best man win’ type of thing. You’ve got so many packages you can play with. I played in this defense before. It’s like [with] Wink (Martindale), ‘22, ‘23. So, I’m very familiar with it. Kind of the same calls. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be fun.”
Of course, the Giants’ front seven looks just a bit different from the 2023 season. That year, the Giants didn’t have Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Tremaine Edmunds, or Arvell Reese creating havoc up front. Now, the Giants boast one of the — if not the — longest and most athletic defensive fronts in the NFL. It’s a group of players that promises to be disruptive, both behind the line of scrimmage and using their length to clog passing lanes even when they can’t get to the passer.”
Pinnock notes that the Giants’ front is going to make game-changing plays this year through their sheer length and athleticism.
“I’ll start with Arvell. Yeah, I mean, he’s a freak, man,” Pinnock said. “Y’all was in that back corner? You caught that one here yesterday?” He said, talking about the highlight-reel one-handed interception Reese made in Tuesday’s practice.
“Yeah, so there you go. So, that’ll answer that. That’s a big middle. That’s a big middle, bro, (inside linebacker) Tremaine (Edmunds) and him. That’s – good luck. And you talk about tips just from the D-line. We’re going to get a couple just off that.
“And then (Colton) Hood, man, just a competitor and smart,” Pinnock said of the rookie cornerback. “He kind of reminded me of me. Like, I was a real, like – I diagnosed a lot, even though I was a corner, so that was kind of why the transition was a little bit easier. He’s smart. He’s smart. So, it’s going to help him in this league.”
Hood is in the four-way competition to be a starting corner for the Giants, and it seems to be an active one. ‘May the best man win’, as Pinnock put it, is a common theme in the Giants’ secondary. In fact, Pinnock finds himself in competition with third year safety Tyler Nubin — a player who now wears his number.
“That’s my brother, man. Like, (one) call away,” Pinnock said.
“I’m at his baby shower. He’s at my baby shower. He’s going to be at my wedding. Like, that’s my guy. That’s my guy, so – man, this is what comes with the sport. We’re on each other. We’re probably each other’s biggest competitor”
Pinnock has the unique perspective of having seen Nubin, as well as his fellow young DBs Deonte Banks and Dru Phillips as rookies, and then spending a year away from the team.
Pinnock notes that Banks, in particular, is more focused than he was in his first two years.
“I would say the focus,” Pinnock said, when asked the biggest difference in Banks between 2024 and 2026. “A little bit more attention to detail on how to study. And I was trying to guide him as much – different room but still give him guidance because that’s where I was drafted, as a corner. And then, for me, it was a bit more glaring, too, coming back because I had a year off. … But just sharper, man. Sharper, takes the game more seriously.”
Of course, while Pinnock is one of the elder statesmen of the secondary, he’s still a young player in his own right. He’s going against a venerable veteran in Odell Beckham Jr. In fact, Pinnock made the 33-year old Beckham feel old earlier this off-season.
“I had to confess to him in the locker room,” Pinnock said. “It was like 2016, 2017. I had him as my screensaver in high school. He was like, ‘Don’t tell me that. That would make me feel a little old.’ But it’s crazy. It’s kind of like idol turned rival.”
“Doesn’t look like he lost a step to me,” Pinnock added, “from what I was watching when I was in high school.”
If Beckham keeps stepping up in practice, he has a good chance of making the team. And if so, the Giants certainly hope he hasn’t lost a step.