EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants have hired former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as their new head coach, the team announced on Friday.
Daboll replaces Joe Judge, who went 10-23 and was fired after two seasons. He was the third consecutive Giants coach to be fired after two seasons or less, following Ben McAdoo (13-15) and Pat Shurmur (9-23), as the once-proud franchise has stumbled through one of the worst 10-year stretches in its history.
Now it’s Daboll’s turn to try to stop the trend.
New York cleaned house this offseason. General manager Dave Gettleman retired following the conclusion of the season. Former Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen was hired in his place.
Daboll was one of five finalists for the job along with former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, Bills assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Quinn informed teams on Thursday he would be returning to Dallas.
Daboll, 46, guided top-five offenses in Buffalo each of the past two seasons. He is credited with spearheading the development of Josh Allen from an erratic, big-armed quarterback into one of the game’s brightest young stars.
The connection between Schoen and Daboll from Buffalo made this an almost expected hire. Daboll was considered the favorite for the job from the moment Schoen was hired.
“Over the last four years, I have observed first-hand Brian’s strengths as a leader — he is an excellent communicator, intelligent, innovative, and hard working,” Schoen said in a statement. “Brian’s genuine and engaging personality is refreshing. He fosters relationships with the players and coaches around him. He is progressive in his vision and values collaboration, two of the attributes we think are essential.
“I am thrilled to partner with Brian and welcome he and his family to this side of the state.”
Daboll was also the only offensive coach among the Giants’ candidates. That might have played in his favor, as the franchise looks to unlock the potential of young quarterback Daniel Jones and fix the NFL’s 31st-ranked offense.
“My immediate goal is to assemble a coaching staff — a strong staff that emphasizes teaching and collaboration and making sure our players are put in the position to be their best and, ultimately, to win games,” Daboll said in a statement. “That’s why all of us do this. To teach, to be successful, to develop talent, and to win. I have a pretty good idea where our fan base’s feelings are right now, and I get it.
“I promise we will work our tails off to put a team on the field that you will be proud to support and give us the results we all want.”
A potential beneficiary of Daboll’s departure, Bills passing-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey is likely to become an offensive coordinator with either the Bills or Giants, sources said.