Judge announces new Giants coaching staff

Joe Judge’s Giants coaching staff is official, and it’s a mixture of former head coaches, one-time Judge colleagues from Alabama and New England, some Giant holdovers and a lot of ex-Dallas Cowboys.

Hirings on the staff have trickled out for weeks, but here is the first official look at most of the staff

(Previous 2019 roles are marked in parentheses. If nothing is noted, that means the coach is being retained in the same Giants role he held last season.)

OFFENSE

Offensive coordinator: Jason Garrett, 53 (Dallas Cowboys head coach)

Judge insisted in a statement on Wednesday that he didn’t specifically seek to hire former head coaches. “Everybody brings a different type of experience to the job,” he said. “I didn’t set out to hire anyone with former head coaching experience. That ended up being a plus of what different guys brought to their area.”

Quarterbacks: Jerry Schuplinski, 42 (Miami Dolphins assistant QBs)

A former Patriots co-worker that Judge calls “an incredible teacher” who “simplifies the game so the QB can play fast understanding our scheme and analyzing the defense.”

Running backs: Burton Burns, 67 (Alabama associate athletic director)

The former Crimson Tide RB coach of Heisman winners Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry, and finalist Trent Richardson, is “tough” and “hardnosed,” per Judge, who worked at ‘Bama with Burns.

Wide receivers: Tyke Tolbert, 52

Judge on why he retained Tolbert: “The deciding factor on Tyke is you turn his tape on, and his guys play hard, they play fundamentally sound, he’s been able to develop a number of receivers in different systems, and ultimately, the video tapes are what tells you how a guy is coaching.”

Tight ends: Freddie Kitchens, 45 (Cleveland Browns head coach)

Kitchens was the Mississippi

State running backs coach in 2004 when Judge was a senior special teamer. “What I love about Freddie is he brings an element of toughness and discipline to his room,” Judge said.

Offensive line: Marc Colombo, 41 (Cowboys offensive line)

Judge says keeping Garrett and Colombo together can help Garrett bring his offense from Dallas to the Giants.

Assistant O-Line: Ben Wilkerson, 37

A Pat Shurmur holdover who previously worked for the Chicago Bears. One of three assistants Giants sent to the midJanuary EastWest Shrine

Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla. Wilkerson and Anthony Blevins were retained.

Senior Offensive Assistant: Derek Dooley, 51 (Missouri OC/ QBs coach)

Coached Cowboys’ wide receivers (2013-17) under Garrett and worked on same Nick Saban Dolphins staff (2005-06). Coached Drew Lock (now Denver Broncos) at Mizzou.

Offensive Assistant: Stephen Brown, 32 (Cowboys offensive assistant/running backs)

Worked for Cowboys for four seasons. Point man for Garrett on research projects, daily operations.

DEFENSE

Defensive coordinator / assistant head coach: Patrick Graham, 41 (Dolphins defensive coordinator)

Miami’s defense technically was head coach Brian Flores’ baby last season. Now, Graham will be calling his own in New York. That’s opportunity, but it’s also enormous pressure.

Defensive line: Sean Spencer, 49 (Penn State defensive line/ associate head coach)

Longtime NCAA defensive line coach whose Nittany Lions consistently get to the QB. “Sean has a great energy about him, he has great command within a room, his players respond to him, theJ y pJluad y and they play fundamentally sound,” Judge said.

Inside linebackers: Kevin Sherrer, 46 (Tennessee inside linebackers)

Worked with Judge at Alabama (2010-12) as director of player development. “Kevin is just an old ball coach,” Judge said. “When I met Kevin, he was coaching at Hoover High School in Alabama. The next year, he was on the staff with us at Alabama. I’ve watched him progress through his career … He coaches from the ground up with fundamentals.” Outside linebackers/ Senior Assistant: Bret Bielema, 50 (New England Patriots defensive line)

Former Wisconsin and Arkansas head coach who worked with Judge at the Patriots (201819). Judge cites his “great personality” and “perspective” and experience at both the college and NFL levels.

Defensive backs: Jerome Henderson, 50 (Atlanta Falcons passing game coordinator, secondary)

Played in two Super Bowls as a player, now in his 14th year as a coach. Coached the Cowboys’ DBs (2012-15) for Garrett. “Jerome has a great resume, he’s coached a lot of good players in a lot of good schemes,” Judge said. “I talked to guys that he coached, the way they responded to him and the way they respected him in the room definitely said a lot about him.”

Shurmur holdover moves up from special teams to defense. “I’ve known Blev for some time now, and he’s coached on all three sides of the ball,” Judge said.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Special Teams Coordinator: Thomas McGaughey, 46

Oversaw massive special teams turnaround in 2018, well-liked by players, future head coach material.