There was a bounce in his step and a smile on his face when New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen arrived at the podium on Thursday to meet with the media.
Who can blame him? Bowen has lots of new toys to play with this season. He presides over a defense that added edge defender Abdul Carter with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, along with defensive tackle Darius Alexander in Round 3. In free agency, cornerback Paulson Adebo, safety Jevon Holland, defensive end Chauncey Golston and a variety of other depth pieces were also added.
“I‘m excited about the additions. I am,” Bowen said. “They’ve all come in here, they’re pros, they’re working hard. All the free agents we brought in, they’ve had a significant impact here early I think just in terms of being a pro, showing some of the young guys what it takes to be a pro. You feel their leadership out there on the field, in the meeting room.
“And then of course the young guys we drafted, really excited about those guys as well.”
Bowen should be excited.
Every position group on the defense appears to be deeper and more talented than a year ago.
There is also pressure on Bowen entering 2025.
He wasn’t the Giants’ first choice to replace Wink Martindale last year. In some quarters, he may have been considered an uninspiring hire after three seasons working under Mike Vrabel as defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans.
Defense was not the Giants’ biggest problem in 2024, but it still drew the ire of co-owner John Mara after finishing 21st in points allowed.
“I’m tired of watching teams go up and down the field on us,” Mara said in January. “So, I think that has to be addressed.”
GM Joe Schoen followed orders and did exactly that. Now, it is up to Bowen to make the pieces fit.
“I wouldn’t say pressure. I’m driven by the guys. My job is to get these guys ready to go out there to execute at the highest level, to maximize their potential, and to perform and ultimately win,” Bowen said.
“So I’m driven by that. Come to work every day for them, doing everything I can to make them improve, to help them improve, to help our team improve.
“That’s really what fuels me. Don’t really feel the pressure of it. We’re working every day to improve right now. It’s still early. There is a lot of moving parts still that we’ll figure out and we’re figuring out each day how we’re going to make it work.”
3 for 2
The biggest curiosity, of course, is how Bowen will get Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns a maximum amount of playing time.
“You got three guys for two spots when you look at it from the outside in. It’s a really good problem to have,” Bowen said. “Got three really good players, three really talented players. Two of them that have done it in this league at a high level.
“Again, I think that’s something from a staff standpoint that we’re working through trying to find a way. Ultimately we want to get our best 11 on the field, whatever way we got to maneuver to do that. We got to find ways to get the guys that can impact the game on the field.”
An obvious solution would be to use Carter as an off-ball linebacker, a position he played at Penn State until the 2024 season. Bowen, though, is also conscious of the fact that Carter was drafted for his ability to wreak havoc from the edge and needs to learn and grow in that spot.
“There is some versatility there. With Abdul he did a little bit of that stuff off the ball in college early in his career, so there is some versatility there and some versatility with what we could potentially do with Burns as well,” Bowen said.
“Again, making sure in Abdul’s case that we understand what it takes to be an edge player in this league and all the development that comes with that. But at the same time, making sure we find ways to get the guys that can potentially impact the game for us on the field.”
“Trying to evolve”
Bowen has been criticized by some — fairly or not — over the idea that he perhaps wasn’t flexible enough with his scheme in 2024 to get the best production out of players who had been brought to New York to play for Martindale, a more aggressive coordinator.
Bowen’s ability to adapt and use the varied personnel he has been handed will be heavilly scrutinized during the upcoming season.
“I think that’s a big part of coaching. We got to make sure we’re doing everything we can to put these guys individually in positions they’re most successful at, right, to make sure we’re comfortable,” Bowen said.
“Obviously there is going to be different things within the scheme that you can’t always do certain things every single play, right? But doing our best to maximize their skillsets to what they’re most comfortable at, putting them in positions to do things.
“Always trying to evolve. You never want to stay the same. If you stay the same, you’re not improving, so always trying to evolve what we do from the ground level all the way up through.”
“Be a damn pirate”
The Giants were 31st in the league with just 5 interceptions and 28th overall with 15 takeaways a season ago. That has to — and should — change this season.
“I mean, the tale is the tape, right? We’ve got to be better forcing takeaways. Got to get the ball away. Twelve of the 14 playoff teams were in the top half of the league taking the ball away,” Bowen said.
“We got to do better job of that, making sure we don’t miss opportunities to catch them when they’re there, don’t miss opportunities to try to attack the ball when they’re there, matching the hand, whatever that might be.
“That’s a big area of focus for us right now.”
The Giants have gone so far as to institute a turnover chest, a chest which is opened and has the ball deposited inside when a turnover is created.
The inspiration? Bowen’s son’s T-Ball team, aptly named the Pirates.
“So my son, it’s his first year of T-Ball and he’s on the Pirates. So we – again, the main thing is emphasizing takeaways. We got to get better at takeaways. Somehow got the idea of piracy, violent, attacking to steal possessions or goods, right?,” Bowen said.
“You’ll hear our guys say it. I say it ad nauseum: Be a damn pirate. We got to find ways to get the ball. And, again, you get what you emphasize. We’re making it a priority this year to make sure we find ways to get the ball.”