After two seasons calling defensive plays for the New York Giants, Wink Martindale and the team parted ways after a disastrous 2023 campaign. The Giants are now hunting for their second defensive coordinator of the Brian Daboll era after allowing 23.8 points per game last season. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Giants interviewed Minnesota Vikings defensive backs coach Daronte Jones during the Senior Bowl as a potential candidate for their defensive coordinator vacancy.
The #Giants interviewed #Vikings DBs coach Daronte Jones for their defensive coordinator job, per source.
The interview took place last week in Mobile, where Jones impressed as the National team’s defensive coordinator at the @seniorbowl.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 4, 2024
Jones operated as the defensive coordinator for the National team during the Senior Bowl, making a solid impression among NFL teams. The National team beat the American team 16-7.
Daronte Jones: Longtime Defensive Coach
Daronte Jones started coaching in 2001 after his playing career as a cornerback at Morgan State abruptly ended. He began at Lenoir–Rhyne as a graduate assistant before leaving for Nicholls State as the safeties coach. Jones again darted after one season, heading to the high school level as a defensive coordinator from 2003 to 2004. The Maryland native returned to Division II in 2005, taking the defensive coordinator and assistant head coaching position at Bowie State.
He leaped to the FBS ranks in 2010, taking a graduate assistant gig with the UCLA Bruins. After one year with the Bruins, he coached one season in the CFL before becoming the secondary coach at Hawaii. Jones coached the secondary at Hawaii for three seasons before landing with the Wisconsin Badgers under the same job title. Jones disembarked for his first NFL coaching job in 2016, snagging the assistant defensive backs position with the Miami Dolphins. He became the cornerbacks coach with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018 before becoming the defensive backs coach with the Minnesota Vikings in 2020.
Jones landed his first big-time defensive coordinator position in 2021 with the LSU Tigers. The Tigers struggled, giving up 26.6 points per game, with the program parting ways with national champion head coach Ed Orgeron. Jones landed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2022, where he has been since.
New York Giants: Desperate for Defensive Improvement
The Giants allowed 23.9 points per game last season, the seventh-highest mark in the NFL. Opposing backfields gashed the Giants, averaging 4.7 yards per carry, the second-highest average in the league. They also scored 24 rushing touchdowns. The secondary performed slightly better, forcing 18 interceptions against just 21 touchdowns. However, they still allowed 6.3 net yards per pass attempt.
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