Shane

Bowen

Bowen last served as the Giants’ defensive coordinator, but was fired last season following a Week 12 blowout loss to the Lions after blowing yet another 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Bowen spent six seasons with Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, serving as his outside linebackers coach (2018-2020) before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2021.

The dismissal of Bowen has felt like a foregone conclusion for weeks, especially after losses to the Broncos and Bears in which they held double-digit leads with less than six minutes left. The Giants blew their fifth 10-point, fourth quarter lead of the season in Week 12’s loss to the Lions to tie an NFL record. The blown leads compounded with a defense that ranks 30th in both yards and points allowed simply became too much for a Giants team that is finishing out eight’s eighth losing season of the last nine years. Interim head coach Mike Kafka had the Giants in position to pull off an upset road win over the Lions but were outscored 17-0 after grabbing a 27-17 lead. Kafka has been a hot name in coaching circles over the last few offseasons, and is auditioning to become the next coach of the Giants over the final six weeks of the season, and needs all the help he can get from the staff in place. Kafka is expected to name an interim defensive coordinator in the near future.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Bowen will coach the West while Williams will coach the East. Both are coaches for teams that did not make the playoffs and will get a chance to evaluate some of the college talent that their teams may be selecting down the road. Schefter also reports Titans staff will also be on the West team, meaning they will be able to evaluate Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, a candidate for the Titans’ No. 1 overall pick.

Bowen served as the defensive coordinator for the Titans from 2021 to 2023 and now has ties to the Patriots after the team announced the decision to hire Mike Vrabel as their head coach on Sunday. Bowen’s name could come up in conversations for the Patriots’ defensive coordinator position if he were let go by the Giants, but as Garafolo reported, that seems unlikely at this time.

Bowen became available after the Titans fired Mike Vrabel and hired Brian Callahan as their next head coach. Bowen has spent the last three seasons as the Titans’ defensive coordinator and oversaw teams that ranked sixth, 14th, and 16th in points per game over that span. Bowen was one of several candidates to interview for the Giants defensive coordinator opening, which felt at times like it would never be filled. According to Fowler, the Giants “have begun lining up talks with Titans staffers who worked under him,” suggesting more castoffs could soon join him in the Meadowlands.

Bowen has been Tennessee’s outside linebackers coach the last three seasons. The Titans went without a defensive coordinator last year after Dean Peas left, but Bowen took on a larger role. He’ll be officially promoted this season, though HC Mike Vrabel may still handle the playcalling, so this isn’t much of a change. Tennessee was 24th in points allowed and 28th in yards allowed under Vrabel and Bowen in 2020.