Giants name John Egorugwu, Drew Wilkins as linebackers coaches
John Egorugwu of the Baltimore Ravens. Credit: AP
LOS ANGELES — They may not be as recognizable as some of the names being floated for the jobs — Rob Ryan and Bryan Cox, for example — but the two young linebackers coaches hired by the Giants certainly are familiar enough to head coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale.
John Egorugwu will coach the inside linebackers and Drew Wilkins the outside linebackers for the Giants in the 2022 season. Both have roots with the Ravens, for whom Martindale coached the past 10 seasons. Egorugwu also worked with Daboll with the Bills.
Egorugwu, 35, was the linebackers coach at Vanderbilt in 2021 but was a defensive quality control coach and assistant linebackers coach for the Bills the four seasons before that. His first NFL job was in 2015 and 2016 as a defensive assistant for the Ravens, working primarily with the linebackers; Martindale was the team’s linebackers coach during those two seasons.
Wilkins, 34, spent the previous 12 seasons with the Ravens, the last 10 working with Martindale and the last two as their outside linebackers coach.
The new additions complete a defensive staff that also will include the return of defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson and his assistant, Mike Trier, the only two position coaches held over from the previous staff, as well as the previously announced addition of Andre Patterson as defensive line coach.
The special teams coaching staff remains almost entirely intact from last year with the return of coordinator Thomas McGaughey and assistant Anthony Blevins plus the addition of quality control coach Nick Williams, who held a similar role for the offense the last two years and moves to special teams.
Loecher added. The Giants also announced Mark Loecher as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. He held the same title with the Broncos in 2021 and the Steelers in 2020 and has been working in the NFL since 2014 . . . Ryan Hollern, former chief of staff for Joe Judge’s staff, has moved to the player personnel department as college scouting coordinator.
Drew Wilkins of the Baltimore Ravens. Credit: AP
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
