After taking over as the New York Giants’ 21st head coach, John Harbaugh has wasted little time reshaping the organization. In just a short span this offseason, he’s already made sweeping changes to the coaching staff. The most notable move came with the firing of defensive line coach Andre Patterson, whose four-year run with the team ended even after he coached through a season spent battling cancer.

“Defensive line coach Andre Patterson was also informed he wouldn’t be returning, per sources,” ESPN‘s Jordan Raanan tweeted on X. “He joined the Giants under Brian Daboll prior to the 2022 season. Coached this season through prostate cancer.”

Raanan’s update follows his earlier tweet, where he revealed that John Harbaugh held a meeting with multiple coaches on Wednesday. The result? Mass firings ahead of the 2026 season. The changes reportedly affected most of New York’s defensive coaching staff, along with special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial. Patterson’s departure stands out because of the health circumstances he endured off the field.

Despite being diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier in 2025, he continued coaching his team. He was undergoing treatment while guiding players who learned of the diagnosis last spring. In December, Patterson revealed that his health was improving and showed optimism for his recovery. Additionally, the coach explained why he wanted to address his condition publicly. His goal was to raise awareness about prostate cancer and emphasize the importance of early detection. But this wasn’t even the first time Patterson chose work over recovery. 

Three years earlier, a separate medical emergency landed him in the intensive care unit for several days, and when he returned, he coached for months from a scooter rather than stepping away. Even this time, Patterson declined to take a leave of absence, choosing instead to stay engaged with his players whenever physically possible. That decision left a lasting impression inside the locker room.

“I think we give him life,” Lawrence said earlier this season. “Obviously that’s not an easy thing to go through, but I think we give him life and he enjoys coming in and helping us get better.”

Patterson has long viewed coaching as something bigger than wins or schemes, a mindset he leaned on heavily during the season. “Stuff happens in life,” he said. “If all I do is teach you how to be a good football player, I’m cheating you. I have to help you with life’s journey.”
Yet, on the field, the Giants’ defense rarely clicked.

Defense unraveled in moments when it should have been at its strongest. Third-and-long, typically a get-off-the-field situation, repeatedly became an escape hatch for opposing offenses. The unit finished 21st in the league on third down, allowing conversions 41 percent of the time, with an alarming number coming on third-and-double-digit yardage. Fourth down was even more punishing, as New York allowed conversions at a 73.3 percent rate, tied for 30th in the NFL.

Those failures were magnified late in the season. Against Minnesota, the Giants surrendered third-and-11, third-and-12, third-and-15, and even third-and-17 conversions, the kind of breakdowns that drain momentum and morale. Injuries on the other side of the ball only deepened the strain, as the offense struggled to compensate after losing Malik Nabers earlier in the year.

“Third and long, that’s definitely a time where you want to get off the field,” cornerback Paulson Adebo admitted. “We felt like we were in good calls and in a good position. It just comes down to executing, tackling, finishing, making the plays you have to make.”

The defensive struggles eventually spilled behind the scenes, contributing to the December dismissal of assistant defensive line coach Bryan Cox. Yet even as the unit faltered, players say Patterson’s presence never wavered.

“Oh, it’s great, man. There’s no drop-off,” defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris said. “If he didn’t tell us anything, we wouldn’t have known. That’s what kind of dude he is.”

As for his NFL career, he’s currently serving his 21st year in the league. Before joining New York, he worked with several big franchises. These include the Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, and the Cleveland Browns. He also played a pivotal role in Dexter Lawrence’s development, helping elevate the defensive tackle to three Pro Bowl selections after shifting him to a nose tackle role. The 2025 season remained tumultuous because of his illness, but he still refrained from taking a leave of absence during treatment. And now, Patterson’s chapter with the Giants closes under difficult circumstances as part of Harbaugh’s early reset.

But he was not the only defensive assistant informed that he would not be retained.

According to sources, inside linebackers coach John Egorugwu, secondary coach and pass game coordinator Marquand Manuel, and cornerbacks coach Jeff Burris were also let go as part of the overhaul. Among the defensive assistants assembled under former head coach Brian Daboll, only outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen, who was promoted to interim defensive coordinator with five games remaining last season, remains under consideration to stay. Bullen’s existing relationship with general manager Joe Schoen, dating back to their time with the Miami Dolphins, is viewed as a key factor.

 Meanwhile, this comes after Harbaugh’s former team takes a firm stance against staff poaching.

The Ravens keep their staff off-limits to John Harbaugh

When a new coach takes over, it’s natural for them to bring along people from their old team. But when John Harbaugh attempted to do the same, the Baltimore Ravens didn’t hold back. According to NFL insider Mike Garafolo, the franchise has blocked special teams coordinator Chris Horton from making a lateral move to the Giants.

They have also barred his assistant, Anthony Levine Sr., and senior special teams coach Randy Brown from joining Harbaugh. The move isn’t surprising in Horton’s case, as he has been instrumental in the Ravens’ success on special teams for more than a decade. He first joined them in 2014 as an assistant before earning his way to the special teams coordinator role in 2019.

Since his promotion, Baltimore’s special teams unit has consistently ranked among the NFL’s top ten franchises in several categories. These include yards per punt return, punt returns of 20+ yards, opponent yards per kickoff return, and kick return touchdowns. Under his leadership, multiple Ravens have earned Pro Bowl honors, including Justin Tucker, Devin Duvernay, Sam Koch, and long snapper Morgan Cox. 

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Before coaching, Horton served as a safety with the Washington Commanders from 2008 to 2010. As John Harbaugh starts anew, Baltimore is clearly intent on limiting the ripple effects of his exit.