Brandon Beane’s right-hand man, now in the driver’s seat
Joe Schoen, the Assistant GM of the Buffalo Bills, has earned a promotion. He’s heading downstate to be the next general manager of the New York Giants, according to a report from Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafalo of NFL Network. The duo say that, while both sides are working on deal specifics, Schoen is the choice for John Mara’s team.
Schoen brings a fresh face to a Giants franchise that desperately needed new thinking. Dave Gettleman’s tenure as GM was a disaster, with the team registering an NFL-worst 19-46 record in the past four seasons. A former college scout and later an executive with the Miami Dolphins and the Bills, Schoen has an enticing background for a team with two top-ten picks in this year’s NFL Draft.
As Schoen starts rebuilding the Giants’ franchise top-to-bottom, he’ll likely have a say in the team’s next head coach. The current speculation is that the Giants could end up with a package deal of Bills, hiring offensive coordinator Brian Daboll (for his offensive system and experience developing a young QB) or defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Leslie Frazier (a widely respected tone-setter, an experienced former head coach, and coordinator of the league’s best defense).
The Bills already saw the number-three man in the front office, Dan Morgan, depart to be Carolina’s assistant GM last year, and now their second in command is on his way out and up. That’s a great sign for this team’s strong organization, but it does create a void that someone (Lake Dawson, Terrance Gray, Malik Boyd, or another) will need to fill.