John Harbaugh is already making his mark on the New York Giants, and his first move is a direct raid on his old team. Using his 18 years of strong experience with the Ravens, Harbaugh decided to bring in a valuable asset from his former team, with no positions yet announced.

“The Giants are reportedly hiring Ravens defensive line coach Dennis Johnson for John Harbaugh’s coaching staff, per @AaronWilson_NFL,” insider Doug Rush wrote on X. 

While the position remains unclear, Harbaugh will likely hand him the keys to the team’s defensive line coach position, replacing Andre Patterson, who was part of former head coach Brian Daboll’s original staff when it was formed in 2022.

Patterson will leave behind a strong legacy. During his time with the Giants, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II developed into one of the league’s best interior linemen. He earned Pro Bowl honors and two second-team All-Pro selections.

Johnson, on the other hand, arrives in New York after working with John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens for two seasons. One of Johnson’s standout performances was with Nnamdi Madubuike, who reached his second straight Pro Bowl under his guidance.

Johnson’s coaching career goes beyond questioning. A former defensive tackle at LSU, he later returned there as a graduate assistant and position coach. He also coached at Northwestern and spent four seasons leading the defensive line at Baylor. Rumors also suggest that this will not be the end of appointing new faces at the Giants, as Willie Taggart is also being considered.

The update came just hours after John Harbaugh made his feelings clear about the Ravens’ owner, Steve Bisciotti.

John Harbaugh gives a major shoutout to Steve Bisciotti in his goodbye message

It has been almost three weeks since the Baltimore Ravens cut ties with John Harbaugh. Harbaugh’s exit from Baltimore was followed by reports and allegations of a feud between him and team owner Steve Bisciotti. However, the former Ravens HC has now quashed all the rumors after he shared a message for Bisciotti.

“To Steve Bisciotti: Thank you for creating an environment rooted in maintaining a standard of excellence,” he added. “I just hope our fans are kind to him. I hope the local media treats him as if he were your brother. Give him a break – it’s high pressure, high profile. For everyone of you – if it were your brother or your brother-in-law — you’d want to give him the benefit of the doubt and give it a chance.”

Maintaining mutual respect, Bisciotti also made it clear that his relationship with John Harbaugh went beyond the sport. After nearly 20 years together, the owner felt the growing criticism toward Harbaugh was becoming too heavy. He did not want to see someone he cared about constantly attacked. His decision to fire the former HC came with a belief that he was protecting his longtime friend by giving him a fresh start.