The New York Giants fired defensive coordinator Shane Bowen on Monday, according to ESPN, after a 34-27 overtime loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sunday afternoon. Bowen's departure comes two weeks after the Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll, further highlighting just how badly the sky is falling for the Dallas Cowboys' NFC East rivals.
As Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka revealed, it was his decision to move on from Bowen and elevate LB coach Charlie Bullen to interim defensive coordinator.
"My decision," Kafka said Monday, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. "My decision to make this move... The results just weren't where we wanted them to be, and so Charlie is going to step up for us and rally the group. The defensive staff will rally around Charlie and put together a great plan. I got a lot of confidence in the room and a lot of confidence in our staff to do that."
Bowen, and now perhaps several soon-to-be unrestricted free agents on Big Blue's roster, won't be in East Rutherford in 2026. And, like it's been for the last nine games they've played, the Giants' loss could be a potential Cowboys win.
Cowboys Could Target Cor'Dale Flott After Giants Fire Shane Bowen
If the Giants don't plan on keeping many pieces from this current era, cornerback Cor'Dale Flott could be someone the team mutually parts ways with, especially after Bowen's departure. Familiarity facilitates free agent signings, but it also facilitates departures when a well-liked coach is shown the door. Besides, New York's next DC might not view Flott as a proper fit.
At just 24, Flott has plenty of football ahead of him. Good football. Flott owns a career-best 73.3 Pro Football Focus coverage grade playing on the outside this season. He's also averaging career lows in completion rate (51.9%), missed tackle percentage (13.5%), and passer rating (64.1) while amassing a personal-high seven pass break-ups. For reference, he had as many swatted passes in 2023 and 2024 combined.
It's easy to see how a potential Flott signing would conveniently fill a need if the team moves on from Trevon Diggs this offseason. Diggs has been a health question mark all season, and his high salary has hamstrung the team as he's been at home collecting paychecks. With Flott on their side, the Cowboys could free up $15.5 million in cap space by cutting or trading Diggs after June 1, per Spotrac, and that much can be used to help flesh out the rest of the roster.
In a vacuum, you don't swap out Diggs for Flott. The NFL isn't in a vacuum, though, and owner/general manager Jerry Jones isn't going to keep paying for subpar value on a contract that's making him look bad right now.
In the end, Bowen's firing could be a win for the Cowboys if they do the right thing and target Flott in March.