John Harbaugh is hiring another familiar face who has coached an MVP quarterback onto the Giants’ offensive staff.
Greg Roman, Harbaugh’s former Ravens offensive coordinator in Baltimore, is joining the Giants as a senior offensive assistant under new coordinator Matt Nagy.
Roman, 53, who was born in Atlantic City, is expected to coordinate the run game as a complement to Nagy’s passing scheme that has its roots with future Hall of Fame Chiefs coach Andy Reid.
That should give Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart plenty to be excited about.
Roman was Lamar Jackson’s offensive coordinator during the dual-threat QB’s 2019 MVP season, when he scored 43 total TDs (36 passing, seven rushing) and threw only six interceptions.
Roman did have to resign from Harbaugh’s Baltimore staff in 2022 when the Ravens’ offense sputtered. And his playcalling wore out its welcome with the Los Angeles Chargers in only two years.
L.A. lost a regular season road game to the Giants because Roman leaned too heavily into Justin Herbert and the passing game and away from the run. And he was fired after the Chargers’ 16-3 playoff loss to the New England Patriots in January.
But league sources view a run game coordinator role in New York as a solid fit for him and for Nagy. The news of Roman’s hiring was reported by The Athletic.
This is also a good hire for Harbaugh in recruiting a trusted longtime Ravens assistant to join him with the Giants.
The new head coach is turning over the staff, but fewer former Baltimore assistants than expected have followed him, including presumed Giants OC Todd Monken getting the Cleveland Browns head coaching job instead at the 11th hour.
So it’s nice to hire a familiar face, and one whose expertise should be a good match for the quarterback.
