Unpredictable. Dynamic. Decisive. Unapologetic.

Those are the four pillars on which Dennard Wilson will build the New York Football Giants' defense.

"We're going to be playing nasty," the coordinator said on the first day of the offseason workout program. "We're going to play physical. We're going to play violent. We're going to live on the edge, play on the edge, but we're not going to hurt the team. We're going to be suffocating to the point we impose our wills on people. The players are going to buy into that mindset. It all starts from a mindset. We're going to play the New York brand of football, and that's violent defense."

Football proves time and time again that things are easier said than done.

Wilson inherits a defense that finished 28^th in yards and 26^th in scoring last season. Maybe worst of all, in the eyes of John Harbaugh, the Giants allowed a league-high 5.31 yards per carry.

The coach with 193 total victories under his belt, including a Super Bowl title, said last week at the NFL Annual Meeting that he can live with a Tee Higgins or Ja'Marr Chase winning a 50-50 ball occasionally. But he will not tolerate that.

"They run the ball for four yards, they run the ball for five yards, that is the end of the world," Harbaugh said. "That's a disaster. If it breaks out past that we can't even breathe."

The directive led to the signing of linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, a two-time Pro Bowl selection who will quarterback the defense. Edmunds has started 129 games in the NFL, including 10 in the postseason, but is still only 27 years old.

"First of all, I think you got to have a very good middle linebacker, very good linebackers in order to play this game, whether it's in the pass game or stopping the run," Wilson said. "One of our big objectives this year is to stop the run. But when you watch Tremaine play, first of all he's a 6-4 guy with length. When he comes downhill, he presses and separates. He makes a lot of plays at the line of scrimmage. He's an athletic guy that can run the ball down sideline to sideline. He plays with a high motor. He can defend in the middle of the defense, especially in the pass game, especially with what we do the Mike linebacker plays between the hashes a lot. Then he can get in windows."

Wilson and his staff have begun installing the defense with the players back in the building for the offseason workout program.

On the edge, he is eager to work with Brian Burns, who made his third Pro Bowl after a career-high 16.5 sacks in 2025, and Abdul Carter, who showed why he was the No. 3 overall pick down the stretch of his rookie season.

"First of all, both of the young men, they love football, OK?" Wilson said. "They are problems in terms of the pass-rush. It's hard for people to block them. Why? They're explosive off the ball. They can win on the edge. They have length. They can play underneath guys. They have numerous tools in their tool bag. Once you overplay them, they can counter.

"I loved the energy and effort [on the first day]. They were so attentive in the room, talking about the style of ball, how we're going to play up front, the violence in which we're going to play in, the way we're going to build a wall and set violent edges to make teams run in a phone booth, how we're going to play vertical knock-back, how we're going to crush and close, these guys can do it all. Plus, they add the versatility, you can move them around."

Wilson, like Harbaugh, was asked to address the 340-pound lineman not in the room.

"Obviously Dexter is a great player in the National Football League," Wilson told the media. "I love the way he plays. I love the style that he plays. He's a big man, anchors this defense. It's part of the business right now. Everything right now is voluntary. The CBA says he doesn't need to be here right now. We'll see how things play itself out. Hopefully everything works out in our favor, but hey, I love Dexter. We have a good relationship. Communicated with him weeks ago and we'll see how things play itself out."

"We'll find out," Harbaugh said. "I think the prospects are going to be high. The Giants, speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here. I believe Dexter wants to be here. That's a good formula. But there's business involved. It's a business proposition. We know it's pro football. These things happen every year pretty much on every team. Not surprised by it. Saw it coming a few weeks back probably."

The Giants will kick off the 2026 season in roughly five months, holding the hope of ending where one of Wilson's mentors (and Harbaugh's mentees) did this past February.

Mike Macdonald, head coach of the defending champion Seahawks, was the Ravens' defensive coordinator during Wilson's lone season in Baltimore. He was defensive backs coach at the time before becoming a coordinator himself with Tennessee the following season.

"Mike had a collaborative approach," Wilson said. "I was fortunate enough to go to Baltimore for a year. Mike, his superpower is listening. He listens to his coaches but he has a direction in which he wants to go. If you watch Seattle play, they win up front. They have a very good secondary. Their secondary played in sync, in unison. Up front, they were able to dominate."

Wilson added: "We're trying to go in that direction. We're going to be multiple in what we do. We're going to pressure. We'll get guys in situations, we're going to pressure just like he does. I think he's done a very good job of just playing good situational football and having the right pieces to execute what he's trying to do."