Joe Schoen and Dennis Hickey are taking their eight-year game of musical chairs from Miami to Buffalo to East Rutherford.
The Giants are hiring Hickey as assistant director of player personnel, according to a source. It’s the latest move in what will be weeks of remaking the personnel department to the liking of Schoen, the first-year general manager.
Eight years ago, Hickey was the one sitting in the big chair as Dolphins general manager. Only four months into that job, Hickey promoted Schoen from assistant director of college scouting — a job he held for one season after five as a national scout — to director of player personnel.
Now that Schoen is in charge, he wanted Hickey in a similar role to his old one. Hickey slots in under senior vice president of player personnel Chris Mara and director of player personnel Tim McDonnell, but he fills an important role given his history as a GM.
Mara, McDonnell and assistant general manager Brandon Brown have never had that experience. Senior vice president of football operations and strategy Kevin Abrams served as the Giants interim general manager to close out the 2017 season.
The Dolphins went 13-18 during Hickey’s two-year tenure, which included inheriting head coach Joe Philbin.
The Giants previously had co-directors of player personnel, but Mark Koncz, who followed general manager Dave Gettleman from the Panthers, was let go in February.
For the last five seasons, Schoen was assistant general manager and Hickey was a senior college scout for the Bills. Hickey’s addition to the Giants was first reported by Inside the League.
The Giants hired a new area scout — Rye native Scott Hamel — last week. Hamel spent five seasons with the Bears. The next key role to fill was opened by the firing of scouting director Chris Pettit.