Even though some would argue that the New York Giants have neglected to invest heavily in the middle of the defense with a difference-making middle linebacker, they are hoping that one of their former players, Antonio Pierce, can help shape the players currently manning the position.

The way the Giants plan to do this is by having Pierce join the coaching staff as an intern, as was reported by Art Stapleton of The Record on Friday.

While the Giants had one of the best defenses in the NFL in 2016, some pundits around the league argue the linebacker corps could use some upgrading and that the unit would benefit greatly if they invested in a middle linebacker.

One of the players Pierce has already begun to help is the guy that could be taking the majority of the snaps at middle linebacker, B.J. Goodson.

“He’s always dropping advice and knowledge on me. He drops a lot of knowledge on me. So it isn’t one particular thing that I could tell you that he does, but he’s always telling me whether it’s formation recognition or any little thing,” said Goodson on Friday at OTAs. “The details, he’s always on me about the details, but he does a great job of helping me and really appreciate it.”

Even though the Giants linebackers played well in 2016 (more than they get credit for), Pierce will be brought on to help show them how to improve in several aspects of their game.

Although players regularly visit their former team’s locker room, Pierce joining the staff could have been hinted at on Wednesday when he posted a video to Twitter showing the pictures of legendary Giants linebackers in the position’s meeting room.

The Giants likely put those pictures there to further motivate the current group of linebackers that man the middle of the field for the defense.

The Giants are hoping their defense can be just as strong, if not stronger, than it was in 2016, and one of the ways they feel they can do so is by bringing in Pierce, who has already started to help some of the younger linebackers.