NFL

Fewell returning to Giants after missing on Washington gig

Perry Fewell, the Giants’ defensive coordinator, will not be leaving to join an NFC East rival.

Fewell had interviewed for the Redskins head coaching job, but on Thursday the gig went to Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden.

Fewell was considered a long-shot to replace the fired Mike Shanahan as head coach in Washington, and thus he will return for a fifth year running the Giants defense. After a terrible start — the Giants defense was ranked near the bottom of the league through six games — Fewell’s crew showed dramatic improvement and finished as the No. 8 defense in the NFL.

Gruden was in demand. He interviewed with the Redskins on Wednesday and was scheduled to meet with the Vikings on Thursday after an earlier interview with the Titans. It will be the first NFL head coaching gig for Gruden, the younger brother of former NFL head coach and current ESPN analyst Jon Gruden. He previously been a head coach in Arena Football and the UFL.