Steve Spagnuolo is returning to the New York Giants to serve as their defensive coordinator, the team announced Thursday.

The Giants also hired former St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Tim Walton as their cornerbacks coach.

The 55-year-old Spagnuolo takes over for Perry Fewell, who was fired last week after serving five seasons as defensive coordinator. The Giants missed the playoffs with a 6-10 record in 2014 and finished 29th in the NFL in total defense.

Spagnuolo was the Giants’ defensive coordinator from 2007 to 2008 when they won Super Bowl XLII.

“I was hoping to take the next step, God willing, and be a coordinator again. I’m ecstatic that it’s with (head coach) Tom Coughlin,” Spagnuolo said. “Tom is the highest-character guy I know. The feeling I have is one of excitement. We’re going to work our butts off, and hopefully we will do great things together.”

During the past week, the Giants interviewed former Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach and current Washington Redskins defensive backs coach Raheem Morris, and former Giants linebacker Pepper Johnson.

“We spoke to a lot of very good candidates,” Coughlin said. “The energy, enthusiasm and strong personality that we saw before in Steve Spagnuolo, all of that was very evident again. His desire to be a Giant again was very, very obvious.”

After leaving the Giants, Spagnuolo was the head coach of the St. Louis Rams and defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints. He was with the Baltimore Ravens for the past two years as a defensive assistant.