New York Giants Training Camp 2025 Preview: DT Roy Robertson-Harris

Will the versatile defensive lineman emerge as the starter next to Dexter Lawrence on the inside?

NY Giants DLRoy Robertson-Harris | Anne-Marie Caruso/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The overall defensive production of the New York Giants was very underwhelming in 2024, but the run defense was especially disappointing. 

Whenever the run defense suffers, people look to the defensive line, and for good reason. Even before Dexter Lawrence II went out for the season, the defensive line was not as effective as it had been in the past. 

As a result, the front office hit the free agent streets and picked up eight-year veteran Roy Robertson-Harris to help patch up their leaky run defense. 

Robertson-Harris has spent his eight seasons in the league with three teams: the Bears, Jaguars, and Seahawks. 

He started his career in Chicago, where he played defensive end for four seasons. In his first two seasons, he was strictly a rotational player, but in his last two seasons, he made 13 starts for the Bears. 

He finished his time in the Windy City with 75 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 30 quarterback hits. 

He signed with the Jaguars as a free agent. He made 47 starts over his first three seasons in Jacksonville. In the first two, he played defensive end, and in the third, he began to play more on the interior to add dynamics to the interior pass rush. 

In those three seasons, he collected 116 tackles, 65 solo stops, 14 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks. He also added an impressive 28 quarterback hits.

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Roy Robertson-Harris, DT

Height: 6-5
Weight: 290 lbs.
Exp: 9
School: Texas El Paso
How Acquired: FA-'25

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2024 in Review

Robertson-Harris played for two different teams in 2024. He spent the first six weeks with the Jacksonville Jaguars as their defensive tackle. 

He started the first two games of the season. He only recorded a quarterback hit in the first game, but in the second game, he produced well. He finished with three total tackles, two solo stops, and a tackle for loss. 

In Week 4, he had two solo tackles and a sack. He also had two QB hits. In Week 6, he recorded his second sack of the season before they decided to trade him to Seattle for a sixth-round pick. 

In Seattle, he played primarily as a defensive end for the Seahawks, who continued to bolster their run defense. 

In his first game for Seattle, he recorded five tackles against the Atlanta Falcons in only 37% of the defensive snaps. 

He finished the remainder of the season with 13 total snaps in his limited role. He also took on a regular role on the special teams. 

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NY Giants Contract/Cap Info

Roy Robertson-Harris signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the New York Giants, which included a $2.8 million signing bonus and $5.3 million in guaranteed salary. That is an average annual salary of $4.5 million. 

In 2025, Robertson-Harris will earn a base salary of $1.5 million (fully guaranteed) and will receive a workout bonus of $100,000 and up to $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses.

His cap hit is $3.5 million, which is roughly 1.2% of the Giants’ total salary cap for 2025. Interestingly, he has a $1 million guaranteed salary for 2026, which suggests that the team doesn’t view him as a one-and-done contract.

2025 Preview

Robertson-Harris was one of four moves made on the defensive line this offseason. He was signed this offseason to help bolster the team's run defense. 

He brings a level of position flexibility they seemed to be lacking in 2024. He will immediately bring a more consistent performer on the interior. 

What he brings will not be fancy, and it may not always show up in the stat box, but the impact should be felt. 

The fun part of training camp will be finding out how the defensive brain trust plans on using all of its new acquisitions. 

Will they try to employ a balanced attack, or will they use the training camp to let all of the players battle it out for their slots in the depth chart? 

If it is a battle, Robertson-Harris has the best chance to secure the spot next to Dexter Lawrence. He primarily played on the inside in Jacksonville with two elite edge rushers on the field. 

He will further separate himself if he can show the ability to be effective at defensive end as well.