Instant Grade: Did Giants' Signing of DL Sam Roberts Add Quality Depth?

The long wait for the New York Giants to do something to bolster their defensive front is finally over with the addition of newly signed defensive tackle Sam Roberts.

Roberts, a former sixth-round pick out of Northwest Missouri State in 2022, signed a one-year deal with the Giants, the details of which have yet to be released.

Still, the move follows a quiet first two weeks of NFL free agency for the defensive line, with no new additions or in-house re-signings, such as Rakeem Nunez-Roches or DJ Davidson.

The rest of the unit mainly consists of edge rushers or inexperienced players who still need development to become effective gap stuffers. The Giants were also missing a backup with substantial nose tackle experience for Dexter Lawrence.

Roberts has spent four years with the Patriots, Panthers, and Falcons. He was a standout in college, earning small school defensive player of the year honors as a senior in 2021.

His production at the professional level hasn't been particularly impressive, with 26 total tackles, 2 quarterback hits, and 1 sack in that span. Yet, he has a semblance of experience playing from the nose tackle spot (99 snaps) and offers some flexibility to shift over to the 3- and 5-techniques if needed.

The one area where Roberts's presence will benefit the Giants is run defense, where the veteran has posted PFF run-defense grades above 70.7 in each of the last two seasons.

He is coming off a career-high 12 tackles. including five stops, against the run in 2025, and only missed two whole tackles across 126 total run defense snaps.

It needs no extra mention that the Giants' defense was the league's worst at stopping the run last season, allowing an average of 5.3 yards per carry and the second-most yards per game. Tackling was the biggest factor in that struggle, and the impact was felt at all three levels of the defense.

Roberts' extra bit of upside could come through serving as a rusher on special teams, particularly field goal attempts, where he spent some time protecting kicks for his three previous franchises.

Currently, Roberts backs up Dexter Lawrence II at nose tackle, but his role could change after the draft and training camp, where Elijah Chatman could also compete for the position.

Roberts is a low-cost signing to address a clear need on the defensive front.

On the other hand, his resume doesn't jump off the page, meaning he'd really have to step up his game in order to make a bigger impact for New York should he make the 53-man roster in 2026.

Grade: C

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