NY Giants OLB Abdul Carter: The Good, Great, and Ugly from Rookie's NFL Debut

Where did the Giants pass rush phenom excel in his first game of his career?

Aug 16, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter (51) reacts to a play against the New York Jets during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

It was a difficult Week 1for the New York Giants as they were beaten soundly by the Washington Commanders, 21-6. 

There were several aspects that fans questioned about the performance. Still, one thing that seems to have people miffed is why Abdul Carter, the third overall pick in this year’s draft, only played 38 snaps while Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux played 47 and 52, respectively. 

Head coach Bran Daboll, when asked about the discrepancy, pointed out that Carter was on the punt block team, which gave the rookie 43 total snaps.

“We want to keep those guys as fresh as we can,” the head coach said.

“I think they did a pretty good job relative to the roles. There are a couple of things we can improve on in that area, but those three guys are going to play a lot. Try to balance out the numbers the best job you can so they can be as fresh as they can be.” 

Many believe that Carter is a special talent and needs to be on the field for more snaps. While he had some splash plays in his official NFL debut that made you believe he can be one of the elites in the game, he also had plays that showed he still has a lot to learn if he wants to be a complete defensive player and not simply a specialist. 

We reviewed every snap of Carter's from Week 1 and sifted through the good, the great, and the ugly of the Giants’ top 2025 selection in his first regular-season game.

The Good: Position Flexibility

New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter | John Jones-Imagn Images

One of the things we are always excited about with defensive players is when they show their position flexibility. The ability to play effectively in multiple positions is a skill that not every player possesses. 

There are edge rushers who can only be effective on one side of the ball. Some guys struggle to operate effectively either standing up or off the ball, and there are certainly not a lot of edge rushers who can line up inside and rush the quarterback. 

The Good of Abdul Carter against the Commanders, his versatility! pic.twitter.com/cliuMJnICY

— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) September 9, 2025

Carter touched all of these bases in his first game. As a pass rusher, he poses all types of threats because he can be moved around. It makes it difficult for offensive coordinators to game-plan for him and impossible for offensive linemen to account for him. Quarterbacks must have their heads on a swivel the entire game, looking for him. This is an advantage as a pass rusher.

The Great: Ability to Get Around Blockers

New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter | John Jones-Imagn Images

The greatest trait Carter flashed during this game against Washington was his ability to get around blockers in pass-rushing situations. He has elite creativity, which allows him to use his athleticism to get around blockers. 

In the first game, he utilized several moves to get past offensive linemen on the edge and on the interior. 

He used a swim move to get past a tight end and tackle on the same play. His spin move enabled him to slip past a guard on an interior rush while he was lined up at defensive tackle. 

The great for Abdul Carter against Washington. Good ability to get by blockers in the pass rush. pic.twitter.com/oRpKUpJIJJ

— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) September 9, 2025

He has tremendous bend and great explosiveness, which allows him to contort his body around blockers. He used that ability to contort and explode around him to slip around the Commanders center. 

His dip and rip moves are already elite, and those moves were working for him when he used them against Washington.

The Ugly: Combatting Aggressive Blocking

New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll speaks with New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As a pass rusher, Carter is an aggressive force that uses his skillset to win in one-on-one situations. As a run defender, he excels when he can utilize his athletic abilities to chase backs down or pursue at various angles. 

The issues begin when he is met with force. When a lineman brings him the violence,  he pauses for a moment. It is almost as if he is trying to figure out how to combat it. 

The Ugly of Abdul Carter against Washington was how he worked against aggressive blocking. pic.twitter.com/E8zHfk426v

— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) September 9, 2025

He has seemingly mastered how to handle blockers when they are retreating or simply in a fixed position, but he has not figured out what to do when they bring the fight to him. 

This is normal for most pass rush specialists, and we saw it in this game. It seems pretty simple for blockers to wall him off or push him out of his lane. 

Clearly, the Commanders had their way with the Giants on the ground. However, a closer look at Carter’s snaps reveals why he's not likely to receive more snaps overall just yet. This is an area he will need to improve in.

Coach's Corner

New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter | John Jones-Imagn Images

When you break down Carter's snap count, he had 24 snaps where he was applying pressure in the pass rush. That was on par with both Burns (26) and Thibodeaux (28). He also had three snaps where he played in coverage. 

All of those should have been pass rushes as well, but it was one more snap than Burns and two more than Thibodeaux. 

The difference came in run defense, where Burns recorded eight more snaps and Thibodeaux recorded 12 more. This clearly points to an area that the coaching staff believes Carter either needs to improve in or that they do not want him to get worn down doing. 

Right now, his world should be all about pass rushing. Even with fewer snaps, he could be more effective. When he improves against that run block aggression, he will receive more snaps.

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