These Four Giants Moves Ranked Among Offseason's Best by ESPN

Throughout the NFL offseason, it's been challenging to find football minds outside who don't seem to have more doubts than reasons for optimism with the newest rendition of the New York Giants roster taking shape in 2025.

Respectfully, we can understand why the franchise has been the subject of endless negative media coverage, despite its vast improvements since the end of its disappointing 3-14 campaign.

Over the past few seasons, the team has been one of the least talented locker rooms in the league. That issue was especially evident last season, when the few key members of the organization went down with untimely ailments, leaving the Giants with severely limited depth to compete with the best teams on their schedule.

More than any other year during their tenures, general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll were under pressure to make this roster different.

They knew it had to be a much more capable group on both sides that could make plays and win games, and they strived to find answers through veterans and draft picks alike.

After a week of practices at the Giants’ training camp in East Rutherford, it's fair to say that there have been a bunch of positive showings from several of their new additions to the roster, ones that have handed early credence to the duo and their overall plan for a turnaround they must achieve this season.

A new analysis by ESPN even went as far as to pinpoint four separate moves by the Giants as being among the game’s top 50 most impactful offseason moves across the NFL: labeling the draft selection of Abdul Carter (10), Jaxson Dart (46), and free agent signings of Jevon Holland (24) and Russell Wilson (44) within their distinguished list.

New York Giants outside linebacker Abdul Carter is one of the players standing out at training camp. — Giants Head Coach, Brian Daboll is shown beside New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter (51), Sunday, July 27, 2025, in East Rutherford. | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"The rookie has the physical tools to play a disruptive role early this season in coordinator Shane Bowen's defense," NFL writer Matt Bowen said about Carter as the Giants' lone top 10 move.

"With the off-the-ball quickness to attack offensive tackles and the lower-body flexibility to run the arc, Carter is poised to make plays opposite Brian Burns. He has game-wrecking potential after 12 sacks and 61 pressures in his final college season."

It is no surprise that Carter was placed as high as he was atop the biggest moves around the entire league. The Giants began their offseason by staking their claim behind their defensive line, which would boast a crew of potent pass rushers and sturdy gap stuffers, and Carter is already showing he can dominate in both realms at camp.

Even though the full pads only went on Monday, Carter has been busy making highlight reel plays in different offense versus defense drills, including consistently pushing back opposing linemen and getting right to the quarterback with his arsenal of athletic swim moves.

The remainder of the summer brings the fun yet creative task for defensive coordinator Shane Bowen of figuring out packages that can make the most of Carter's skillset alongside Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, both of whom held 14 of the Giants' 45 total sacks last season.

It remains to be seen how much time the rookie gets on the outside, but he could see the same amount of reps on the interior to account for Thibodeaux's involvement in what is an important season for the veteran.

The addition of Holland on the back end of the defense will hopefully help increase the Giants' chances of creating turnovers in coverage after they only tallied five interceptions, the second-lowest total in the NFL.

Holland, who came over from Miami, will help out in that goal after he has forced 10 turnovers in his pro career and mimics the same ball instincts as Xavier McKinney once displayed in the secondary.

What will remain the most heavily paid dynamic throughout the rest of the franchise's practices before the regular season is that of Russell Wilson and Jaxson Dart.

Wilson has certainly flashed his ability to quickly execute the offense and thread the pigskin downfield with his staple moonballs. Still, there is a wait to see how his age holds up under live pressure and the Giants' questionable offensive front.

Wilson has one of the brightest collections of receiving targets in his 14-year career and has done a stellar job protecting the football from drive-stunting turnovers. Still, if his leadership doesn't produce enough results on the scoreboard, it won't be long before the regime faces pressure to switch him out for the more athletic version in Dart.

Looking at it more broadly, the results have been pretty promising from the first days of camp, and the Giants can turn things around with these new pieces highlighted on ESPN's list. With a working plan for the present and future, the Giants seem to finally be earning some positive recognition amidst a proven offseason of retooling their roster.

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