3 Things the Giants' Defensive Line Must Fix in 2026

Having multiple options for a position group is both a blessing and a curse, and the New York Giants are about to find out which one they have regarding their defensive line when they report to training camp at The Greenbrier in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia, a week from Tuesday.

The defensive line is one of two units (inside linebacker being the other) that will have a completely different look in the new season, this due to the Achilles injury suffered by Roy Robertson-Harris in May that will likely keep him out for the majority of the season and the trading of an unhappy Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals prior to the draft.

The Giants, in addressing the unit, have taken more of a committee approach, with versatile veterans like Darius Alexander, Leki Fotu, Shelby Harris, Sam Roberts, and Zacch Pickens competing to pair with DJ Reader and rookie Bobby Jamison-Travis.

Regardless of who ends up on the roster, the Giants' defensive front needs to zoom in on addressing the following sagging stats from a year ago if this team is to be improved in 2026.

Run Defense

The lowest of the low-hanging fruit, the Giants' run defense has been simply abysmal not just last year, but over the last several years.

In fact, the last time the Giants run defense did NOT rank in the bottom third of the league dates back to the 2020 season, when the unit allowed 111.4 rushing yards per game and finished tenth.

But let’s stick with last year. The Giants run defense finished 31st in average rushing yards per game (145.3), just slightly ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals, who allowed 147.1 yards per game.

The Giants also allowed an average of 5.3 rushing yards per play, the worst mark in the NFL.

In an advanced stat called “Expected Points Contributed by the Rushing Defense,” the Giants were the undisputed worst team with a -80.06 metric.

Nov 16, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) runs the ball against New York Giants defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris (95) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There is no one specific reason why the Giants' run defense was so bad, but one thing that comes to mind is missed tackles that led to leaky yards.

Per data compiled from Pro Football Focus, New York allowed an average of 1.95 rushing yards before contact (worst in the league) and 3.36 average rushing yards after contact, the second-worst mark in the league.

The previous defensive scheme prioritized aggression, and that frequently backfired, resulting in missed tackles and exposed gaps.

When combined with the linebackers not doing their job consistently, opponents often ran for chunks of yards, particularly up the middle where the Giants gave up an average of 4.45 yards up the gut (26th) per official league stats.

The evidence is glaring enough: the run defense has to be Priorities 1, 2, and 3 if this Giants team is to turn its misfortunes around.

Converting Pressures to Sacks

The Giants have been quietly building one of the best pass-rushing units in the league with Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Abdul Carter, and now rookie Arvell Reese.

But for those guys to really wreak havoc, the Giants' defensive front needs to be able to push the pocket, forcing opposing offensive lines to devote more resources to double-teaming the big guys up front so that the pass rushers can shoot gaps and collect the sacks.

Last year, the Giants’ 39 team sacks ranked 17th in the league, matching their quarterback pressure rate of 34.1%, per NFL+.

With better and more consistent pressure up front, the Giants' pass rush, which will be playing under a more aggressive type of scheme, has the talent to soar into the top five league-wide in 2026.

Consistent Rotational Depth

Will the New York Giants set up a defensive line rotation that will not have the drop off it did whenever Dexter Lawrence was not on the field? | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Every NFL team wants to have solid rotational depth to keep its defensive front fresh. And while it’s not impossible to have quantity at the position, quality has been another story for the Giants of late.

Witness what happened when Lawrence, who was clearly head and shoulders above any of the Giants’ defensive linemen on the roster the last few years, was not on the field. Opposing offenses used the opportunity to go straight after whoever was put in Lawrence’s spot, often with success.

The numbers tell the story. From 2024-2025, when Lawrence was not on the field, opponents averaged more yards per play (6.0 to 5.5), a higher third-down conversion rate (42.7% to 38.8%) and a better average net yards per attempt (7.8 to 6.3).

The Giants, as previously noted, have moved more toward a committee approach that should give defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson far more options to mix and match his alignments up front.

Whether the approach is more successful hinges on which combination of linemen make the roster and if they can gel together in their various personnel package assignments.

Prior “Three Things” Entries

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