How DJ Reader and a ‘Positionless’ Scheme Will Reshape the Giants’ Defense

With the New York Giants making their latest offseason splash by signing veteran free-agent defensive tackle DJ Reader on Tuesday, new questions have emerged about their defensive front after the team added several players to the unit following the Dexter Lawrence trade.

The answer is there is no answer. Outside of Reader and sixth-round draft pick Bobby Jamison-Travis, both of whom are pure nose tackles, the Giants' other defensive linemen are versatile enough to play multiple positions, thereby giving new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, who aims to run a “positionless defense,” a variety of options on any given play.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the more options Wilson has, the more he can keep opponents off balance.

That said, let’s take a look at where each of the key members of the defensive line room can do and where they project to contribute the most.

Projected Starters

Defensive tackle Shelby Harris projects as the Giants' starting 3-tech. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

There is no debate that Reader, a 10-year veteran standing 6-foot-3 and tipping the scales at 330 pounds, will take command of the interior where Dexter Lawrence once ruled, Reader lining up as the nose tackle.

Shelby Harris, signed last week, projects as the starting 3-tech defensive lineman, where, like Reader, he can provide some pass-rushing pressure in certain packages. Harris, 6-foot-2 and 288 pounds, can give the Giants snaps at the nose as well, but he is clearly better suited to play defensive tackle.

Worth noting here is that Harris and Reader will not be every-down players. Harris has typically played no more than 60% of the defensive snaps during his career, and over the last three seasons, he has topped out at 59%.

The reader has been in the same boat, topping out around 60% of snaps, with the last two seasons seeing him take 53% of the defensive snaps.

Projected Depth

Jun 18, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Darius Alexander (91) participates in a drill during minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

This is where the competition is going to really heat up for this unit, as many of the backups will probably see a healthy amount of snaps this spring and summer. And Leki Fotu and Darius Alexander, who will both headline the reserves of the depth chart.

Alexander, the Giants' third-round selection in last year's draft, was unfortunately one of the duller first-year stories on the defensive side of the ball. He appeared in 16 games but finished with the worst defensive grade (42.9) and an 18.2% missed tackle rate despite logging 3.5 sacks.

Those rookie numbers were not indicative of the run stopper that Alexander was in his final season at Toledo, when he had one of the best run defense grades in the nation. The Giants are hoping to see a change of scheme and, working with Wilson's staff, potentially change the direction of his career so that he can spell Harris.

Fotu is likely going to compete with Bobby Jamison-Travis, the Giants' sixth-round pick out of Auburn, to spell Reader. While Fotu can also give the team snaps at the 3-tech, he is better suited for the nose tackle role.

Despite being a sixth-round draft pick this year, Jamison-Travis isn’t a lock to make the 53-man roster, though if he has a strong summer and preseason playing at nose tackle, that can obviously change everything.

If we were to map out the depth chart right now, our best guess is that Jamison-Travis heads to the practice squad for a year and Fotu lands as the backup nose tackle. But again, that’s why teams go through training camp and the preseason.

On the Bubble

New York Giants defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Elijah Chatman, who two years ago went from being an invited tryout player to earning a roster spot, feels like an early odd man out. Chatman, 6-foot and 278 pounds, has been a nice story, but he lacks the ideal size for an interior defensive lineman that Harbaugh seems to be favoring.

Could the Giants send him to the practice squad, where, in addition to offering emergency depth on the defensive line, he can also serve as an unofficial backup to Patrick Ricard at fullback? Sure. But it depends on what other needs develop that warrant using the practice squad spots.

Sam Roberts, much like Harris, can give a team snaps at nose tackle and 3-tech as well as lining up as a 5-tech in a 3-4 alignment. Roberts, who was added to the roster during the height of free agency, right now projects as one of the odd men out, given the recent additions made by the team at the back end of free agency.

Roy Robertson-Harris, a 2024 free agent signing, is another guy who, while he should be safe for a roster spot, isn’t a lock. Robertson-Harris started all 17 games last season, the first year of his two-year deal, but his impact was far from superior.

He posted a 51.8 defensive grade in 627 snaps, generated zero sacks, and held a 13.5% missed tackle rate for his five straight years, with a double-digit number in that statistic.

Still, Robertson-Harris’s versatility in being able to play defensive end (5-tech and defensive end in a 3-4 front) and 3-tech gives him a chance of sticking with the team, though not necessarily as a starter, as was the case last year.

That raises a question regarding finances. Robertson-Harris has a $5.75 million cap hit this year, which includes a $3.5 million base salary. Of that, $1 million is guaranteed for the coming season. If the Giants trim Robertson-Harris from the roster, they would save $3.35 million on their cap, which isn’t a bad chunk of change.

Zacch Pickens, claimed off waivers earlier this week, is a 3-tech defensive lineman whose best chance to stick would be to show a consistent ability to penetrate into the backfield, something he really hasn’t shown himself capable of doing since being drafted in the third round of the 2023 draft by the Bears.

Pickens, in our estimation, is a long shot for the 53-man roster, though the Giants are smart to see if maybe they can develop him to where he becomes a viable option as a 3-tech at a later date.

What about Chauncey Golston?

New York Giants defensive end Chauncey Golston | John Jones-Imagn Images

Many fans are wondering what role, if any, Chauncey Golston, whom the Giants signed last year in free agency to a 3-year, $19.5 million deal, fits into the defensive line equation after he appeared in just 10 games, including one start, last season due to injuries.

Before attempting to address that, let’s look at Golston’s contract. He enters the second year of his three-year pact and has a cap hit of $6.917 million, of which his $5.25 million base salary is guaranteed. That alone sends a strong signal that he will be on the roster.

The question is where? Again, Wilson is planning a positionless defense, so the more a guy can do at different positions–and he’d of course have to do it well–the better.

Golston has mainly been an edge rusher who can work from both sides, but he can also move inside in certain packages.

He can play with his hand in the dirt or as a standup rusher, so we look for him to be used in multiple ways in that regard as part of that “position-less” defense Wilson is putting together.

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