The Good, The Great, and The Ugly: What Shelby Harris Brings to the Giants' Remade D-Line

Now that the 2026 NFL draft is over and the undrafted free agent market has settled, the New York Giants turned their attention to continuing to fill their needs on the interior defensive line. They signed former Raiders, Broncos, Seahawks, and most recently Browns defensive lineman Shelby Harris.

The 6-foot-2, 288-pound defensive tackle will be 35 years old when the season begins and seems to signal that the Giants will not try to replace former defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence with a primary piece, but will instead look to strengthen their overall defensive line with a platoon-like approach.

Harris provides the defense with a versatile defender who can play multiple positions and is stout against the run, even if he is not the best pass rusher.

Let’s take a look at the good, the great, and the ugly of the Giants' newest interior defender.

The Good: Pass Deflections

The Good of new #NYGiants defensive tackle Shelby Harris is the ability to get his hands on passes. 4 last season, 40 in 9 seasons! 👀 pic.twitter.com/2nuJYhxsXG
— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) April 29, 2026

If you are a defensive lineman who doesn't get to the quarterback often, you'd better know how to get your hands up and disrupt passes.

That is something Harris has proven to be great at over his career. He has deflected 40 passes over the past nine seasons of his career, which is an average of 4.4 per season.

In 2019 and 2020, he recorded consecutive seasons of nine and seven batted passes, and in three of his past four seasons, he has had four or more passes deflected.

What makes this even more impressive is that Harris is not a tall defender. He does have longer arms for a lineman of his size, and he combines that with uncanny timing to get his hands on passes.

The Great: Versatile Run Stuffer

The Great of new #NYGiants defensive tackle Shelby Harris is his versatility as a run defender. pic.twitter.com/0wZqJCddgm
— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) April 29, 2026

Despite his age and size, Harris has carved out a role in the NFL thanks to his ability to be stout against the run. He uses his long arms to control linemen and detach to make plays.

His low center of gravity and strong hands allow him to reset the line of scrimmage and kill his opponent's momentum before they can gain leverage or climb to the second level.

In 2025, he earned a 64.4 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked him 28th at his position.

As an interior defensive lineman, his versatility helps him stay on the field. He has the athleticism to be a three-technique in a 4-3 front.

He can play as a five-technique end in 3-4 systems. You can even kick him inside as a one-technique on obvious passing downs or situational run downs if you are looking for someone with a little more oomph to occupy multiple blockers.

The Ugly: Lack of Pass Rushing Depth and Chase

The Ugly of new #NYGiants defensive tackle Shelby Harris is his lack of pass rushing depth and ability to chase. This is not the 2019-2021 Harris. pic.twitter.com/uv1oSxQz7x
— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) April 29, 2026

Harris is one of the best at batting passes down; the question becomes why, and the answer is that he does not get to the quarterback often enough.

Most times, if he is not able to gain penetration with his initial move, there is no counter; he just settles into pushing back the blocker as much as he can and trying to get his hands in passing lanes.

The pressure the Giants will be missing with no Lawrence is palpable. If he can get on a blocker’s shoulder, he can turn them and penetrate, but if there is the smallest resistance to forward movement, his rush is dead.

It is probably where he has suffered the most in the second half of his twenties. It could be Father Time doing what he does best. This is not the 2019-2021 version of Harris.

Coach’s Corner

Harris is a good signing, but he does not solve the problem or fill the hole. Harris does not seem to be a full-time starter anymore; that likely takes more than he can give for four quarters, but he is a good piece.

Will they primarily use him as a nose? I am not sure he will hold up there consistently, which could lead to more bodies on the linebackers than the Giants want.

Where he could really show value is as a defensive end in the 30-front against the run or if they reduce to a 3-tech. That is the best way to employ him, then you can use him situationally as needed.

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