Why This 330-Pound Undrafted Powerhouse Faces an 'Impossible' Climb to the Giants' Roster

It's harder to envision an interior defensive group that is harder for a rookie undrafted free agent to make than the one here with the New York Giants.

The group is a healthy mix of older, established veterans who can be relied upon to do specific jobs and younger veterans with a few years in who are fighting for second contracts and continued relevancy in the game.

They also have young talent trying to prove they deserve a legitimate spot on a 53-man roster.

That is what Ben Barten is up against when training camp opens up. That's what makes claiming a spot on a 53-man roster for this team nearly impossible in 2026. He's not the only one in this predicament.

It will be difficult for any of the 2026 rookie defensive tackles, like sixth-round picks Bobby Jameson-Travis or fellow undrafted free agent Anquin Barnes, to make this team.

In the new world of college football, Barton is a rare player who spends all four seasons with one team. In 2024, he broke through to become a full-time starter.

That season, he finished with 22 tackles (including 11 solo tackles), which set him up for an even more prosperous 2025. That loyalty and ability to stick with it and improve where he was will definitely help him as he navigates this uphill climb to be a part of the Giants' active roster.

BEN BARTEN, DT

Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 330 lbs.
Exp.: R
School: Wisconsin
How Acquired: UDFA-26

2025 in Review

During his final season at Wisconsin, he started all 12 games and played 360 snaps on the defensive line. He recorded career highs with 24 tackles, 13 solo tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss.

He tallied three tackles versus Michigan and Ohio State and recorded a career-high eight tackles and a sack versus Oregon.

Those performances against elite competition surely opened scouts' eyes to his potential as a run stuffer. He also finished his final season on the Academic All-Big Ten team for the fourth straight year.

Barton also announced his intentions to be a factor in the NFL by completing 33 bench press reps at the Wisconsin Pro Day. That number would have finished second among all participants in the 2026 NFL Combine.

That type of power, mixed with his size, made him a more attractive option for teams looking for run-stopping defensive tackles.

Contract/Cap Info

According to Spotrac, Barten signed a three-year, $3.10 million contract with the New York Giants. This included $2,500, of which was a signing bonus.

He will earn an average salary of $1.034 million over the three seasons. This season, his base salary will be $885,000 with a cap hit of $885,000 and a dead cap number of $2,500. If he makes it to the third season of the contract, he will earn $1.16 million.

2026 Preview

The challenges for Barten going into the 2026 training camp are simple: Will he be able to find enough reps to impress the coaches and decision-makers enough to give him a shot to make the 53-man roster?

Before we ever get to any of the veterans on the defensive line (and there are a multitude of them), his immediate competition will be trying to stand out over Bobby Jameson Travis, the Giants' sixth-round pick out of Auburn, and Anquin Barnes, the behemoth from Colorado.

Whatever reps he receives, it will be important for him to beat those two before he can move on to the veterans.

It's almost like playing career mode on a video game: he has different levels he must conquer before he can move to the next level. The progression will be the rookies, the young veterans, and then the final bosses (the older veterans with established roles on the team).

If you're thinking short-term, then Barton will likely not be a factor on this team. There are a lot of capable men in the trenches on this defense.

However, there is a really good chance that he could end up on the practice squad, where he can continue to develop and hone his craft.

We do not know how healthy the older guys in the trenches are, but if they go, Deal Barten can be ready. If the season turns into a wash and the team just knows what he has, he can find himself a way on the field.

In 2027, when many of the players who are on one-year deals go back into the free agent pool, he will be there to take aim at claiming one of the open defensive tackle spots.

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