Giants Defensive Grades: Front Seven Shines, Secondary Struggles in Win Over Cowboys

Here are our grades for the New York Giants defense and special teams.

Defensive Line

D.J. Reader

Playing in his 11th NFL season, Reader was the better of the nose tackles who played the position this week, showing up especially well against short yardage.

Reader contributed with two tackles while holding his gap well and consistently. He won’t be winning any foot races out there, but the defense’s middle didn’t seem as soft as in years past.

We suspect a fair amount of this week’s run defense success (69 yards) was the crash-downs that the edge players were making in pursuit, which, combined with the solid play of the inside players, resulted in the positive numbers.

C.J. Okoye

Getting rotation snaps over the nose, the massive Okoye may be too tall at 6-foot-6. He also lacks the quickness to make a big impact inside.

At times, he took up space without giving up much ground.

He was also too easily handled by solo-blocking at times. Okoye looks like a decent rotation piece when the more physical offenses come to town.

He was able to get his hand in on one of this week’s tackles. His pass rush, as expected, was negligible.

Shelby Harris

Getting a start at defensive end, Harris seemed too caught up in the muck and was knocked around a bit too easily out there.

He was able to stay on his feet and maintain some gap integrity, but the ball never came his way.

This 35-year-old had one of his better statistical NFL seasons last year in Cleveland, and was slowed this summer by what we believe (based on the injury report) to be a knee injury, so it may take a while for him to round into shape.

Darius Alexander

Also finding himself too easily by solo blocking between the tackles, Alexander’s big body did take up some space, but it was invariably several yards downfield.

He also did not find the ball at all. Still, he didn’t seem completely overwhelmed by the solid Dallas interior blockers, as he settled into a rotation role that must include a stronger commitment to playing a physical game.

Chauncey Golston

This tall, slippery pass rusher was able to disrupt a handful of pockets with his ability to work his way up the field and affect several of tonight’s throws.

Though his pass rushes never quite got home, he contributed with three total tackles and also drew a big holding penalty on a short-yardage run, turning a 3rd-and-1 into a 3rd-and-11.

The versatile Golston also lined up inside as part of the defense’s NASCAR pass-rush package. He is quietly a big part of this defense in everything he does.

Outside Linebackers

Brian Burns

The team’s veteran outside linebacker contributed with several pass rushes and hits on the quarterback, while being the most effective edge player disrupting the inside run.

One of Burns’ big-time rushes came lining up inside where he took advantage of the guard to blast the quarterback.

Prescott is one of the toughest quarterbacks to sack in the league, so the paucity of sacks tonight did not particularly reflect the success of the Giants’ pass rush.

Still, Burns crashed the pocket on a couple of occasions and played the run well throughout. He finished with two total tackles plus a ton of presence.

Abdul Carter

Carter drew one hands-to-the-face penalty and should have drawn a couple of edge holds with his electric edge attacks.

Still, he did get his hands on the quarterback that forced a throwaway on a naked bootleg that Carter’s great athleticism has apparently taken out of the opposing team’s playbooks.

His change of direction is amazing, even when he is fooled. Carter drew a ton of pass-blocking help, and recorded two run-game tackles as well as a checkdown tackle in contain.

We liked how he was throwing his body around out there, and he’ll get even better as he gains experience.

Kayvon Thibodeaux

Missing several sacks in the backfield, Thibodeaux’s pass rush was slow to arrive but relentless. His pursuit of Prescott at the end of the first half led to the interception that gave the Giants a halftime lead.

Thibodeaux contributed with two run game tackles; he played hard and showed hustle, and his close downs from the edge were some of the more physical and effective crashes of the night.

Inside Linebackers

Tremaine Edmunds

Getting his first snaps in a Giants uniform—Edmunds did not play at all in preseason—the eight-year veteran looked the part calling the signals from his inside linebacker spot, and in fact led the defense with eight total tackles.

His lone flash play came in the flat near the goal line where he read a play-action throw to a tight end and wrestled him down well short of the goal line.

Otherwise, Edmunds did well to position himself in the proper gaps and clog up the inside running lanes, which helped limit the Dallas offense to a paltry 69 rushing yards.

His pass coverage seemed adequate, though he didn’t affect any midfield throws with his above-average (for his position) height.

Arvell Reese

Finishing his first NFL game with five solo tackles, what impressed us most about Reese’s performance was his open-field tackling ability, a skill often tied to a player’s combination of physicality and athleticism.

Reese appears to have plenty of both. At times tonight, he showed a good feel for getting into creases and disrupting things between the tackles, but he also got lost in the scrum much too often.

It’s part of the job to stay home and absorb things, but we would eventually like to see Reese attacking things in space.

He made one nice read of a checkdown that led to a 5-yard loss, but on a similar play later in the game he totally blew his assignment and allowed a too-easy touchdown.

It seemed as if Reese’s mind had hit a wall on that play. It was a good mistake to make in a Giants win, something to be learned from.

Cornerbacks

Greg Newsome II

Getting a start, Newsome did not have a great game. He committed a blatant pass interference on an underthrown deep ball to receiver George Pickens for a 38-yard penalty. Another deep ball beat him to Pickens, who fortunately dropped the throw.

Newsome also missed a couple of tackles, and came up to hit a big running back and got the worst of it, having to leave the field to be evaluated for a head injury.

Though he did return, Newsome doesn't have the bulk to play a tough-guy role; the team needs to keep him on the field because it lacks reliable cover corners.

This corner group will have a big target on their backs moving forward if this week’s results are to be believed.

Deonte Banks

Getting the other start, Banks was probably the best of the Giants’ corners if you can overlook his good early run contain. But the whiff on the tackle when he was schooled by receiver CeeDee Lamb from 1 yard out for a touchdown (albeit with a subtle push off) is hard to ignore.

Banks actually got credit for 4 tackles, and he was certainly more involved in the game than he’s been the last two years. He was credited for two passes defensed thanks to tight coverage.

He also helped hold Lamb to 5 catches for 44 yards by keeping everything in front of him. All in all, that’s a productive day.

Banks had to leave in the second half with leg cramps, but he did return to the game.

Colton Hood

Stepping in when injuries hit the cornerback corps in the second half, Hood was immediately challenged with a deep pattern to Pickens.

To his credit, the young cornerback blanketed the veteran and should have drawn an offensive interference call from him.

Hood also missed a tackle on a short completion in front of him, but acquitted himself well in these limited snaps.

Paulson Adebo

Getting some snaps in a backup role, Adebo looked snail-like in his movement when the Cowboys schemed CeeDee Lamb against him in the red zone on a 3rd-and-12.

Adebo retreated into the end zone and seemed content to allow Lamb an easy completion at the 2-yard line.

Adebo’s break on Lamb’s pattern was slower than molasses. Later on, he did cover Lamb deep on a go pattern, Adebo apparently content to keep everything in front of him.

However, he seemed painfully stiff in his movements.

Dru Phillips

The biggest bull’s-eye target in coverage on this team belongs to Phillips, and that’s not a good thing.

After an early, spectacular read of an inside handoff where Phillips defeated blocking and made a solo tackle for no gain at the line of scrimmage, he proceeded to get torched in coverage by the talented Dallas wideouts.

Dallas found him time and again in coverage, and Phillips drew three pass interference calls on him. Phillips was overmatched on each of them, reminding us of Darnay Holmes, who couldn’t stop grabbing receivers.

How can this defense hide Phillips out there given his coverage struggles? It’s a big problem, and one that doesn’t have an easy solution, but if Phillips can’t cover, he can’t be out there, no matter how many plays he makes near the line of scrimmage.

Safeties

Jevon Holland

If Holland doesn't make that spectacular interception at the end of the first half, our grade for him would be a total negative.

He missed a chance for several very makeable tackles in run support on the edges, and he committed an idiotic personal foul in the fourth quarter that stopped the clock for a trailing Dallas offense, not to mention the 15 yards.

While the interception was as big a play as the defense made, we are concerned about Holland’s missed tackle opportunities and his overall lack of great speed.

Still, he appears to be the defense’s best deep safety, and he fulfills that role adequately. He finished with two tackles on the sheet.

Tyler Nubin

Nubin played the entire game as mostly a deep safety whose deep coverage was oddly missing on the two deep balls to Pickens, whose talent is primarily tracking the deep ball.

The team’s corners need all the help that they can get from their safeties, and we’re still waiting on Nubin to make some plays in these deep help coverages.

Of course, we don’t know the coverages or the calls, but we’ve been watching Nubin for two years now as a starter, and we’re still waiting to see a playmaker.

We suspect the issue is a lack of stop-and-go and top-end speed in Nubin’s movement. He finished with three tackles, as he’s always been solid playing downhill, but the deep coverages remain a mystery.

Special Teams

Jordan Stout

The Giants’ big special teams addition this off-season, who had a very impressive preseason, was limited to one lonely punt today thanks to the amazing efficiency of the team’s offense.

Stout’s 46-yard punt was not fielded by the Dallas return man and was downed inside the 20.

All of Stout’s extra point holds were uniformly efficient.

Dominic Zvada

This rookie UDFA, who won the kicking job this summer, got to kick in his first NFL regular-season game, and he did not disappoint.

Zvada nailed all four of his extra points, while also nailing every one of his kickoffs directionally and at or near the goal line, helping his coverage team frustrate Dallas’ dangerous return man into middling returns to the 28, 22, 32, 25, and 26-yard lines.

That’s above-average production on kickoffs these days.

Ben Mann

The team’s other rookie UDFA did all of the deep-snapping without incident.

Braxton Berrios

Elevated from the practice squad, Berrios fair-caught both of his punt returns and played on all of the kickoff returns, primarily as a blocker.

However, Berrios did return the Giants’ final kickoff to the 28-yard line, a solid result.

He also did well to allow a deep kickoff to land inside the end zone for a touchback, giving the offense fine field position at the 35-yard line.

Deonte Banks

Banks actually produced a dangerous kickoff return out to the 41-yard line, but a holding call negated it.

On his only other return, he muffed the catch, but still managed a return to the 26.

Elijah Campbell

Campbell was flagged for holding on the Giants' initial kickoff return of the night, negating a big return. Campbell was also a starting gunner this week.

Zaire Barnes

One of the team’s special teams leaders, Barnes got in on one of the kickoff return tackles and was around the ball on several others.

Malik Harrison

Elevated from the practice squad, this big-bodied veteran got in on two of the kickoff tackles and also downed the team’s lone punt inside the 20-yard line.

Colton Hood

One of this week’s gunners, Hood drew a low block on an edge boundary contain coverage, which drew a big penalty on the Cowboys.

Chauncey Golston

This multi-faceted player continues to show up in the most unexpected places, including on one of this week’s kickoff coverages where he made a tackle.

Paulson Adebo

Playing kickoff contain coverage, Adebo got credit for a tackle when he ran the Dallas returner out of bounds.

Ar’Darius Washington

This veteran off-season signing got credit for one of this week’s kickoff coverages with a physical contain.

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