The 3 Broken Metrics Dennard Wilson Must Demolish to Save the Giants' Defense

Last season, no one unit on the New York Giants was more disappointing than the defense.

We know about the multiple blown leads in the fourth quarter and the run defense, but perhaps what was most frustrating of all about the Giants' defense was that the play never matched the talent level.

Part of that was clearly a scheme, and part of it was due to the talent's construction. Talent-wise, the most notable struggle for the Giants was their heavy reliance on former defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, who, despite still being one of the top defensive linemen in the league, couldn’t do it all by himself during his time here.

The Giants put an emphasis on fixing all that for the coming year, adding talent across the defense's three levels.

DJ Reader will replace Lawrence’s gap-stuffing production. Tremaine Edmunds will shore up the second level of the defense, replacing Bobby Okereke. And the Giants added cornerbacks Colton Hood and Greg Newsome to compete with Deonte Banks for the job vacancy that opened when Cor’Dale Flott signed with Tennessee.

It all promises to come together nicely if everyone stays healthy, but there are still a few things that need to be prioritized if this defense is to truly reach top-10 status.

Run Defense

Nov 23, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) tries to break a tackle by New York Giants safety Jevon Holland (8) in the fourth quarter at Ford Field. b | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Regardless of who the Giants had on the field, the run defense was still one of the biggest problems.

The Giants finished 31st against the run, allowing 145.3 yards per game to opponents.

Per NFL+, the Giants also gave up 75 runs of 10+ yards, the most in the league, while ranking 15th in stuff percentage (16.3%). By season’s end, the run defense had posted a rushing yards over expected metric of +635, the league’s worst mark.

The main problem with the run defense was on rushing attempts between the tackles. The Giants were the most frequently attacked run defense, with opponents choosing to run inside the tackles at a 47.3% rate, the highest in the NFL.

Stats aside, the inability to stop rushing attacks on first and second down pretty much nullified the use of the pass rush, as opponents facing short yardage had the option to run or pass, leaving the undermanned Giants defense even more vulnerable.

Given that background, is it any wonder why Harbaugh very early on in the roster-building season declared stopping the run a “must”?

"It's a must thing; I can tell you that. There's a lot to it. There are three levels and layers to your defense, and all three layers and levels have got to be committed to and incorporated to stop the run, no doubt,” he told reporters during the combine back in February.

“Every single one of the 11 guys has got to be committed to stopping the run. You can't let people run all over you; there's no doubt about it. It's been important in football since football started."

Turnovers

New York Giants linebacker Darius Muasau (53) is shown on the grid iron after coming close to completing an interception against the Commanders, Sunday, December 14, 2025. | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Giants' defense didn’t do their counterparts on offense many favors when it came to flipping the field via turnovers.

Overall, the Giants finished with a -2 turnover ratio, 18th in the league. They had nine interceptions, tied for the fifth-fewest in the league, and six fumble recoveries.

In terms of setting up scoring drives, the Giants managed eight touchdowns and three field goals off their turnovers, with eight of their turnovers coming in enemy territory.

The takeaway here is that the Giants' defense wasn’t as opportunistic as it could have been, which is speaking the hard truth, and it’s something that defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson is looking to change through unpredictability, aggressiveness, and dynamics.

“We're going to game plan. We're going to have detailed and educated pressures. Then we are going to be unapologetic in our approach,” he said in characterizing his defense.

“We're going to be suffocating to the point where we impose our will on people. The players are going to buy into that mindset. It all starts from a mindset. We're going to play the New York brand of football, and that's violent defense.”

And if all that results in more takeaways, even better.

Red Zone /Scoring

A key measurement for defenses is situational football, and when it came to one of the most important situational football categories, the Giants' defense fell way short.

We’re talking red zone deference, where Big Blue’s opponents allowed a 63.16% conversion rate to opponents, 25th in the league.

And speaking of scoring, New York’s opponents averaged 25.8 points per game last season, which was the seventh-worst mark in the league.

Why were these two areas so bad? Chalk part of it up to the inability to stop the run, the play-calling, and a banged-up defensive secondary.

The good news is that with Dennard Wilson in as the defensive coordinator, the Giants' defensive play calling probably won’t be anywhere near as predictable as it was, especially down in the red zone, where the previous iteration of the defense rarely disguised what it was trying to do, thereby handing scoring opportunities to opponents on a silver platter.

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