An Overview of the New York Giants Defense
New York did a respectable job of putting pressure on the quarterback in 2024. Their 45 sacks were tied for eighth in the league. Unfortunately for Giants fans, everything else about this defense was hard to watch. Only the Browns intercepted fewer passes, so even with ten fumble recoveries, New York was 28th in turnovers. The pass defense allowed a 69.4% completion rate, which ranked 30th, and they were 29th in yards per attempt. The only thing that made the pass defense look good was a run defense that was 27th in yards and tied for 26th in yards per carry.
This unit was heavily impacted by injuries down the stretch. While they had some good players, the lack of depth hurt them. The organization was aggressive in free agency, signing five defenders who should contribute, including two or three starters. Then they used two of their first three draft picks on edge Abdul Carter and tackle Darius Alexander. There are still some thin spots, but on paper, this unit looks like it should perform much better in 2025.
New York Giants Defensive Linemen
With the selection of Abdul Carter third overall and the signing of Chauncey Golston in free agency, the Giants are both strong and deep at the edge position. Carter is expected to start opposite last year's free agent gem, Brian Burns, with Golston and Kayvon Thibodeaux rotating regularly to keep everyone fresh.
Carter was the consensus number one edge defender in this year's draft. He is an elite talent with exceptional quickness, power, and an arsenal of moves that includes a spin that often leaves offensive linemen blocking air. He is strong at the point of attack and has the skillset and motor to light up the stat sheet like a pinball machine. Carter passes all of the tests with an emphasis on college production. While he put up good numbers in all three seasons at Penn State, his 2024 was eye-catching to the tune of 43-25-12 with 2 forced fumbles, 4 batted passes, and a conference-leading 24 tackles for loss. Edge defenders often start slowly in their rookie seasons. Carter is the kind of player who can hit the ground at full speed and have a huge rookie year.
Brian Burns is a model of year-to-year consistency and will be an excellent bookend. He has recorded between 7.5 and 8.5 sacks in five of his six seasons, with a career mark of 12.5 in 2022. Burns has at least 31 solo stops and 19 assists in each of the last five seasons, with career highs of 41 and 29 after joining the Giants last year. He has 2 or 3 turnovers in five of those seasons, with 21 career batted passes, including a career high of eight last year. Burns was a bit short of elite status over his five seasons in Carolina. The Giants seemed to bring out his best with a top-five in 2024. I need to see double-digit sacks before putting him on the elite tier, but Burns is a solid number one for IDP managers.
With Burns and 2022 fifth overall pick, Kayvon Thibodeaux, on the roster, the selection of Carter was a bit surprising to some. If you look hard, however, it all makes good sense. The team lost Azeez Ojulari to free agency, so they needed a third man. Thibodeaux has 11 sacks in 2023 and can get it done as a pass rusher, but he struggles versus the run at times. The move could ruin what fantasy value he had, but it makes good sense for the team.
Chauncey Golston spent his first three seasons in a backup role for Dallas. Injuries forced them to lean on him as a starter for much of last season. Golston stepped up, playing well versus the run while contributing five sacks. How much action he sees this year could depend on whether the Gians run a three or four-man rotation. That said, it would come as no surprise to see Golston line up as an outside tackle in some situations. The last time they won a Super Bowl, this team was known for putting four edge defenders on the field in many passing situations. No matter how you spin it, though, Golston is unlikely to be fantasy relevant.
The Giants have a rare commodity in nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II: a wide body space eater who can get after the passer at 340 pounds. Lawrence has at least two sacks in each of his six seasons. When he reached seven in 2022, we shrugged it off as an outlier, and it was, at least until he put up nine in 2024. Lawrence now has 20 sacks over the last three seasons. It's time to accept the fact that he's just good. A closer look at last year reminds us that all nine of his sacks came in the first seven games. When a dislocated elbow ended his season in week 13, Lawrence was the fifth-ranked interior lineman, averaging nine points per game. He might not reach double-digit sacks in 2025, but it is a safe bet that Lawrence will be a top-twelve tackle and a quality number one starter for us.
Rakeem Nuñez-Roches and free agent addition Roy Robertson-Harris are penciled in as the starters at the outside tackle spots. They could be pushed by, and will likely end up sharing time with rookie Darius Alexander and veteran addition Jeremiah Ledbetter. The three veterans are all solid, dependable players who will help their team but will not do much to help ours. Alexander, however, is worth keeping an eye on. He's a little raw but has a strong motor and upside as an interior pass rusher.
- Edge Brian Burns – Quality Edge-1 with top five potential
- Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux – Marginal IDP value
- Edge Abdul Carter – Huge long-term potential, and it may not take long to get there
- Edge Chauncey Golston – Marginal impact expected
- DT Dexter Lawrence II – Solid DT1 with top-five potential
- DT Rakeem Nuñez-Roches – No fantasy impact
- DT Roy Robertson-Harris – No fantasy impact
- DT Jeremiah Ledbetter - No fantasy impact
- DT D.J. Davidson – No impact
- DT Darius Alexander – Dynasty sleeper