The New York Giants have made a couple of major changes this offseason, starting with bringing in John Harbaugh as their new head coach. Most of the rest of the changes came on the defensive side of the ball, as the Giants traded star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 pick, which eventually became Francis Mauigoa.
Naturally, the Giants are starting to rebuild their defensive line after losing Lawrence in the trade. While New York is loaded at edge rusher, it still can use a lot of help on the interior. The Giants addressed that on Wednesday, signing both Shelby Harris and Leki Fotu.
Veteran defensive lineman DJ Reader has been linked to the Giants as a potential option on the inside as well, and that is still the case even after the Giants made those signings, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
“My understanding is the Giants are still very much in the mix for DT DJ Reader…. But, they have real competition for him,” Schultz reported on X, formerly Twitter. “The signings of Shelby Harris and Leki Fotu today won’t have an impact on the Giants’ pursuit of Reader.”
Reader may not be what he one was during his prime years, but he would still be a solid, experienced rotation piece for a Giants team that is already loaded on the edge. Reader has played 10 seasons for three teams, the Texans, Bengals and Lions, and has been very productive across those stops. For his career, he has 12.5 sacks and 27 tackles for loss.
The Giants are hoping that they can be the fourth team on that list, and that Reader can continue being a stout player on the inside for them. If Reader does end up coming to New York, the Giants will have one of the most talented defensive lines in football with Arvell Reese, Abdul Carter and Brian Burns on the edge. In year one under Harbaugh, that could be the key to being a feisty team in the NFC East.
The New York Giants have made a couple of major changes this offseason, starting with bringing in John Harbaugh as their new head coach. Most of the rest of the changes came on the defensive side of the ball, as the Giants traded star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No.