The New York Giants don’t seem like they have a whole lot figured out — it’s what happens when you’ve been this bad for this long. Not everybody realizes who’s in charge, even if you bring in a Super Bowl-winning head coach like the Giants did with John Harbaugh.
That’s why there was some confusion when the Giants’ 1st unofficial defensive depth chart dropped on Wednesday – mainly at 1 of the starting edge rusher positions, where Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux were both listed as “or” starters opposite NFL All-Pro Brian Burns.
“Don’t get the ‘OR’ at OLB,” The Athletic’s Dan Duggan wrote on his official X account on Wednesday. “Abdul Carter has only taken first-team reps. Kayvon Thibodeaux has been with the 2’s. He only works with the 1’s on passing downs.”
OK, maybe it’s not as confusing as it sounds. It appears the Giants have more faith in Thibodeaux on passing downs than Carter, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and are facing some serious problems with playing time.
You know what edge rushers like to do? Rush the passer. Know where they can’t do it from? The sideline.
Kayvon Thibodeaux Long-Rumored Trade Bait
If you want to understand how the Giants ran their franchise into the ground over the last decade, 1 position group’s story arc stands out from the rest.
That position is edge rusher, where the Giants have used a Top 5 pick twice in the last 6 seasons and, in that same stretch, traded for 1 of the NFL’s elite edge rushers in Burns.
The problem in 2026 is that they’re all still on the roster. That includes the 1st player to join the Giants in that group, 2022 No. 5 overall pick Thibodeaux, who has seemed like a prime trade candidate since the Giants drafted Carter.
With Thibodeaux headed into another season with the Giants, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan put him at the top of his list of NFL players with the “most on the line” in 2026 — and a major motivation to play well.
“The Giants listened to trade calls on Thibodeaux this offseason, but elected to keep the No. 5 pick from the 2022 draft when the offers were underwhelming,” Duggan wrote on July 20. “Thibodeaux was available because the Giants traded for Brian Burns in 2024 and drafted Abdul Carter in 2025. Thibodeaux is set to earn $14.75 million on his fifth-year option as a backup. Though he won’t start, Thibodeaux will have opportunities to rush the passer. If he produces an 11.5-sack season as he did in 2023, a monster payday awaits. If he struggles in a reduced role, he could be headed for a prove-it deal in free agency.”
Best Trade Offer Revealed by Giants Reporter
Duggan recently revealed not only were the Giants receiving offers for Thibodeaux, a former No. 5 overall pick, but exactly what those offers were and why the franchise didn’t bite.
“The Giants took trade calls on Thibodeaux this offseason, but they were never looking to give him away, so they kept him when the best offer was a fourth-round pick,” Duggan wrote. “It seems likely Thibodeaux will be elsewhere next year based on the Giants’ investment in Burns and Carter. But the Steelers showed this offseason a team can pay three edge rushers when they gave third edge rusher Nick Herbig a four-year, $100 million extension. The Steelers are already paying TJ Watt ($41 million per year) and Alex Highsmith ($17 million per year). The Giants have some wiggle room if they want to commit to Thibodeaux, since Carter can’t be extended until after the 2027 season while Burns is signed through 2028.”
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Giants Cause Confusion With Defensive Depth Chart appeared first on HEAVY.