The New York Giants ended up in a pretty desperate place on the interior defensive line this offseason after trading NFL All-Pro Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals, and 17-game starter Roy Robertson-Harris tore his Achilles tendon during offseason workouts.
The Giants, to their credit, spent zero time licking their wounds or feeling bad for themselves. Instead, they went out and signed free-agent defensive tackle D.J. Reader to a 2-year, $12.5 million contract — a move that Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay called the NFL’s best “free agent steal” of 2026.
“The New York Giants made the bold decision to move on from Dexter Lawrence this offseason,” Kay wrote on August 12. “While there aren’t many players who can seamlessly replace the star defensive tackle, the G-Men helped ease the blow by signing D.J. Reader. Reader linked up with Big Blue on a two-year, $12.5 million deal, fair value for a grizzled nose tackle with a decade of NFL experience. The veteran is entering an age-32 season and has some history of injury, but he’s been healthy for the better part of the past three years and stands to be a pivotal piece in the defensive trenches in 2026. If New York fields a quality rush defense for the first time in over a half-decade, Reader will be a big reason for this improvement.”
Giants May Have Broken Rules Over Reader
The Giants may still face punishment from the NFL after what appears to be an attempt to circumvent the compensatory draft pick selection that comes with signing an unrestricted free agent.
The Giants would be in trouble if the NFL can prove they leaked a story about having a deal in place for Reader before the 2026 NFL Draft.
“I wonder how the (NFL competition committee would look at this,” Over the Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald wrote on his official X account. “Leaking that they have a deal and are looking to avoid comp consequences may be a mistake. Sometimes if the league feels a deal is agreed to before the cutoff date but the sides delay to game the system they will consider it a UFA signing.”
Ravens Fined $100K Over Injury Report in 2025
Harbaugh was fired after 18 seasons with the Ravens and almost immediately hired by the Giants on a reported 5-year, $100 million contract.
If the Giants are truly found to have violated the rules of the competition committee, it would be the 2nd time in the last year a team coached by Harbaugh has played it loose and fast with NFL rules.
In 2025, the NFL fined the Baltimore Ravens $100,000 after a weeklong investigation into how 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson was listed on the injury report before a Week 8 game against the Chicago Bears.
“The NFL has fined the Ravens $100,000 for violating the league’s Injury Report Policy by incorrectly listing quarterback Lamar Jackson’s practice participation status on Friday, October 24, the league confirmed today,” NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account on October 31. ” … The Ravens fully cooperated with the investigation, which the league determined was the result of negligence and not an attempt to gain a competitive advantage. If the investigation had determined the violation was intentional or competitive in nature, the discipline would have been more significant, including the potential loss of draft picks.”
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