The New York Giants made their first official signing since the news that John Harbaugh has agreed to terms to be the next head coach of this storied franchise.
The move was announced on the evening of January 22, as the NFL transaction notice informed media members that the Giants inked former Pittsburgh Steelers draft pick DeMarvin Leal to a reserve/future contract.
Along with the notice, NFL insider Ari Meirov relayed the addition on X, stating: “The Giants have signed former Steelers third-round DE DeMarvin Leal to a futures contract.”
New Giants Signing DeMarvin Leal Fell Out of Favor With Steelers
GettyFormer Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher DeMarvin Leal (#98) has signed with the New York Giants.
Harbaugh likely knows Leal well, considering his recent history studying the Steelers’ organization inside and out.
The former third-round pass rusher never had the impact that Pittsburgh expected out of the draft, and he eventually fell out of favor with former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Selected in 2022, Leal appeared in a total of 23 regular season games over his first two seasons, followed by just 9 appearances in 2024 and 2025 combined.
Over the course of his entire NFL career, ESPN has credited Leal with 1.0 sack, 1 block, 5 defensive “stuffs,” and 4 passes defended. He also recorded 35 total tackles.
Despite Leal’s lack of impact at the professional level, he did show flashes throughout both college and the NFL preseason. Leal logged 8.5 sacks during his final campaign at Texas A&M in 2021, and he managed 3.0 sacks and 8 QB hits over 12 preseason outings, too.
To be blunt, Leal’s problem in Pittsburgh was his size and fit within Tomlin’s scheme. At 6-foot-4, the former third-rounder is a bit of a tweener who has been tried out at both outside linebacker and defensive end.
The Giants ran a 3-4 scheme in recent years, which is what Harbaugh’s defenses tend to deploy. It’s no coincidence that the Steelers utilized a 3-4 system under Tomlin, too, so Leal could get a shot at both OLB and DE in New York as well.
Of course, that could mean that he’ll run into the same issues here as he did in Pittsburgh, but Big Blue has elected to take a look anyway.
What to Make of Giants’ Reserve/Future Contract News
In case you need a refresher, Pro Football Network states that a reserve/future contract is a “contract that secures an NFL player to a team for the future.” These signings do not count against the salary cap or roster restrictions until the start of the new league year in March.
Once a player agrees to a reserve/future contract, as Leal did, they are unable to negotiate with other teams unless they’re released by the organization.
So, in essence, this deal secures Leal a spot on the Giants’ initial 90-man roster for 2026, until he’s told otherwise.
The Giants have no shortage of pass rushers, but you can never have too much depth at a premium position like EDGE.
As of January 22, the G-Men are led by Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Abdul Carter and Chauncey Golston at this position. Leal will join 2025 UDFA Trace Ford, among others, as he helps Harbaugh fill in the organizational depth behind their top four.
It’ll be interesting to see what the news Giants’ head coach does with a disappointing former first-round pick like Thibodeaux, who is set to play out his fifth-year option in 2026.
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