The New York Giants have done a good job of addressing their roster weakness throughout free agency.
Every major hole was filled with at least a stopgap option, particularly along the offensive line, at wide receiver, and at cornerback.
Daniel Faalele, Darnell Mooney, and Greg Newsome are hardly long-term options at their respective positions. But they should be fine for at least 2026.
One position the Giants don’t need any reinforcements at is edge rusher. They have reigning All-Pro Brian Burns, last year’s No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter, and former first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, all culminating in arguably the deepest group of pass rushers in the league.
New York wouldn’t look to add another in the 2026 NFL Draft, would they?
Giants Given ‘Surprising Need’ at Pass Rusher
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine says not so fast, the New York Giants may need some depth at edge, but not because of the way the room is currently constructed.
Instead, he cites Giants insider Jordan Raanan’s report that league executives expect the Giants to move on from Thibodeaux at some point this offseason, and that they’ll need someone behind Burns and Carter to serve in a rotational role.
“The actual reason to draft an edge-rusher is Thibodeaux’s contract situation. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported in early March that league execs expected the Giants to trade Thibodeaux sometime this offseason. He’s set to become a free agent this season and will likely price himself out of New York,” wrote Ballentine.
“As good as Burns and Carter are, Thibodeaux still played 72 percent of the defensive snaps. Drafting any of these three pass-rushing specialists would give the Giants a dynamic third rusher and facilitate a Thibodeaux trade elsewhere.”
A Thibodeaux trade makes a lot of sense for New York. Yes, they’ll be weakening a strength on their roster by moving on from the former No. 5 overall pick, but the return and cap space he clears may make it worth it.
According to Over the Cap, the Giants have roughly $6.5 million to work with, which isn’t enough to sign their incoming draft class.
Trading Thibodeaux clears $14.75 million off their books, which is money that they certainly need.
Who Could Giants Draft to Replace Kayvon Thibodeaux?
Ballentine listed three mid-round options for the New York Giants to target in the 2026 NFL Draft: Illinois’ Gabe Jacas, Oklahoma’s R Mason Thomas, and Michigan’s Derrick Moore.
All three players are projected to be selected on Day 2, either in the second or third rounds of the draft, and the Giants currently don’t have a third-round pick. They used their’s to trade up for Jaxson Dart last April.
Even after a hypothetical Thibodeaux trade, I would find it hard to believe that the Giants would use their two top picks on an edge rusher.
They have far more important holes to address with long-term options like offensive line, wide receiver, and cornerback, as previously mentioned.
But taking a dart throw on Day 3 would certainly be worth their while. After all, who’s going to be on the field when Burns or Carter goes down with an injury?
Either way, New York would be wise to get some insurance at pass rusher, with or without a possible Thibodeaux trade.
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