Entering the season, the New York Giants appeared to have one of the strongest edge defender rooms with Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Additionally, questions about whether the Giants would move fifth overall pick Arvell Reese to edge after the 2026 NFL Draft surfaced, which would have likely led to New York trading Thibodeaux. Instead, New York opted to remain with Reese at the linebacker position and have Thibodeaux as a rotational player.
Unfortunately, plans quickly changed as Brian Burns suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3. That has led to Thibodeaux having an expanded role. Despite this, the former first-round selection has not yet registered a sack and continues to struggle to put up the same production he did during his 11.5-sack season in 2023.
However, head coach John Harbaugh came to the defense of the Giants pass rusher.
New York Giants Head Coach John Harbaugh Defends Kayvon Thibodeaux
During Wednesday’s press conference, before the New York Giants take on the New Orleans Saints, Harbaugh said of Thibodeaux, “I think you guys are underestimating what Kayvon’s bringing to the table. The plays that he’s making and the contribution he’s making. Everybody wants to talk about stats. Stats are important. They’re production. That’s a big thing. But the tape is what tells the story. I think if you study the tape, you’ll see a lot of really good plays. A lot of very physical plays and a lot of good football plays. And production will come off of that.”
Head coach John Harbaugh then brought up an example of a strong play by Thibodeaux that was not reflected on the stat sheet, as he mentioned his effort to disrupt Washington’s final play of the game, which led to the tie. Harbaugh said, “Pretty darn good play. That’s not in the stat sheet, though, is it? He took that throw away, and the quarterback decided to tuck it and ended up tying us the game. So, that was a great football play. And there were other plays like that. So, I would say he’s playing very well.”
Thibodeaux’s Future on the New York Giants
While it is a positive sign to see the team’s head coach stand up for Thibodeaux, at some point the team would likely hope production follows.
The New York Giants will have to make multiple choices regarding Thibodeaux during the upcoming months. The Giants will have to decide whether to trade him, as he’s been in trade rumors since the 2026 NFL Draft, or whether to allow the talented player to hit free agency.
After Week 4, NFL insider Jason La Canfora reported that there had been some trade buzz around Thibodeaux, as he wrote: “Thibodeaux has been the subject of trade talks across multiple front-office regimes, though New York needs all the help it can get defensively with its offense decimated by injuries.
The question is whether the Giants want to pay the former top pick roughly $15 million in 2027—and whether rookie Abdul Carter can adequately replace him.”
After Harbaugh’s comments, and the important role Thibodeaux plays on the team, a potential trade appears unlikely unless things go south quickly for the Giants.
Giants HC John Harbaugh Doesn’t Hold Back on Kayvon Thibodeaux