The New York Giants have completely overhauled their defensive tackle room following the Dexter Lawrence trade news, and the recent NFL free agency additions will no doubt spark cut rumors in the coming weeks and months.
One player who profiles as a clear hot-seat candidate ahead of minicamp is 2025 starter Roy Robertson-Harris.
The soon-to-be 33-year-old Robertson-Harris was brought in last offseason to play next to Lawrence, and that’s what he did, starting all 17 games. However, despite his durability, he didn’t have much of an impact on the field.
Robertson-Harris recorded zero sacks and just 3 tackles for a loss. ESPN did credit him with 5 run stuffs, but the Giants’ run defense was a major problem overall.
The grades on Pro Football Focus weren’t much better than the stat sheet. Robertson-Harris received a 51.8 (all grades are out of 100) from PFF overall, with a 50.7 on run defense and a 57.7 as a tackler.
As a slight positive, he managed 21 quarterback pressures and 9 QB hits as a pass rusher, not to mention 19 defensive “stops” that constituted a failure for the offense. Robertson-Harris’ missed tackle rate of 13.5% was better than his previous two seasons but still left a lot to be desired.
Giants’ Numbers Game at Defensive Tackle Does Not Favor Roy Robertson-Harris at Start of Camp Rumors
GettyRoy Robertson-Harris had a rough first season with the New York Giants.
Several factors could hurt Robertson-Harris as we head into roster crunch season. One, a new head coach is running the show in John Harbaugh, and he did not handpick the veteran DT.
Robertson-Harris’ unspectacular performance doesn’t really match his current salary, either, with the Giants paying him $4.5 million per season in 2025 free agency and $9 million total.
If Big Blue were to move on from Robertson-Harris as a roster cut, they’d save $3.35 million, according to Over the Cap. A trade would shed even more cap space, clearing $4.35 million.
That’s just another factor that could hurt Robertson-Harris’ roster chances.
The final and possibly most important factor is roster competition. The Giants have brought in seven interior defensive linemen this offseason. Nine, if you count undrafted rookies Ben Barten and Anquin Barnes Jr., who are less likely to make the 53-man roster.
Out of those six additions, sixth-round pick Bobby Jamison-Travis should pretty much be guaranteed a spot, barring a miserable training camp or injury. Veterans D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris were also signed to play a good deal, and will both make the 53.
From there, you have newcomers Leki Fotu, Marlon Tuipulotu, Sam Roberts, and Zacch Pickens competing with Robertson-Harris and recent prospects like 2024 UDFA Elijah Chatman and 2025 third-round pick Darius Alexander. And all of those players are costing the Giants less money and cap space.
Not to mention, Chatman and Alexander are much younger, which could also work against Robertson-Harris. That means the veteran not only has to outplay all of this competition, new and old, but he likely has to outplay them by a wide margin for the cap-strapped Giants to consider keeping him.
Recapping the Recent Giants Roster News at Defensive Tackle
The Giants finally signed Reader on May 5 after much speculation. They gave him a two-year, $12.5 million deal with incentives that could earn him more.
Big Blue also claimed Pickens off waivers on May 5, after he was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs. Pickens is a former third-round pick of the Chicago Bears, but he has yet to have much NFL success.
Before those two most recent moves, the Giants signed Tuipulotu, Roberts, Fotu, and Harris at varying stages of NFL free agency.
Tuipulotu and Roberts were the initial transactions, early in the offseason, while Fotu and Harris came later. The latter is expected to start alongside Reader in place of Lawrence and Robertson-Harris.
Finally, the G-Men drafted the aforementioned Jamison-Travis and added UDFAs Barten and Barnes.
Giants’ $9 Million Starter Could Be on Hot Seat After Recent News