Giants may have found the blueprint that finally makes them relevant

The New York Giants are in a tough spot as a franchise right now. It appears they might have a lame-duck general manager and a head coach who is undoubtedly on the hot seat. They finished a distant fourth in the NFC East during the 2024 season, and it doesn’t appear they are close to contending in one of the toughest divisions in the league.

And yet, there is still a lot of optimism coming out of the offseason for the Giants. They signed Russell Wilson to be a veteran bridge to Jaxson Dart, their first-round pick at quarterback from Ole Miss. And while it’s unclear how much or how little Dart will play during his rookie season, the fact that he’s on the roster gives Giants fans some hope that he could be “the guy” moving forward.

But that’s not the only reason why the Giants are excited about their upcoming season.

They have one of the league’s best young receivers in Malik Nabers and several intriguing pieces on offense (Darius Slayton, Theo Johnson, Tyrone Tracy, etc.) However, it’s the potential of the defense that has the fans pumped up about the upcoming season.

In a recent article by Dan Duggan of The Athletic, he wrote about the biggest observation he had during the offseason workouts for the Giants. And his take is that it’s become increasingly apparent that the Giants could have a dominant pass rush this season. Here is a snippet of his thoughts on the unit coming out of the practices:

"This pass rush could be a game-changer. The Giants have lacked an identity during the first three years of the Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll era. But the selection of outside linebacker Abdul Carter with the No. 3 pick in the draft could be a game-changer. Teaming Carter with Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux should give the Giants a pass rush capable of dominating games."

Dan Duggan, The Athletic

The sky is the limit for the New York Giants' pass rush unit in 2025

On any one play, the Giants can roll out four first-round picks on the defensive line, all of whom are 27 years old or younger. Lawrence might be the best defensive tackle in the league and the Giants are hopeful that Carter can have a similar impact as another fellow Nittany Lion, Micah Parsons.

Those four players alone would qualify as one of the league’s best defensive lines, but the Giants have some incredible depth on the unit. Chauncey Golston was a free-agent signing from Dallas, and he is coming off the best season of his career. Darius Alexander was a third-round pick by the Giants this year and projects as a disruptive pass rusher right away at defensive tackle. And Rakeem Nunez-Roches gives the Giants another big-bodied defensive lineman who can help out on early downs.

The Giants have had a lot of success as a franchise by building up the defensive line and stopping elite offenses. They’ll have to do that in the NFC East if they want to have success, but they certainly have the talent to do so moving forward. If the offense can be functional this year and keep them in games, it should allow them to show off their elite pass rush even more.

Time will tell how this season turns out for the Giants, but the fact that they finally have an identity for the first time during the Brian Daboll era is excellent news for the franchise. Expect the Giants to be near the league leaders in sacks this year, especially if Carter can have a significant impact right away.