The Giants may have more than one breakout candidate on their hands in 2026, but Abdul Carter is the name that keeps jumping off the page.
CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin recently tabbed Carter as New York’s non-quarterback MVP for the 2026 season, and the case starts with what the numbers already showed last year. Carter finished with only four sacks, but he still managed a sack, hit, or hurry on 14% of his pass-rush snaps. That pressure rate actually topped Brian Burns’ 12.1% mark from his 16.5-sack season.
That’s the part that makes Carter so intriguing: the production lagged behind the disruption. If he starts converting more of those pressures into sacks, as Dubin pointed out, the second-year linebacker could force his way into the conversation with the NFL’s top edge rushers.
The Giants are giving him plenty of help around him, too. Carter now sits in a linebacker group that includes Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the edge, plus Tremaine Edmunds and Arvell Reese inside. It’s a loaded mix, and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson should have a lot to work with when he starts building out his plans for 2026.
Still, Carter is the player with the biggest swing potential. Along with quarterback Jaxson Dart, he’s one of the names Giants fans are watching closest, with hopes that neither player falls into a sophomore slump. Carter spent 2025 getting to the quarterback far more often than his final stat line suggested, and his ability to stay healthy will matter just as much as the splash plays.
There’s also a real battle for snaps and impact up front. Burns is coming off that 16.5-sack season and will be chasing another big year, while Thibodeaux heads into the season with a new contract in sight after it ends. That makes the edge-rushing rotation feel like a constant fight, with Carter needing to push himself against veterans who already know how to produce.
If Carter can double or even triple last season’s four-sack total while keeping the same pressure rate, Dubin’s pick won’t look nearly as bold by season’s end. And if that happens, the Giants may have found their biggest difference-maker right where they needed him most.
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John Harbaugh acknowledged both kickers for the way they handled the moment, which only adds to the intrigue around a competition that was already trending toward the unexpected. With other players making their cases and a few injury situations still being monitored, the kicking picture is one of the more closely watched items before the games start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]