Abdul Carter spent part of one of the Giants’ final training camp practices living in the Vikings’ backfield, at least in the way practice stats can tell the story. He was credited with 2.5 sacks and a pass breakup against Jaxson Dart in 11-on-11 work, and some of his best moments came when he lined up across from All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas.
Now the part that has mattered most about Carter is about to be tested for real again. On Saturday against the Vikings, the pressure he has been flashing gets to count for the first time since December.
The Giants’ No. 3 overall pick from 2025 is hardly a mystery anymore. The question was never whether Carter could beat blockers. It was whether all that disruption would finally start turning into sacks, and the early camp work says the finish may be catching up to the force.
The rookie season showed why the Giants are so high on him, even if the box score never fully told the story. Carter finished with a 74.7 overall defensive grade from PFF, 29th among 115 qualified edge defenders. His pass-rush grade was the real eye-opener: 84.5, which ranked 11th at the position.
He also stacked up 66 total pressures, and his 48 quick pressures under 2.5 seconds led the entire NFL. That kind of production is why four sacks felt thin next to the rest of the resume. Carter was winning early and often; the quarterback just got rid of the ball, or escaped before the pressure could become a takedown.
The area that still has to improve is the run game. Carter’s run-defense grade sat at 54.4, which ranked 95th among qualified edges, according to PFF. He has also already dealt with some growing pains off the field, acknowledging that he was benched twice as a rookie for missing or being late to meetings before settling in later in the season.
That part matters because the Giants need him on the field on early downs. If Carter can hold up better against the run, the snap count climbs, and that opens the door to the kind of volume that turns a disruptive edge into a double-digit sack player.
The setup around him is dangerous. Brian Burns gives the Giants a proven threat on the other side, and he delivered 16.5 sacks in 2025, second in the NFL behind Myles Garrett. Burns also earned a 75.8 overall PFF grade and second-team All-Pro honors.
There’s a striking contrast in how the numbers played out for the two of them. Burns turned a 71.5 pass-rush grade into 16.5 sacks in 2025, while Carter’s stronger 84.5 pass-rush grade produced just four as a rookie. That kind of pressure-to-sack gap often starts to level out in a player’s second season, which is why the outlook for Carter points upward.
Kayvon Thibodeaux is still there too, giving the Giants enough depth to keep the edge rotation fresh into the fourth quarter. That matters, because the more Carter stays dangerous late in games, the more damaging the whole group becomes.
Saturday’s preseason opener won’t tell the whole story, and Carter won’t be out there long enough for the sack total to mean much on its own. But the live reps do matter. Real tackles, real tempo, real game speed - that’s where the Giants get their first chance to see whether the quick-pressure profile can turn into finished plays against another team’s starters.
The Giants drafted Carter to be the engine of their pass rush for the next decade. The pressure was already there as a rookie. Year 2 is about the sacks catching up.
In Other News...
Giants May Have Already Eased One Big Concern For Jaxson Dart
The Giants have spent training camp giving their offensive line something every young quarterback wants but rarely gets: continuity. Andrew Thomas, Jermaine Eluemunor, Jon Runyan Jr., rookie Francis Mauigoa and John Michael Schmitz have stayed together as the first unit, and the second-team group has reportedly remained mostly intact as well. For a team trying to settle Jaxson Dart into his new surroundings, that kind of stability matters, especially when it comes to the protection in front of him.
Dart enters a roster still sorting through other moving parts, but the line gives him a cleaner starting point than many rookies get. A lower sack rate is always part of the conversation for any young passer, and the Giants have at least made one important area feel less volatile by leaning on experienced blockers and keeping the same mix in place through camp. Whether that carries over once the games start is still the real test, but for now, one of the biggest concerns around Dart looks a little less daunting. [Read more 🡒]
Micah McFadden Has A Real Chance To Change The Giants Defense
Micah McFaddens return to the Giants has been one of the quieter camp developments, but it is starting to look like a meaningful one. After fully recovering from the season-ending Lisfranc injury that cut short his 2025 campaign, he re-signed on a one-year deal and has spent training camp showing the kind of form that made him part of the conversation in the first place. For a defense still sorting out its linebacker picture, that matters.
McFadden is working in a crowded room with Tremaine Edmunds, Arvell Reese and rookie Jack Kelly all in the mix for snaps, and that competition gives the Giants options if he keeps building momentum. His preseason return will be the next real checkpoint, and what he does there could tell the team plenty about how much more stable and disruptive this unit can become. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Kicking Battle Is Suddenly Leaning Toward An Unexpected Name
The Giants kicking competition has taken a sharp turn in camp, and it now has the feel of a real job battle rather than just an open audition. Undrafted free agent Dominic Zvada has been pushing the pace in practice, while second-year kicker Ben Sauls has been right there with him, giving the coaching staff a pair of legs to evaluate as the preseason opener approaches.
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 🡒]