The Giants have found themselves in a strange place four games into a 3-1 start: sitting atop the NFC East, yet watching the injury report turn into a weekly problem they can’t seem to shake.
Brian Burns’ torn ACL already took one of their biggest pass-rush weapons off the board after just three weeks. Braxton Berrios is headed to IR with a foot injury.
Jaxson Dart won’t play again this year. And now Chauncey Golston may be next after suffering a neck injury in Sunday’s 36-24 Week 4 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Head coach John Harbaugh said Golston’s injury “could be” long-term, and the 28-year-old is getting a second opinion after missing Wednesday’s practice. If that prognosis goes south, New York would be left with Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Jihad Ward off the edge - not exactly the kind of depth you want when your defense is tied to an NFL-low three sacks through four games.
That’s why this injury might push Joe Schoen toward action. The Giants have already reportedly been in trade talks for Cardinals receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and former Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. before Pittsburgh sent him to Dallas. But with the pass rush stuck in neutral and the injuries piling up, front-seven help makes obvious sense.
Joshua Uche looks like the cleanest fit. The Miami Dolphins are 0-4, he’s on a cheap expiring deal, and he’s already produced four QB hits and a sack this season.
New York wouldn’t need him to be a star. At this point, it just needs somebody who can get near the quarterback, and Uche has shown he can do that.
His 22.5 career sacks include an 11.5-sack season with New England in 2022, giving the Giants at least some evidence that there’s real pass-rush juice there. For a team trying not to burn through what’s left of its 2027 draft capital, he feels like a sensible swing.
A’Shawn Robinson would be a different kind of addition. The 31-year-old lineman is already familiar to Big Blue Nation, and he’s playing some of the best football of his career in Tampa Bay. His impact comes mostly against the run, where his 88.8 Pro Football Focus run-defense grade ranks second among 129 qualified space eaters.
That doesn’t directly solve New York’s sack problem, since the Giants’ run defense has actually held up pretty well at 16th in the league with 109 yards allowed per game. Still, adding a player who can squeeze the run game and force offenses into obvious passing situations would help a pass rush that needs every edge it can get.
Zaven Collins offers a similar kind of value, only with a little more size and versatility. The Cardinals’ former first-round pick has become one of the league’s better run defenders, posting a 90.6 PFF run-defense grade through four weeks. At 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, he brings the kind of tweener build that could give DC Dennard Wilson another useful piece, and he has 13 career sacks to show he can at least chip in as a rusher.
If Schoen wants to swing bigger, though, the 0-4 Chargers should be on the line.
Tuli Tuipulotu would cost the most, but he’d also be more than a Golston replacement. The 24-year-old had 13 sacks last season, already has two this year, and carries a 16.7% pass-rush win rate. With Thibodeaux posting zero sacks and a 0% pass-rush win rate this season and heading toward free agency after the year, Tuipulotu could address an immediate need while also giving the Giants a possible long-term answer opposite Carter.
And if the Chargers are willing to talk, Khalil Mack is worth asking about too. The 35-year-old future Hall of Famer has three sacks this season and would clearly be a rental, which should keep the price lower than Tuipulotu’s.
The Giants didn’t get to 3-1 by packing it in after losing Burns and potentially Golston. But with the pass rush this thin and the draft assets this limited, standing still doesn’t really work either. There’s a middle ground to find - and the clock is ticking.
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Giants' 3-1 Start Is Already Fueling A Brutal Debate
A 3-1 start usually buys a team some patience, but it can also invite a hard look under the hood when the wins do not feel as sturdy as the record. That is the position the Giants find themselves in now, with the early schedule creating just enough optimism to keep the conversation alive while leaving plenty of questions about how sustainable this start really is.
Aaron Schatzs DVOA work has only sharpened that debate, because the Giants are being graded far more harshly than the standings might suggest. ESPNs Football Power Index is even colder, putting their playoff odds at just 4%, which is the kind of number that turns a promising opening month into a referendum on what this team actually is. [Read more 🡒]
Giants May Be Regretting Their Kayvon Thibodeaux Gamble
Kayvon Thibodeauxs fifth NFL season has opened with more frustration than production, and that is not a great look for a Giants pass rush already dealing with the loss of Brian Burns to injury. Through four games, Thibodeaux has yet to register a sack, and his 0% pass-rush win rate only adds to the concern around a player the Giants have counted on to be a centerpiece up front.
The bigger question now is what the front office sees in him moving forward, especially with free agency approaching. New York had a chance to move on from Thibodeaux in April, but held onto him, betting there would be stronger value waiting elsewhere. For a team trying to keep its defense afloat, the decision is starting to look harder to defend by the week. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Daniels Brings A Risk Washington Cant Ignore Against Giants
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Still, there is real unease around how much punishment Daniels can absorb while doing it. An unnamed executive raised durability concerns and pointed to the need for a more careful offensive approach, with more emphasis on the run game, extra protection and a tighter plan for getting Daniels through games. Against the Giants, that tension will hang over every snap he takes. [Read more 🡒]