The Giants’ interior defensive line has a very real depth issue, and it starts with Roy Robertson-Harris.
Robertson-Harris started all 17 games for New York last season, then tore his Achilles tendon during a May 21 practice. The team still has not moved him to injured reserve, leaving the door open for a possible December return if John Harbaugh’s medical staff can help get him back for a late-season push. For now, though, the Giants are trying to replace a full-time starter with a waiver claim that cost almost nothing.
That replacement is C.J. Ravenell, whom the Giants added off waivers from the Titans on July 7.
He has six career tackles, one start, and two NFL seasons on his résumé. That’s the reality Joe Schoen is dealing with: one player out, another in, and a clear drop-off in experience and production.
Robertson-Harris was brought in on a two-year, $9 million deal in March 2025, with $5.3 million guaranteed and a $5.5 million cap hit in 2026. He played every game and finished with 35 tackles and one pass defensed, but the underlying numbers were modest. PFF gave him a 51.8 overall grade, which ranked 92nd among 134 qualified interior defensive linemen, along with a 50.7 run-defense grade and a 57.7 tackling grade.
There’s also the timing. Robertson-Harris turns 33 on July 23, the same day the Giants open camp.
The team is clearly holding off on the inevitable roster move because there is at least some precedent for an Achilles comeback late in the season. Giants safety Ar’Darius Washington tore his Achilles with the Ravens last May and returned by Week 15.
But Washington is seven years younger and doesn’t play at 315 pounds, which makes that same recovery path a much tougher bet for Robertson-Harris.
Ravenell, meanwhile, is being added for a very specific reason: familiarity. He went undrafted in the 2024 class, spent that season on Baltimore’s practice squad, and then played 14 games with one start for Tennessee in 2025 under defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, who now holds the same job in East Rutherford. He logged 97 defensive snaps, finished with six tackles and a forced fumble, and earned a 43.2 overall PFF grade, including a 49.3 pass-rush mark and a 49.7 run-defense mark.
The move also says plenty about how the Giants view the roster spot. They waived cornerback Rico Payton with an injury designation to make room, which tells you this was a depth addition, not a major answer.
The room around them is still workable, but it’s thinner than it should be. Dexter Lawrence is gone after being traded to Cincinnati for the No. 10 overall pick.
DJ Reader is the nose tackle on a two-year, $12.5 million deal with a $4.5 million cap hit. Shelby Harris and Zacch Pickens are in the rotation, Chauncey Golston is back after signing in 2025, and Leki Fotu brings size behind Reader.
Darius Alexander, the Giants’ 2025 third-round pick, enters Year 2 after posting a 42.9 PFF grade as a rookie and remains the swing piece they need to turn into a real interior rusher.
That’s where the pressure lands now: on Alexander’s growth and Reader’s ability to hold up at 32. With Robertson-Harris sidelined and Ravenell in the building, the Giants are asking a committee to do the work of a proven starter. And right now, the committee includes a 33-year-old recovering from a season-ending injury and a waiver pickup with 97 career snaps.
Dennard Wilson’s defense wants to play fast and physical up front. The Giants still have time before Week 1 to find a better answer. They just shouldn’t confuse Ravenell with one.
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