The Giants have plenty of names that jump off the page on defense. Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Arvell Reese and Jevon Holland give the unit a ceiling that looks far better than what it has shown on the field so far.
Still, the player who could end up making the biggest difference in 2026 is not one of the headliners. It might be Micah McFadden, the veteran linebacker whose steadiness could help tie the whole group together.
McFadden is not being projected as an every-down starter, but his value may be bigger than that label suggests. If New York wants to get the most out of its most versatile pieces, it needs someone who can handle the middle of the defense without blinking.
That matters because Reese is such an unusual weapon. The fifth-overall draft pick has not played a snap in the NFL yet, but he is already being talked about as one of the league’s most flexible defenders.
He can line up off the ball and also threaten the quarterback as a pass rusher, giving defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson plenty to work with. John Harbaugh has already said Reese will start at off-ball linebacker, though his role could end up being much more fluid than that.
For that flexibility to really work, the Giants need a third linebacker who can keep the center of the defense stable. McFadden is the name in that spot, expected to sit behind Reese and Tremaine Edmunds on the depth chart.
In a normal setup, that would point to a role that shows up mostly in base defense and obvious running situations. But this is not a normal setup, because Reese’s ability to move around makes McFadden more important than the usual backup linebacker.
If McFadden can be trusted to play at a high level next to Edmunds, the Giants can use Reese in more creative ways.
There is already proof that McFadden can handle serious responsibility. He has started 36 games for New York over the last four years, and when healthy he has been a dependable part of the defense. His 2025 season was almost wiped out by a Lisfranc foot injury in Week 1, but the broader body of work is still there.
This offseason, though, McFadden has slipped into the background a bit. He is competing with rookie Jack Kelly for the backup linebacker job, and because of Reese’s versatility, that competition carries more weight than it normally would. Whoever wins it is likely to see more action than a standard reserve.
For the Giants to have any real shot at building a top-ten defense in 2026, McFadden’s role could end up being one of the quiet keys.
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