​The New York Giants have long struggled to stop the run. Before defensive coordinator Shane Bowen was dismissed late in the season, the 2025 Giants were arguably the NFL’s most vulnerable team against the ground game. For head coach John Harbaugh, a sturdy run defense isn’t just a preference; it’s a core principle. “It’s a must thing. I can tell you that,” Harbaugh said at the NFL Combine. “There’s a lot to it. There are three levels and layers to your defense, and all three have to be committed to stopping the run. Every single one of the 11 guys has to be dedicated to that task. You can’t let people run all over you. It’s been important in football since the beginning.”
To address this, the Giants are attempting to rebuild their defensive line from the ground up. Dexter Lawrence was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, and Rakeem Nunez-Roches and D.J. Davidson were not re-signed. Elijah Chatman was waived, and Roy Robertson-Harris tore an Achilles tendon this spring. That leaves second-year player Darius Alexander and veteran Chauncey Golston as the only remaining holdovers from the 2025 group who might contribute along the line. The question now is whether the Giants did enough to bolster the front seven, a question that will begin to answer itself once training camp opens.
Below is a snapshot of the new Giants hopefuls who will compete for spots along the defensive line. One notable addition is Fotu, who was signed as a free agent on April 29. He is 28 years old, stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 317 pounds. Fotu entered the league as a fourth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2020 and has since spent time with the Cardinals, Jets, Raiders, and Texans. Across 66 regular-season games, he has 26 starts. He has never played more than about 45% of his team’s defensive snaps in a season; in 2024, he logged just 46 snaps for the Jets, and in the prior year he appeared in 193 snaps for the Raiders and Texans combined.
When Fotu signed with Houston late last season, he told reporter Aaron Wilson, “With my game, with my size and my abilities, I think it speaks for itself. I try to provide that anchor in the run game, and I also contribute in the passing game when those moments come. I’m doing everything I can to the best of my abilities.” In terms of body type, Fotu is arguably the closest current replica the Giants have for the departed Roy Robertson-Harris, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury this spring.
Over the course of six seasons, Fotu’s Pro Football Focus grades have never topped 46.1, and his run-defense grades have rarely breached the 40s. That statistic underscores a broader concern: while Fotu brings size and run-stuffing potential, his consistent impact in the trenches remains a work in progress. In recent years, projections and performance metrics across analytics platforms have painted a picture of a lineman who can anchor the run defense in spurts but may not alone be enough to flip the Giants’ run-stopping success.
The Giants’ path forward will hinge on how their rebuilt defensive line performs in training camp and beyond. The staff will be watching not only Fotu and the other free-agent additions but also how the remaining veterans acclimate to new schemes and coaching. If Harbaugh’s emphasis on a unified, all-11 approach to stopping the run holds true, the Giants will need their new linemen to immediately contribute — and the defense will need to show tangible improvements in run-stopping efficiency as the season approaches.