The Giants have taken a strength-in-numbers approach to filling the void left behind by the departure of Dexter Lawrence.
A series of signings filled some holes, but the most significant addition came Tuesday with the signing of a proven veteran, D.J. Reader, to a two-year deal worth $12.5 million. There is $5.25 million in guaranteed money in the contract, all in 2026.
The expected signing is now a reality.
DJ Reader #98 of the Detroit Lions takes the field prior to the NFL 2025 game against the Green Bay Packers. Getty Images
Reader, who turns 32 in July, has an NFL track record as a run stopper and 6-foot-3, 330-pound space occupier, and the Giants were actually interested in pairing him with Lawrence. That part of the plan went awry when Lawrence and the Giants could not agree on a contract extension and he was traded to the Bengals. After that move, the Giants dipped into free agency to sign veteran defensive tackles Shelby Harris and Leki Fotu to one-year contracts, knowing they also wanted to bring Reader aboard.
Expect Reader to replace Lawrence as the starting nose tackle. A 2016 fifth-round pick of the Texans out of Clemson, Reader is a 10-year veteran with 128 starts in his 137 games played for the Texans, Bengals and Lions. He is not much of a pass rusher — only 12.5 sacks — and he has only 27 tackles for loss and 58 quarterback hits in his career. The Giants were 31st in the league in 2025 in run defense, and the expectation is Reader can help improve a failing that new head coach John Harbaugh is determined to fix.
Last season, Reader started all 17 games for the Lions and registered 28 tackles (none for loss), no sacks and four quarterback hits.
Veteran Roy Robertson-Harris and Darius Alexander — the 2025 third-round draft pick — and free agent pickup Sam Roberts are also in the mix. In the sixth round, the Giants selected Bobby Jamison-Travis out of Auburn, a 328-pound nose tackle with run-stopping potential.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) runs with the ball while being pursued by Detroit Lions defensive end DJ Reader (98). Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesThe Giants wanted to keep Lawrence, acknowledging that despite his subpar 2025 production, he is one of the top nose tackles in the league. They were happy with the return they got from him — the No. 10 overall pick in the draft — and thrilled that offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa was on the board for that pick. Mauigoa is expected to move in as the starting right guard.
Not content to sit tight on the interior of the defensive line, the Giants also claimed defensive tackle Zacch Pickens the day after the Chiefs waived him.
Pickens, 26, was a 2023 third-round pick by the Bears. In 29 games (three starts), the 6-foot-4, 303-pound Pickens has 44 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
