Jordan RaananMar 19, 2026, 10:00 AM
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The signings keep coming. The New York Giants have added or retained close to 20 players since the negotiating window opened March 9.
No massive signings. In fact, nothing over $15 million per season. But they've been busy. Playmakers, special teams and the secondary have been the focus.
Notably missing are significant reinforcements on the interior of the offensive and defensive lines, unless uninspiring 2022 draft picks Evan Neal and [Joshua Ezeudu](http://Joshua Ezeudu) count. Combined, that duo played zero snaps for the Giants last season before being re-signed by new coach John Harbaugh with a clean slate and the hope of better results under the new regime.
So where are all the interior offensive and defensive linemen, especially with Harbaugh's belief in running the ball and stopping the run?
"There's no doubt about it. [Stopping the run's] been important. It's been important in football since football started," Harbaugh said at the NFL combine. "So that's going to be where it starts. It's going to start with stopping the run. Honestly, it's going to start with running the football. Once you can establish that you can do those things, then it gives you a chance to open up the playbook and do whatever you want."
It's important to note that it's still March. The Giants don't play a real game for another six months. There is time and, inevitably, for moves.
Still, they were trying to sign guard Alijah Vera-Tucker early in free agency, multiple sources told ESPN. That fell apart because of contract structure. There was only so much risk the Giants were willing to assume for a player who missed 41 games over the previous four seasons.
Vera-Tucker ultimately signed a deal with the New England Patriots that included $21 million guaranteed and has $4.25 million available in per-game roster bonuses every year. It's an unusual structure considering the exorbitant per-game roster bonuses.
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After Vera-Tucker didn't happen, the Giants pivoted. They signed cornerback Greg Newsome II to a deal worth $8 million for one season. Despite checking in earlier on former Cleveland Browns guard Wyatt Teller, New York made the calculated decision at that point to not spend significantly at the guard position. The Giants were said to be looking for an interior offensive lineman in the $4 million range, sources told ESPN. They were going to wait to see if some of the prices dropped on the deep crop of free agent guards.
More than a week later, they're still waiting.
Teller signed earlier this week with the Houston Texans for $8 million per year, with the potential for more. The Giants were never going anywhere near that price. Instead, they wait with guards such as Joel Bitonio, Kevin Zeitler, Greg Van Roten, Daniel Faalele and Will Hernandez still available.
They also brought in veteran Ryan Bates recently for a visit. He left unsigned and is expected to visit other teams in the coming days. Lines of communication remain open between both sides though.
But Bates isn't considered a starter. He's considered more guard/center insurance -- similar to Austin Schlottmann's role for the Giants last year -- rather than taking over for Van Roten at right guard.
It would be foolish to plan for Neal or Ezeudu to be a starter as well after the previous four years. They're low risk rolls of the dice at best. Neal received no guaranteed money in his one-year deal at the veteran's minimum and even has an injury waiver included in the deal to protect the team. That opened eyes around the league and seems to indicate that there was little or no interest elsewhere.
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So, while the Giants currently stand without a clear-cut starter at right guard, they also haven't added at all to a defensive line that was partly responsible for allowing a league-worst 5.3 yards per carry last season. It's one thing to expect last year's third-round pick Darius Alexander to be more effective and play a bigger role in Year 2, but that can't be the entire plan.
New York at least checked in on the top interior defensive lineman in free agency, John Franklin-Myers. And while it wasn't serious players before he signed with the Tennessee Titans for more than $20 million per season, it seems to indicate the Giants were interested in adding a player to their defensive interior.
So far, that hasn't happened. The Giants currently have Dexter Lawrence II, Roy Robertson-Harris and Alexander on the interior of their defensive line. Rakeem Nunez-Roches is a free agent.
New York is still likely to add a player in free agency and/or the draft. A massive, run-stuffing presence would seem to be necessary. They currently don't have a contingency if Lawrence is off the field or out of the lineup. DJ Reader is the top option on the market.
This new Giants regime has been calculated with their free agent approach. They knew filling all the holes (CB1, MLB, DT, RT, RG, No. 2 receiver, K, P) with high-end options wasn't going to be possible in one offseason given the available resources. They've done what they could and are on the cost-effective prowl for more in the second and third waves of free agency.
Time, for now, is still on their side.