The New York Giants, on the long and winding road to a franchise quarterback, have taken a detour. After window shopping for veteran passers, general manager Joe Schoen has taken to examining other positions all over the field.
He added two new starters to the secondary, all but locked in the 2025 offensive line, and ensured receiver Darius Slayton would stay on the boundary.
Where he has spent most of his attention, though, is on the lower parts of the roster, ensuring New York wins along the margins as much as possible, especially on special teams.
On Friday, the Giants continued signing defensive depth with special teams upside.
Notably, New York has made sure to stock its cupboard of linebackers to capacity. The team announced the signing of linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, presumably for a deal at or around the league minimum.
A quick glance at his performance on defense might leave a sour taste in one's mouth, but it's largely his experience at linebacker that the Giants are looking for. With at least 150 snaps in the second level in three of the last five seasons, New York hopes there's a baseline level of competence to be had should he see the field.
More importantly, Flannigan-Fowles is an effective special teamer. If he makes the roster, it's because of his prowess on the third facet of the game.
"Since 2020, Flannigan-Fowles is tied for 19th in the NFL with 37 total tackles on special teams," Dan Salamone wrote for New York's website. "He was fifth in the league with 15 special teams tackles in 2022."
Related: Giants Finally Address Offensive Tackle Depth in Free Agency
The Giants also signed defensive tackle Jeremiah Ledbetter to a one-year, $1.77 million contract, per Tom Pelissero. His only special teams snaps will likely be on field goal blocking units, but he's acceptable depth to a defensive line that keeps getting deeper. New York already added Chauncey Golston and Roy Robertson-Harris, both who figure to play minor roles on next year's interior.
Ledbetter likely slides in behind them. He logged two sacks and eight tackles for loss in 2024, the best year of a rather sparse career that began in 2017 (he has 3.5 career sacks). Coming off the best year of his career, the Giants will hope to capture upward momentum.
Notably, New York has continued to look for lineman alongside nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, rather than direct depth behind him. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Giants turn to veteran nose tackles on the discount rack as free agency continues.
Related: Boarded Up: Giants Strengthen Special Teams With Signings
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 7:05 PM.