Elijah Chatman and Darius Alexander
The New York Giants haven’t been shy about making headlines and springing surprises on cutdown day, but one of the team’s most shocking roster moves is actually “very good news” for an unheralded three-year veteran.
That’s according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, who believes the decision to cut defensive tackle Elijah Chatman “seems like very good news for D.J. Davidson.”
The latter will be more confident about his chances of sticking around because, as Duggan pointed out, Chatman “worked extensively with the first-team throughout camp and moonlighted fullback.”
While Duggan dubbed the Giants letting Chatman go as the “first real surprise of the day,” that decision could actually belong to the team ditching a favorite target of quarterback Russell Wilson.
Either way, Chatman being shown the exit door still rates as a shock. He was a training camp darling each of the last two years and even impressed when he got onto the field for real action last season.
Chatman looked like a more dynamic interior disruptor than Davidson, although ironically, this might’ve informed the Giants’ decision. Big Blue’s defensive front is loaded with pass-rushing game-wreckers headed into the new season, but the line still needs to prove more stout against the run.
Losing Elijah Chatman’s Potential a Risk for Giants
Chatman appeared to still have the Giants convinced about his upside when he spent OTAs and minicamp in a prominent role. It made sense for the 24-year-old to get an extended look after he flashed potential as a pass-rusher last season.
That potential was personified by Chatman logging a sack, four pressures and a 27.8% pass rush win rate against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3, per PFF Betting.
A natural flair for getting to the passer is usually a niche skill for most interior defensive linemen, but Chatman was no longer offering something extra on a revamped depth chart. Not after the Giants added veteran Roy Robertson-Harris, who can slide inside on passing downs, in free agency.
The Giants followed signing Robertson-Harris by using a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft to select Darius Alexander. He’s versatile enough to be a destructive amoeba in the trenches and take some heat off other worldly All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II.
There’s no shortage of pressure specialists up front, but the Giants need more rugged types to handle the run.
D.J. Davidson Can Answer Need for Giants
Surrendering 4.6 yards per carry last season continued an ongoing weakness for Big Blue’s front seven. The Giants have simply been too generous on the ground in recent years because of a lack of linemen adept at occupying gaps and controlling double teams.
Davidson can fit the bill at 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds. The 2022 fifth-round pick has the dimensions to play as a two-gap lineman able to create a wall against the run and force plays to the edge, where talented game-wreckers like Brian Burns and rookie Abdul Carter are waiting.
A good example of how well Davidson stacks up against the run came against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5. Davidson played over the ball, put his blocker on skates and redirected the run into traffic, per Nick Falato of SB Nation’s Big Blue View.
Opposing teams look to run the football against the #Giants when Dexter Lawrence takes a breather.
D.J. Davidson does a great job as the 1 (over front) against this weak side rush.
Presses play-side, hips in A-Gap w/ hands tight to create separation…He leans to the back-side… pic.twitter.com/74vYbEHQtz
— Nick Falato (@nickfalato) October 7, 2024
He doesn’t offer the same big-play capability as Chatman, but choosing Davidson as a natural run-stuffer alongside true nose tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches, actually makes more sense for the Giants.