Things aren't necessarily looking great for Darius Alexander. What felt like an inevitable Year 2 leap for the New York Giants defensive lineman has quickly turned into a sobering reality check.
The 26-year-old was immediately tabbed as Big Blue's next breakout star once they traded Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals earlier in the offseason. After a strong finish to his rookie season, Alexander felt like the obvious choice to take a step forward without Lawrence eating into his production.
Well, two preseason games into his second season, and things couldn't look more worrisome for the former Toledo standout if he tried. After a poor showing against the Minnesota Vikings in their preseason opener, Alexander followed it up with an even worse showing against the Miami Dolphins in Preseason Game 2.
The timing of his floundering couldn't be worse. With the regular season just 20 days away, it might be time to give up hope on a breakout for now and focus on getting the team an upgrade so they don't start off slowly, waiting for Alexander to figure it out.
Darius Alexander’s breakout case is getting harder to defend
Big Blue spent the 65th pick in the third round of the 2025 Draft on him. He was coming off an impressive Senior Bowl performance and was widely regarded as the best defensive lineman coming out of the MAC.
The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder was known more for his pass-rushing skills than his run-stuffing ability, but the thought was he'd grow into being better against the run as he got acclimated to the size and speed of the NFL.
Well, after struggling mightily against the run as a rookie, the hope was he'd use this offseason to address those concerns and become a viable starter on a new-look defense under new head coach John Harbaugh.
He's failed to impress, to say the least.
Alexander finished his second preseason game with a dismal 39.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. That included a brutal 46.7 run-defense grade, which ranked third-to-last on the entire team. That comes on the heels of posting a 43.8 run-defense grade against the Vikings, finishing fifth-to-last. How can the G-Men possibly trust him if this is the production they're getting?
Unfortunately for the former third-round pick, New York recently acquired an asset that could be used in finding an upgrade along the defensive front. Big Blue sent offensive lineman Daniel Faalele to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2027 sixth-round pick. The extra Day 3 draft capital and Alexander’s struggles could force general manager Joe Schoen and Co. into making a move, something he hasn’t been shy about this offseason.
There’s still time for Alexander to turn things around. Two preseason games aren’t enough to completely write off a second-year player who showed some promise as a rookie. But the breakout that once felt inevitable suddenly feels anything but.
Alexander was supposed to help make life after Dexter Lawrence a little easier. Instead, with 20 days until the regular season, his 39.7 grade has given the Giants 39.7 more reasons to wonder if they need to find someone else who can.
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