The New York Giants are staring down another season of maybes, what-ifs, and we’ll-sees. But this one doesn’t have to fall apart like the last two. The roster isn’t perfect, and the schedule looks like a nightmare, but not everything needs to be complicated. Sometimes, you just need to find ways to play your best guys. And that starts with Abdul Carter.
This Week 1 matchup against Washington isn’t just about Jayden Daniels or whether the offensive line can hold up without Andrew Thomas. It’s about how quickly head coach Brian Daboll is willing to admit what’s obvious. The G-Men took Carter third overall to wreck games, not to ride the pine behind a guy whose development has been flatlining. This shouldn't be some long-term project... this is the one thing Dabs can get absolutely right from the season opener.
Burying Carter on the depth chart behind Kayvon Thibodeaux just because one has tenure and the other doesn’t could be a massive mistake. There’s no other way to put it. Carter already looks more dangerous in three preseason games than Thibodeaux has across the last three years. And if Big Blue is serious about chasing a playoff spot in this gauntlet of a season, they won’t waste any more time pretending this is still KT’s job by default.
Abdul Carter could unlock the Giants defense... if Daboll lets him
Thibodeaux has had his moments, but New York didn’t take the former Penn State superstar third overall to play musical chairs on third down. They drafted a pass-rushing unit. A bend-the-edge, light-up-the-pocket, mismatch nightmare who somehow made a four-time Pro Bowl left tackle (cough, Dion Dawkins, cough) look like a traffic cone last month.
The coaching staff shouldn't stash that kind of player for situational reps unless they're actively trying to hold the defense back.
If there’s a spot on this defense that doesn’t need coddling, it’s the edge room. Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence are already bringing serious firepower. There’s no pressure for Carter to be the every-down guy. But there is a need — a very obvious and very immediate need — for someone who can actually finish plays and rattle opposing offenses.
Thibs has had three years to figure it out, and it still feels like we’re waiting on the breakout that might never come... even if he's getting creative with his workout regimen.
Carter is ready for more. Feed him. Move any and all barriers (one Kayvon Thibodeaux) out of his way. If the Giants want to make a monster statement in Week 1 — and they should, because the schedule only gets worse — then letting the former Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year loose early and often (starting with Jayden Daniels) should be Daboll’s easiest decision of the year.