A common theme throughout the New York Giants’ offseason has been the growing optimism regarding second-year edge rusher Abdul Carter.
If tight end Isaiah Likely is the consensus offensive breakout candidate, then Carter easily holds the crown among defensive players.
ESPN’s Seth Walder recently projected that Carter, who had four sacks as a rookie, will record double-digit sacks.
Although Giants defensive tackle D.J. Reader isn’t making such specific predictions, he nonetheless made it clear that he has high expectations for Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and the rest of the Giants’ pass-rushers.
“I’ve always had good edges,’’ Reader told reporters. “I think my edges usually have good seasons when they play with me.”
D.J. Reader’s history works in Abdul Carter’s favor
Reader might not be the flashiest name on the Giants’ defense, but there’s no denying that pass-rushers have benefited from playing alongside him.
Upon being drafted in 2016, Reader spent his first four seasons with J.J. Watt on the Texans. Reader then joined the Bengals, where he drew interior linemen’s attention while Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard terrorized opposing quarterbacks.
Hendrickson had 39 ½ sacks during the three seasons he shared a defense with Reader.
Reader played the last two years with the Lions, and defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad took full advantage. The duo combined for 25 ½ sacks last season.
In fairness, Watt is a future Hall of Famer, and Hutchinson is a former No. 2 pick. Few saw Hendrickson blossoming into a perennial double-digit sack player when he joined the Bengals ahead of the 2021 season, though.
Carter, though, was the No. 3 pick a year ago. As Walder pointed out last week, Carter ranked fifth in pass rush win rate among edge rushers, finishing between Will Anderson Jr. and Myles Garrett.
Unlike at receiver, where the cliché is that there are only so many catches to go around, the same isn’t necessarily true for sacks.
That’s not to say that the trio of Carter, Thibodeaux, and Brian Burns are all due for double-digit sack seasons. However, the 6-foot-3, 330-pound Reader has consistently proven that his size can be too much for opponents, freeing up the space for the edge rushers.
And while no one should be rooting for injuries, the reality is that sacks increase the odds of misery elsewhere in the NFC East. Dak Prescott and Jayden Daniels both have injury histories, and Jalen Hurts is already facing increased questions regarding his viability as a franchise quarterback.
If there was ever a time for Reader to live up to his reputation, the Giants better hope it’s now. All it takes is one quarterback injury for the NFC East’s entire trajectory to change, and the Giants could easily benefit in such a scenario.
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