The New York Giants' linebacker room has gone from questionable to potentially elite in the span of a couple months. I guess that's what happens when you release Bobby Okereke, sign two-time Pro Bowler Tremaine Edmunds, and draft All-American Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese fifth overall.
The overhaul makes sense, seeing as though new head coach John Harbaugh's career has been aided by historic linebacker play, having coached the likes of Ray Lewis, C.J. Mosley, and Roquan Smith.
But since the NFL is a zero-sum game, additions mean subtractions, and for Micah McFadden, his 2026 comeback bid was already going to be an uphill battle. But mandatory minicamp might have taken his already shaky spot and put it on life support.
Micah McFadden is getting squeezed out of the Giants’ linebacker room
To say things have been going poorly for McFadden would be an understatement. While he hasn't necessarily tripped over his own shoelaces, the new guys on the roster are pushing him out.
It started with Edmunds and Reese getting the first-team reps. They looked dominant every day. It's easy to say that without pads or contact, but there wasn’t a day the media wasn’t talking about them.
No, it wasn't exactly shocking the pair was working with the ones, considering the financial and draft asset investment respectively, but it did suggest that McFadden is already clearly behind them in the pecking order. The fifth-year linebacker was seen working with the twos.
However, it wasn't just the high-profile names that caught eyeballs, 2026 sixth-round pick Jack "Cannonball" Kelly made some plays that warranted attention. On Day 1 of minicamp, Kelly showed off his underrated athleticism to get in the backfield for a would-be sack on quarterback Jaxson Dart.
It's Kelly's pass-rushing skills that made him an interesting prospect coming out of BYU, but it's his better-than-expected movement at inside linebacker that should have McFadden worried. The 23-year-old has been working with the second unit alongside McFadden.
Even still, with Edmunds, Reese, and Kelly all performing well, the biggest surprise of minicamp -- and maybe the biggest indictment of McFadden yet -- was Big Blue bringing in free-agent LB Anfernee Orji for a tryout on Day 1. That raised some eyebrows.
As for what Micah could control, he's had some good moments, specifically in pass coverage, making plays on the ball to break up passes. But then there's been the bad, like when running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. exposed McFadden's limited speed in space, burning him for a touchdown pass from backup QB Jameis Winston.
The 6-foot-2, 232-pound linebacker practically missed the entire 2025 season after suffering a Lisfranc injury in Week 1. Instead of signing elsewhere, the former Indiana Hoosier came back to North Jersey on a one-year, $3.75 million prove-it deal.
Prior to his injury, the 26-year-old was establishing himself as a pretty reliable contributor.
Through his first three seasons, the 2022 fifth-round pick has collected 270 tackles (including back-to-back 100-plus in '23 and '24), 26 tackles for loss, and six sacks.
With Edmunds and Reese occupying the first team and McFadden not exactly lighting up the offseason, and the team working out other linebackers it's becoming clear that his role is more up-in-the-air than ever. That’s a tough spot to be in for the 146th overall pick as he tries to work his way back from an injury-riddled season.
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