Despite having one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL in Dexter Lawrence, the New York Giants still had one of the worst run defenses in football last season. Only the Cincinnati Bengals allowed more rushing yards per game in 2025, and it remains to be seen if they'll improve at all in this area.
The Giants' answer to fixing their woes in run defense was trading away their star DT... to Cincinnati. And now their current defensive tackle room consists of D.J. Reader (NT), Shelby Harris, Darius Alexander, C.J. Okoye, sixth-round rookie Bobby Jamison-Travis, and possibly Chauncey Golston.
Outside of Reader (and maybe Harris), there aren’t many proven answers in that group. Losing Lawrence is difficult enough, but with New York's season opener right around the corner, they're about to receive the ultimate litmus test in terms of how much this unit has grown post-Sexy Dexy.
Javonte Williams will test the New York Giants' revamped DT room on Sunday
The Giants are set to kick off their season on Sunday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys in a couple of days, and not only is it a test, it's a daunting one. The Cowboys averaged the 10th-most rushing yards in the NFL in 2025, which was in large part due to Javonte Williams' breakout season.
Williams is coming off of a season where he ran for 1,201 rushing yards (ninth in the NFL), 11 rushing touchdowns (eighth in the NFL), and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. Dallas is particularly strong in the trenches and run game, but Harbaugh brought in both DJ Reader and Shelby Harris to fix this issue.
Here’s the thing: Williams missed the Week 18 matchup between these two NFC East rivals, but he gave the Giants plenty of problems in their first meeting, carrying the ball 18 times for 97 yards (5.4 YPC) and a touchdown while catching six of seven targets for 33 yards. It's pretty obvious he gave the defense problems as a lead back last season.
But Big Blue has a chance to send a message with a strong opening statement. Dallas will be without star guard Tyler Smith for the next 4-6 weeks due to thumb surgery, so there’s an opportunity for the interior of this defensive line to step up and keep No. 33 in check.
The Alexander breakout hype has been there, and surrounding him with veterans like Golston, Reader, and Harris (while also fixing the LB room) should be good news for both his development and the run defense as a whole. If he can take that step in Year 2, it’ll go a long way toward making the post-Lawrence transition much easier to stomach.
The run defense and defensive tackle room are two of the biggest questions facing the New York Giants in 2026. Nobody expects those questions to be answered completely after one game, but Javonte Williams and the Cowboys will give fans a good first look at whether this revamped group is actually any better.
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