4 former NY Giants we'd like to see return in 2024

3. DT Austin Johnson

Austin Johnson spent two seasons with the Giants from 2020-2021 during the Joe Judge era. That's a time almost every fan would like to forget, including most of the players that were here during that span. However, there were a few under-the-radar players that performed well when their name was called upon during those tough seasons, Johnson being one of them.

The Giants are in the market for interior defensive line help, with A'Shawn Robinson hitting the market and the only other options being Jordon Riley and DJ Davidson. Rakeem Nuñez-Roches is still under contract and will likely occupy one of the spots next to standout nose tackle Dexter Lawrence. New defensive coordinator Shane Bowen is expected to have the same 3-4 base defense that Wink Martindale ran the past two seasons. Johnson would be a solid add at a cheap price, bringing in a veteran run stopper that has experience playing with Lawrence.

After his time with the Giants ended, Johnson signed a two-year, $14 million deal with the Chargers. In 25 games for them, he recorded 68 tackles, five tackles for loss and one sack. They're not eye-popping numbers by any means, but there is an intriguing factor that could see him in a return to the Giants. Bowen's system has a few similarities to Patrick Graham's, who was Johnson's defensive coordinator on the Giants. Johnson wasn't much of an impact player in 2020, but blossomed in 2021, recording 72 tackles, 3.5 sacks and six tackles for loss. It was a career year for him and more than likely helped him land a big payday with the Chargers. He's obviously older now and will be 30 by Week 1, but given his experience in a similar system and the place he had success in, bringing Johnson back to the Giants on a cheap deal makes sense.