Early Friday morning, one New York beat reporter shared unwanted news. Dan Duggan of The Athletic reported that the New York Giants’ Roy Robertson-Harris suffered a torn Achilles on Thursday. The veteran defensive lineman started all 17 games in 2025. He is now the second player in the last week to suffer a torn Achilles tendon. That includes rookie undrafted free agent cornerback Thaddeus Dixon.
Ahead of the 2026 season, the Giants have rebuilt their roster. Veteran defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence requested a trade, and he was sent to the Cincinnati Bengals. In exchange, New York received the 10th pick in the 2026 NFL draft. With Lawrence gone, the team has had to rework the interior defensive line. Losing Robertson-Harris for the season is a massive blow for the Giants.
Giants Roy Robertson-Harris Suffered a Torn Achilles Tendon at Thursday’s OTAs
Roy Robertson-Harris’ Season is Over Before it Even Began
New York signed Robertson-Harris to a two-year, $9 million contract ahead of 2025. He had a cap hit of $3.5 million last season and is due $5.75 million in 2026. The 32-year-old started all 17 games last season for the Giants and appeared in 56% of the team’s defensive snaps. Unfortunately, the former undrafted player suffered a torn Achilles tendon on Thursday. Not ideal for New York, which already had a thin interior defensive line. Achilles tears take months to recover. Robertson-Harris will miss the entire 2026 season.
Who Will Step Up With Giants Roy Robertson-Harris Done for the Year?
Not having Lawrence to anchor the interior defensive line will be a new challenge for the Giants. The team previously relied on him to stop the run and eat up double teams to free up other pass rushers. However, the team has added new talent through the draft and free agency. First off, New York signed veteran Shelby Harris to a one-year deal. He played in all 17 games for the Cleveland Browns last season and made five starts. Harris is set to enter his 12th professional season.
With Giants Roy Robertson-Harris done for the season, the team is lucky they’ve signed several free agents. That includes Leki Fotu, who signed a one-year deal. Fotu has been in the NFL for six seasons. He was with the Las Vegas Raiders and Houston Texans in 2025. New York added another veteran defensive lineman as a free agent. Thirty-one-year-old D.J. Reader signed a two-year, $12.5 million deal with the Giants.
Reader is a former fifth-round pick by the Texans in 2016. During his 2025 campaign with the Detroit Lions, Readers started all 17 games. He appeared in 53% of the team’s defensive snaps. With a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, the Giants selected Bobby Jamison-Travis out of Auburn. ESPN’s Field Yates mentioned Jamison-Travis as a late-round pick who could make an immediate impact for New York. While he is not a true pass rusher, Yates believes Jamison-Travis will be a run-stopper.
Can This Second-Year Pro Make His Presence Felt in 2026?
In the third round of the 2025 NFL draft, the Giants selected Darius Alexander out of Toledo. As a rookie, he appeared in 16 of the team’s 17 games and made two starts. He was on the field for 38% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2025. Alexander finished with 3.5 sacks last season and has two against the Lions in a 34-27 OT loss. With Lawrence on the Bengals, the Giants will need several players to step up on the interior defensive line. Why not Alexander in 2026? He will turn 26 ahead of his second professional season. New York will take the production wherever they can after losing Robertson-Harris to a torn Achilles tendon.
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