Giants' $12.5 Million Move Has Been a Massive Slam Dunk

The New York Giants were in desperate need of interior defensive line help before trading away Dexter Lawrence last April. Then, the Giants moved Lawrence, causing quite the emergency at the position.

New York responded by signing a few veterans in free agency and also selecting Bobby Jamison-Travis in the sixth round of the NFL Draft, but the Giants' most significant addition was undoubtedly DJ Reader.

Reader, for some reason, was still available in early May, and New York scooped him up on a two-year, $12.5 million contact.

The move has paid tremendous dividends.

Reader has been an absolute menace for the fifth-ranked Giants defense this season, having registered 23 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack while leading all defensive tackles with a 90.0 overall grade at Pro Football Focus.

As a whole, New York is still struggling to stop the run, having allowed 123.6 rushing yards per game through the first nine weeks. But the team has been considerably better over its last two games, surrendering 84 rushing yards against the Houston Texans and then 92 rushing yards versus the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Reader has been the centerpiece in the turnaround, and a legitimate argument can be made that he has been the Giants' best defensive player this season (although there is plenty of credit to go around).

The 32-year-old has long been one of the best run stuffers in football, but he absolutely showed signs of decline the past couple of years.

That's why he was still inexplicably on the market in May when the Giants were able to steal him, and what a slam dunk move it has been for New York.

The Giants still need more help alongside of him, which is why they are apparently seeking another defensive tackle before the Tuesday NFL trade deadline. But Reader has almost single-handedly help up the trenches for New York, all on a $4.5 million cap hit.

Big Blue is 5-2-1 and sits atop the NFC East heading into its Thursday matchup with the Washington Commanders, and the defense — along with a coaching masterclass from John Harbaugh — is the biggest reason why.

Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson are putting their players in the best position to succeed, and Reader is taking full advantage and then some.

How so many teams let the 6-foot-3, 330-pound behemoth slip through the cracks in free agency is beyond me, but the Giants have reaped the benefits.