Giants' Forsaken Defender Could Be Massive Difference Maker

The New York Giants' defense should be an impressive unit in 2026. Not only do they have a fine pass rush spearheaded by Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux, but they shored up their run defense and drafted an uber-talented chess piece in Arvell Reese.

The Giants also hired John Harbaugh as their new head coach, and he coached a bunch of Baltimore Ravens clubs that used defense as a calling card. Harbaugh then brought in Dennard Wilson as his defensive coordinator, and Wilson's impact has already been felt in the early stages of New York's offseason program.

But in the midst of all of the Giants' most significant moves over the past several months, which also included trading away Dexter Lawrence and replacing him with run stuffers DJ Reader and Shelby Harris up the middle, many are forgetting about a major X-factor for the squad: Chauncey Golston.

New York signed Golston to a three-year, $18 million contract in March 2025. The University of Iowa product was coming off of a very strong season with the Dallas Cowboys in which he registered 56 tackles, five sacks, an interception and five passes defended, and he was expected to be a significant contributor for Big Blue.

Instead, Golston battled injuries for much of 2025 and played in just 10 games for the Giants, and when he was healthy, he barely saw the field.

Golston appeared in just 27 percent of New York's defensive snaps last season, finishing with 20 tackles and a sack. It should be noted that he played very well down the stretch with increased playing time, but he still wasn't properly utilized.

I expect that that will change heading into 2026, as Golston seems primed to take on a 3-tech role in the Giants' 3-4 defensive scheme.

All of the talk has been about New York's loaded front seven, a group that now also includes two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Yes; Burns, Carter, Thibodeaux, Edmunds and Reese are the more glamorous names, and everyone is waiting to see the impact that Reader will have against the run.

But that doesn't mean Golston won't have a prominent role.

Golston played in 72 percent of the Cowboys' defensive snaps in 2024, and Dallas did, in fact, sometimes use him as a 3-tech. Given his size and stature at 6-foot-5, 277 pounds, that is probably the best role for him rather than having him standing upright as an edge.

The Giants could employ some dangerous sets with Golston on the field, and with so many strong pass rushers around him, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Golston has an impressive bounce-back campaign this coming fall.

New York will almost certainly move on from Golston after 2026 if he doesn't make an impact, but you kind of get the feeling that former defensive coordinator Shane Bowen badly misused Golston ... much like he did with the rest of the defense.

I'm not necessarily saying that Golston will be in three-quarters of New York's defensive snaps like he did in Dallas, but I anticipate the 28-year-old having a far more significant role than the one he had in 2025, and I expect that he will be a difference-maker in his second season with the G-Men.

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