The New York Giants just made a move to bolster their run defense before facing the Los Angeles Rams.
The New York Giants will be facing a tough Los Angeles Rams team on the road in Week 2, and while the Rams are loaded across the board, one of their hallmarks is a dynamic rushing attack led by Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.
The Giants did a tremendous job holding the Dallas Cowboys' running game in check in their season opener, limiting the Cowboys to 69 yards on the ground.
But the Cowboys aren't the Rams.
That's why New York has elevated 350-pound defensive tackle Josh Tupou from the practice squad for Monday's matchup.
The Giants signed Tupou in free agency back in late May, which did not come as much of a surprise considering Tupou spent the last two seasons playing for John Harbaugh in Baltimore.
Tupou arrived in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017 and remained there through 2023 before ultimately joining the Ravens.
Early on in his career, Tupou was rated as a stout run defender, but Pro Football Focus' metrics did not grade him so highly the past several seasons.
As I always say, though, PFF is not a be-all-end-all, and Harbaugh has seen Tupou for three years straight now. He knows what the veteran brings to the table.
But just imagine how stacked New York will be on the interior in Los Angeles with 330-pound DJ Reader, 365-pound CJ Okoye and now Tupou?
How much Tupou actually plays remains to be seen. Reader, Shelby Harris and Okoye are the top three defensive tackles, and Darius Alexander played 18 snaps in Week 1. Bobby Jamison-Travis was inactive against Dallas.
Perhaps the Giants will also make Alexander inactive on Monday evening? It's up in the air as to how New York proceeds, but I doubt the Giants elevated Tupou to the 53-man roster just to keep him seated on the bench.
I suppose New York could have called him up in the event of an injury to one of the Giants' top DTs, but Tupou seems to have a good chance of at least getting some snaps in this affair.
As tough of a matchup as the Cowboys looked this past Sunday, the Rams will be even tougher, especially on the road. Harbaugh is ensuring that Big Blue is prepared.
