New York Giants' Abdul Carter is Falling Into a Familiar Trap

The only thing that looks different about New York Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter thus far in 2026 is his jersey number.

Carter made the switch from No. 51 to No. 3 this season, but it certainly hasn't done anything for his production.

Through four games, Carter has logged nine tackles, a sack and five quarterback hits, three of which came during the Giants' Week 4 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Carter boasts an 82.1 overall grade at Pro Football Focus thus far and owns an 84.7 pass-rushing grade. He ranks ninth and eighth, respectively, among edge rushers in those statistics.

But we saw the same thing last year.

Four games into his rookie campaign, Carter has totaled nine tackles, a half of a sack and eight quarterback hits — five of which came in Week 4 (sound familiar?). He also ranked among the top edge defenders in football on PFF.

But where was the actual production?

A late flurry resulted in Carter finishing with 43 tackles, four sacks and 23 quarterback hits during his debut season. Without question, the former first-round pick showed promise.

However, Carter was expected to take a big step in 2206. Thus far, we haven't seen it.

The Giants need Carter more than ever now that Brian Burns is out for the season, especially considering that Kavyon Thibodeaux has evidently forgotten how to rush the passer (New York should have traded him when it had the chance).

Carter, though, has yet to deliver.

Obviously, it's still very early in the season, but we were saying the same thing last year. Yes, the metrics look good. Yes, Carter is having an impact. But at some point, the sacks need to come.

Imagine if Michael Strahan didn't get sacks. Imagine if we just said, "Well, he's getting quarterback hurries" during his heyday. Or imagine saying that about Myles Garrett. Or Micah Parsons. Or any great pass rusher.

Pressures are great, but dominant pass rushers finish plays. Given that Carter was a No. 3 overall pick, the Giants aren't looking for advanced stats; they are looking for sacks.

And through 21 games in his professional career, Carter has amassed five of them. Sorry, but that isn't going to cut it. Especially not when New York had the opportunity to trade down from No. 3 and acquire more assets during the 2025 NFL Draft.

I still believe in Carter. I think he has the potential to be a terrific player. But until the results actually come, the jury will be out.