September 14, 2025 was certainly a day to forget for the New York Giants, but even more so for one specific player.

Giants left tackle James Hudson became the butt of many jokes on the internet after having one of the worst drives in recent memory.

Hudson committed four penalties on the opening drive of the game against the Dallas Cowboys, including one that circulated across the internet against defensive end James Houston.

Quickly after that drive ended, coach Brian Daboll had benched Hudson for rookie Marcus Mbow, who had performed admirably in his place.

But it didn’t stop there. Hudson was seen on the sidelines after the benching shouting and being restrained by teammates and other coaches.

Likely it was out of pure frustration, but regardless, it was a terrible look for the five year veteran.

Hudson was signed to a two-year deal by the Giants in the offseason to act as a backup to the second-team All Pro Andrew Thomas. Once Thomas went down with an injury, it was on Hudson to be the second line of defense.

That didn’t last long.

According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic though, the total meltdown by Hudson could’ve easily been avoided.

He reported, “Hudson has been recklessly aggressive since joining the Giants on a two-year, $12 million contract this offseason. The team tried to put a positive spin on Hudson’s ‘edge’ during training camp, but he repeatedly crossed the line in practices.”

Cross the line you say?

During team OTAs over the summer, Hudson was one of the catalysts of a fight that broke out, getting into it with veteran Brian Burns, who is typically an even-keeled player.

But wait, there’s more!

Duggan continues to suggest that this fight with Burns wasn’t an isolated incident. After constant smacking pass rushers in the head and trash talk after every snap, it was clear that this was repeated behavior.

But that within lies the problem. There’s a big difference between having an edge to use to your advantage, and being a liability on the field. 

One anonymous Giant spoke to The Athletic and was crystal clear on Hudson:

“Some of the things that he does will get a flag thrown. And that’s a momentum changer. That’s getting you ejected out of the game. Be about the team, not about you. What’s going to end up happening is we’re going to have first-and-(expletive)-35 because everybody keeps punching each other in the face.”

After Week 2’s loss, Hudson addressed the media and took accountability for putting his team in the hole early on in the game.

But can we fully believe that?

If this was a one time thing that happened in a game, fine. But when you’re not only smacking your own teammates in the head during practices, repeatedly causing a scene, and becoming a distraction to the team, that’s when you build a reputation as an unreliable player.

It does in fact look like Thomas will be back against the Chiefs, nothing is confirmed. But even if he does, Thomas is still an injury risk. Giants' fans should at least take solace that they have a solid player in Mbow to step in should Thomas go down again.