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Going into the offseason, the New York Giants had one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL.
After free agency and the NFL Draft, that remains true, but the personnel looks different following the departure of both Dexter Lawrence and Bobby Okereke, one via trade and the other via release, with additions coming via free agency and the draft.
The Giants signed Chicago Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to a three-year contract to replace and upgrade Okereke in the inside linebacker room.
In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Giants used the fifth overall pick to add Ohio States Arvell Reese, a hybrid off-ball linebacker/edge rusher who was surprisingly available when it came time for the Giants pick.
While this is a new-look defensive front with Reese and Edmunds, the team still brings back the trio of Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter on the edge.
Pairing two hybrid defenders in Carter and Reese gives the new coaching staff two defenders who could line up anywhere along the defensive front and force opposing offenses to account for them, whether thats as pass-rushers or in coverage.
Arvell Reese, LB - Height: 6-4 - Weight: 243 - EXP: Rookie - School: Ohio State - How Acquired: D1a-26 2025 in Review Reese dominated college football in 2025 as part of the best linebacker duo in the country with teammate-turned-rival Sonny Styles, who got drafted by the Washington Commanders.
As a junior, Reese finished with 69 total tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, and two pass defenses en route to being named an All-American.
2025 was the first year of his career in which Reese was properly used as a multi-tool weapon, after playing almost exclusively as an off-ball linebacker in 2024.
Of his 651 defensive snaps played last season, Reese played 322 from an off-ball alignment and 327 lined up on the edge.
Reese struggled in coverage, although there isnt too much of a concern there, as he was in a defense that played a lot of man coverage and would often leave him in difficult positions, something that wont be asked of him often early on.
While he finished with 6.5 sacks, Reese had the third-most pressures on the Buckeyes with 27, behind only two full-time edge rushers.
Contract/Cap Info With Reese being the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Giants signed him to a four-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $47,831,062, with a fifth-year option that would also be fully guaranteed.
Reese is almost guaranteed not to be cut or traded for the entire duration of his contract because of the heavy dead cap penalty that the Giants would incur.
With a fully guaranteed contract like Reese has, the only way the Giants would ever create any cap space would be by trading him away, but given how uncommon trades are and the unlikely possibility of the Giants getting fair value, that seems improbable.
The fifth-year option attached gives the Giants an additional year of team control over Reese after the end of his rookie deal and has varying levels of pay based on playing times, Pro Bowl appearances, and positional assignment.
Reese has the expectation of being a consistent contributor all over the defense, whether thats as a starter or rotational piece, off-ball linebacker, or as an edge rusher.
By playing more than 75% of the snaps in two of his first three seasons, or playing an average of 75% of snaps over the first three years, he would be eligible for the play-time bonus.
Reeses role will ultimately help determine whether the Giants decide to pick up his fifth-year option.
If he plays primarily as an edge rusher, the option could make sense; if he plays primarily as an off-ball linebacker, it probably wouldn't.
As it currently stands, off-ball linebackers are grouped with stand-up edge rushers in terms of the fifth-year option and franchise tag values, making it not worth the money for teams to exercise fifth-year options on off-ball linebackers.
2026 Preview As a rookie, Reese should be expected to contribute early on, but shouldnt have much pressure to be a big-time impact player despite being the fifth overall pick.
The plan for Reese should be similar to that of Carter last season: to play both off-ball and on the edge, but primarily at one spot.
Unlike Carter, however, Reese is projected to play off-ball unless the team finds a trade partner for Thibodeaux, at which point Reese is likely to see more snaps at outside linebacker.
Reese has more overall experience as an off-ball linebacker, with a clearer path to immediate playing time and the ability to elevate the play of the room.
Using Reese as an off-ball linebacker who occasionally comes down to the edge gives the Giants' defense flexibility to create favorable matchups against the offensive line and keep players as fresh as possible.
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Brandon Olsen is the founder of Whole Nine Sports, specializing in NFL Draft coverage.
He is also the host of the Locked On Gators Podcast, and appears in-season on the Giants Squad Show for the Locked On podcast network.
Follow WNS_Brandon.