The New York Giants added nose tackle Bobby Jamison-Thomas in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. As they try to make up for the loss of All-Pro Dexter Lawrence, traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, Jamison-Thomas won’t be the last addition to the defensive line.
“Defensive tackle, we’ll be talking about that,” head coach John Harbaugh said after the draft on Saturday evening. “It’s still something we have to continue to address. We’re not finished with that at all.”
There are still several veteran
free agents available, and Harbaugh was clear that the Giants are shopping in that market.
“We’ve been in contact with several agents of veteran defensive tackles,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll continue to keep those communications open and see what happens next week and maybe have a couple more visits with some vet guys. Certainly on our radar.”
D.J. Reader, a 10-year veteran who had a pre-draft free agent visit with the Giants, is at the top of that list. Free agent signings that occur after 4 p.m. ET on Monday do not count against the 2027 compensatory formula, and many expect the 6-foot-3, 330-pound 31-year-old to be a Giant shortly after that time.
If signed, Reader would become the Giants’ primary nose tackle.
The Giants also had free agent visits with veteran defensive tackles Shelby Harris and Benito Jones. It won’t be a surprise if they end up signing multiple free agent defensive tackles as they also lost Rakeem Nunez-Roches and D.J. Davidson in free agency.
