Getty
Arik Armstead #91 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sideline against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter of an NFL preseason game.
The New York Giants have had to do some major work this offseason on their defensive line, thanks in large part to the Dexter Lawrence trade.
Out is Lawrence, in are veteran talents like D.J. Reader, Shelby Harris, and Leki Fotu.
Reader and Harris are penciled in as starters, while second-year player Darius Alexander, Sam Roberts, Zacch Pickens, and Fotu compete to carve out a role for themselves.
Still, the room feels a little top-heavy, with the Giants betting on several journeymen and youngsters to provide starter-caliber play.
Is there another move out there for New York to make? One that could make the Giants’ defensive line that much better?
Arik Armstead Named as Potential Cut Candidate
A defensive lineman the New York Giants could keep their eyes out for is Jacksonville Jaguars veteran Arik Armstead, who was named as a possible cut candidate by Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay.
Cutting ties with Armstead would save the Jaguars roughly $15 million in cap space, according to Kay, and could be money Jacksonville needs to continue fine-tuning its roster.
“Despite his steady production over the years, Arik Armstead has emerged as a potential cap casualty for the Jacksonville Jaguars. While Armstead put up 5.5 sacks in 2025 and was an important cog in the defensive trenches for one of the league’s better run defenses, he’ll be 33 years old in November and has worn down the tread on his tires over a decade-plus in the NFL,” wrote Kay.
“Armstead already showed signs of regression toward the end of last season, when he failed to notch a single sack after Week 12. He lost his starting job in Week 14 and played more than 50 percent of the defensive snaps just once after, a stark downturn after he was on the field for over half the team’s defensive plays in all 11 starts.”
Armstead may be on the wrong side of 30, but there’s certainly still juice in the tank that New York could squeeze out of him.
The Giants don’t need him to be an every-down player. All they need is another veteran who can rotate in and provide a level of play they won’t get from some other depth players on the roster.
Arik Armstead’s Fit With the Giants
After trading away Lawrence, the New York Giants are lacking a true pass-rush threat on the interior of their defensive line.
Armstead isn’t the former All-Pro Lawrence was, but his best attribute at this point in his career is his pass-rush skill set.
In 2025, the former San Francisco 49ers first-round pick recorded 5.5 sacks, the most he had in a season since 2021.
And that’s while only playing 60% of the Jaguars’ defensive snaps, so what if the Giants were able to get their hands on Armstead and use him as a pass rush specialist?
If New York could keep Armstead fresh and rotate him in on third downs and other obvious passing situations, he could be another threat for opposing offenses to worry about among the likes of Brian Burns and Abdul Carter.
