Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is the most impactful defensive signing so far.

John Schmeelk: Fact – The Giants need to get better against the run, and that needed to start with being more physical around the line of scrimmage at linebacker. Edmunds brings size and length to the position where he can defeat more blocks at the line of scrimmage and use his length to corral runners before they get into the secondary. He will also likely be the communicator on defense, which will be key in implementing Dennard Wilson’s vision. Greg Newsome II is second for me here, since the Giants desperately needed a reliable second cornerback across from Paulson Adebo.

Dan Salomone: Fact – Edmunds already has eight NFL seasons under his belt, but he is only 27 years old. There is still a lot of football left in the two-time Pro Bowl selection, whose vision, length, and speed give fits to quarterbacks as much as running backs. His 14 interceptions and 59 passes defensed lead all NFL linebackers since he began his career in 2018.

Matt Citak: Fact – Upon the release of Bobby Okereke right before the start of free agency, it became clear that the Giants needed to address the linebacker position. They did so in a big way with the addition of Edmunds, who measures in at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds. Edmunds had what was likely his best season in run defense last year, an area that the Giants could use some help in. Heading into his ninth NFL season, Edmunds will be just 28 years old come Week 1. The veteran should provide the run defense with a big boost right out of the gate.

Punter Jordan Stout is the most underrated move so far.

John Schmeelk: Fiction – I could easily be proven wrong here due to his injury history, but I love the Ar’Darius Washington signing. His 2024 tape for the Ravens defense is awesome. He plays all over the field and makes plays everywhere. He is only 5-8 and 180 pounds, but throws his body around like someone much bigger than that. He told me in his welcome interview that he finds it likely Dennard Wilson will want to play three safeties often, and he (or fellow signee Jason Pinnock) could be that player. At minimum, he will make a big impact on special teams. Jason Sanders was my runner-up here. A reliable field goal kicker can win a lot of games for a team. In Miami, he was as consistent as they come.

Dan Salomone: Fiction – I won’t dare call a punter or any other specialist underrated on a John Harbaugh team. I’ll instead turn to cornerback Greg Newsome II, the former first-round pick who was traded from Cleveland to Jacksonville last October. Having spent most of his career in the AFC North, Newsome went up against Harbaugh’s Ravens seven times in his career and the Browns won three of those matchups.

“Obviously I had a lot of battles with Coach Harbaugh in the AFC North,” Newsome said. “So when I [saw] him having this opportunity to come here, this was one of my first places I wanted to be.”

Newsome was also upfront about his intentions to make the Giants a permanent landing spot.

“I feel like this is an opportunity for me to be here long-term,” he said. “There [were] other places that could have had a little bit longer-term deal, but I wanted to be here, and I wanted to showcase myself in front of the New York fan base and my coaches and players. I’m excited to start fresh here now and hopefully we get something done where I can retire a Giant, because that’s what I want to do.”

Matt Citak: Fact – John Harbaugh has a background in special teams, so it’s no surprise that the team’s new head coach put an emphasis on improving the oft-forgotten third phase of the game. Stout was a first-team All-Pro in 2025 after leading the NFL in net punting average (44.9) and ranking third in gross punting average (50.1). The battle for field position is a big part of the game, and it’s clear that the Giants made this a priority in the offseason as they revamped their entire specialists unit. Similar to Edmunds with the run defense, Stout should help solidify the special teams unit.