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The New York Giants signed a former second-round NFL draft pick after recent injuries at defensive tackle.
The New York Giants still aren’t done trying to find any healthy and able defensive tackles from anywhere they can this offseason. Big Blue’s latest addition to the interior of their defensive front is a former second round NFL draft pick who is joining the team after a tryout at training camp on Monday, July 27.
News of Marlon Davidson’s arrival was reported by ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. He noted how Davidson “played one game last season for the Houston Texans. The 28 year old was originally drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Falcons. Davidson essentially taking the roster spot of DT C.J. Ravenell, who was waived a few days ago with a non-football injury designation.”
Raanan’s reference to Ravenell’s abrupt departure is just one piece of injury news involving Giants’ D-tackles. Two other veteran defensive linemen were included on the PUP list to start camp.
The depth chart is still populated by journeymen tackles, but Davidson’s arrival shows the Giants remain concerned about their options at a position lacking elite talent after All-Pro Dexter Lawrence II was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this offseason.
Marlon Davidson an Intriguing Addition Thanks to Famous Splash Play
Davidson rarely lived up to his draft status as a top-50 pick for the Falcons, but he did produce one particularly memorable moment in Atlanta. It involved snatching a pick-six against all-time great Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2021 season.
This splash play proved an outlier for Davidson, but he’s still an intriguing fit for the Giants and new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. The latter is sticking with a 3-4 front, so he needs big space-eaters along the line of scrimmage, a role that fits 6-foot-3, 303-pounder Davidson’s physical profile.
Wilson missed the chance to work with Ravenell again after they spent last season with the Tennessee Titans, so the signing of Davidson is timely. Especially when versatile and capable veteran Roy Robertson-Harris might miss the entire season due to a torn ACL.
Robertson-Harris’ setback is just one more problem for the Giants at a key position that might not be strong enough to underpin Wilson’s defense. It explains why Davidson wasn’t the only free-agent defensive tackle invited to camp.
Giants Still Searching for Defensive Tackle Help
Dealing Lawrence before the draft kicked off a slew of moves by the Giants to overhaul the depth chart. The best of those moves was signing experienced nose guard D.J. Reader, who’s still a formidable run-stuffer entering his 11th season in the pros.
Reader will be the key to bolstering the league’s softest run defense, while Wilson has also called out a disappointing third-round pick whose role is set to change. The adjustment, combined with the arrival of two other veterans, might not be enough to fortify the post-Lawrence line.
That explains why former New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale, along with another ex-Texans lineman, Folorunso Fatukasi, were part of the “large tryout group” at camp on Monday, per NorthJersey.com’s Art Stapleton.
Giants held a large tryout group today, complete list below.
Expecting signing from TE and DT based on numbers for camp.
The latter’s prediction about a tight end signing proved true, yet Davidson’s arrival is unlikely to be the last move the Giants make along the defensive interior.
James Dudko covers the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL and world soccer since 2011, with bylines at FanSided, Prime Time Sports Talk and Bleacher Report before joining Heavy in 2021. More about James Dudko