John Harbaugh’s Giants facelift is underway, and it would have been more dramatic in the early going if not for the Los Angeles Rams.
The Giants released inside linebacker Bobby Okereke on Wednesday, creating a hole in the middle of the defense that Harbaugh promises to prioritize via trade, free agency or the NFL Draft.
And the Giants also reportedly tried to trade for Kansas City Chiefs No. 1 corner Trent McDuffie and fell short. The Rams landed McDuffie on Wednesday in exchange for a first-round pick (No. 29), fifth-round pick, sixth-round pick and 2027 third-round pick.
Kansas City’s negotiations came down to talks with the Rams and Giants, according to the Kansas City Star’s Sam McDowell, but the Rams’ willingness to give up a “first-round PLUS” put them ahead of New York.
The Rams had more ammunition than the Giants because they owned two picks in April’s first round: the Atlanta Falcons’ pick at No. 13 overall and the Rams’ own pick at No. 29.
The Giants’ seven picks in the 2026 draft include the No. 5 overall pick and three selections in the sixth round, but they do not hold a pick in the third round due to the Jaxson Dart trade last year with the Houston Texans.
Still, a No. 1 corner is arguably the biggest need on the Giants’ roster. And a league source said they expect the Giants to be in the free agent corner market at a “starter” level.
The Buccaneers’ Jamel Dean, a player the Giants pursued as a free agent in 2023, is the most intriguing plug-and-play outside corner available.
The Bears’ Nahshon Wright, Seattle’s Tariq Woolen, Dolphins’ Rasul Douglas and Chiefs’ Jaylon Watson are other names at the top of the market, while LSU’s Mansoor Delane is the cream of the NFL Draft crop.
Pursuing McDuffie in an expensive trade indicates the Giants, like the Rams, viewed the standout Chiefs corner as the clear top available player at the position even over free agents that the team would simply need to sign to acquire, rather than trading away draft picks to do it.
But Harbaugh is taking swings at the right positions early, which is encouraging to see.
The Okereke release, which saves $9 million against the salary cap, is also a reminder that Harbaugh will prioritize stopping the run and strengthening the roster up the middle of the field in his personnel moves.
The possibility of drafting Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles at No. 5 overall only increases with the Giants’ release of Okereke, but it doesn’t mean Harbaugh is definitely using the draft to find his 2026 starter there, either.
Former All-Pro Saints inside linebacker Demario Davis, 37, is the best run defender expected to be available. He likely will prefer to sign with a Super Bowl contender, and he doesn’t offer a long-term solution for the Giants, but he would instantly make Dennard Wilson’s defense more difficult to play against in 2026.
The Broncos’ Alex Singleton, the Jaguars’ Devin Lloyd and the Lions’ Alex Anzalone stand out as others could be fits.
It shouldn’t cost much for the Giants to re-sign Micah McFadden, who had surgery early last fall for a Lisfranc tear in his foot. And don’t be surprised if they use a draft pick at that position, too, even if they don’t take Styles.
Not that Harbaugh can ignore the interior defensive line, a glaring and underdiscussed weakness of last year’s defense, despite the presence of Dexter Lawrence.
Trust what the head coach is doing so far, though: He’s identifying weaknesses and priorities and attacking them. It will be interesting to see which names end up filling those holes on the Giants’ roster in year one.
COUNTRY ROAD, TAKE ME HOME
The Giants are holding their first two weeks of training camp under Harbaugh at The Greenbrier in West Virginia.
The team said Wednesday that ongoing construction on their practice facility and the World Cup’s presence at MetLife Stadium is the reason for the change.
The Giants have not held training camp away from their practice facility in East Rutherford, N.J., since their last camp in Albany, N.Y., in 2012.
The Greenbrier, in White Sulphur Springs, W.V., built a practice facility for the Saints in 2014, per Pro Football Talk. New Orleans spent three training camps there. The Houston Texans practiced there in 2017, 2018 and 2025. The Cleveland Browns did it in 2023 and 2024.
Other teams, including the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers, have stayed and worked at the Greenbrier when they decided to stay on the East coast in between regular-season games across the country.
