Darius Alexander is entering his second season, and the Giants need him to become more than a nice developmental piece on the defensive line.
Alexander gave them a solid rookie year: 20 tackles, four tackles for loss, six quarterback hits and 3.5 sacks across 16 games. He also opened this preseason with a sack and a forced fumble against Minnesota .
The Giants have him with the first defensive-end group on the current depth chart. Now he has to make that spot feel permanent.
Brian Burns and Abdul Carter can win from the edge, but this defense cannot live on outside pressure alone. Guards and centers have to feel someone coming at them, or quarterbacks will keep finding a lane to step into.
Aug. 15, 2026: Giants defensive tackle Darius Alexander sacks Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy at MetLife Stadium. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect.
Alexander has the build for that job at 310 pounds. The next step is being harder to move on early downs and turning more of those interior wins into plays that end drives.
I am not asking him to become a 10-sack player overnight. The Giants need steady interior production, especially when offenses commit extra bodies to the edge rushers.
The preseason opener was encouraging because Alexander affected the game in more than one way. He got the quarterback down and forced the ball loose. The Giants need that type of work from their front.
If he takes a real jump in year two, the pass rush gets harder to game-plan against. If he stays a part-time player, the Giants will be looking for that inside push again by November.
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