The first step in the massive undertaking of replacing the massive Dexter Lawrence came last weekend in the sixth round of the NFL draft and the next step came Wednesday, when the Giants signed veteran Shelby Harris to a one-year deal.
No one player will be able to replicate what Lawrence brought to the defense and so the plan is to attack the problem with multiple players. Another veteran could be signed in the days to come.
In the draft, the Giants selected Bobby Jamison-Travis from Auburn in the sixth round. He is a 328-pound run stuffer.
Harris is not nearly that big — 6-foot-2, 288 pounds — and he arrives as a durable player with a track record for helping subdue opposing rushing attacks.
He has 146 NFL games on his résumé (89 starts) and only 28.5 career sacks.
He has played for the Raiders, Broncos, Seahawks and Browns, quite a run for a 2014 seventh-round pick from Illinois State
In 17 games (five starts) in 2025 for the Browns, Harris had 32 tackles (seven tackles for loss) and one sack.
The Giants had another veteran, D.J. Reader, in for a visit prior to the draft and is also a possible signing, along with 39-year old Calais Campbell, and others.
Lawrence and the Giants could not come to an agreement on a contract extension and Lawence eventually soured on the organization and requested a trade.
The Giants sent him to the Bengals in exchange for the No. 10 pick in this year’s draft, which was used to select offensive lineman Sisi Mauigoa, the top-rated offensive lineman on their board.
Mauigoa is expected to start at right guard.
Veteran Roy Robertson-Harris and Darius Alexander, the 2025 third-round pick, are options already on the roster.
