Giants news, 6/18: Kayvon Thibodeaux pursuit of Michael Strahan, Abdul Carter, Russell Wilson, more headlines

NFL: New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers — Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

New York Giants headlines for Wednesday

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Other Giant observations

Every NFL team’s make-or-break player for the 2025 season | PFF

New York Giants: EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Giants decided to pick up Thibodeaux’s fifth-year option, which keeps him with the team through 2026. However, New York also just selected edge defender Abdul Carter with the third-overall pick in this year’s draft.

Though he earned a career-high 72.0 PFF pass-rush grade last season, Thibodeaux played in just 12 games and has yet to live up to the hype of his fifth-overall selection. While the Giants can get creative with Carter’s versatility, Thibodeaux still needs to prove he can be a foundational piece of their defense.

Carl Banks on the similarities he has seen between LT, Abdul Carter

#IYKYK It Looks Different, Moves Different.. He’s just Different..Carter @BleavNetwork pic.twitter.com/jFZiyIsJG6

— Carl Banks (@CarlBanksGIII) June 17, 2025

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Every NFL Team’s To-Do List for Rest of the 2025 Offseason | Bleacher Report

On paper, the Giants have addressed several defensive positions. Cornerback Paulson Adebo, safety Jevon Holland and rookie pass-rusher Abdul Carter all project as new starters. However, New York didn’t do much to improve its linebacker corps. Schoen would be wise to eye the trade market for an off-ball linebacker and/or consider free agents like C.J. Mosley and Eric Kendricks.

Interesting tidbit on Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson’s locker with the Giants is the same locker that he had when he won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks pic.twitter.com/zunR8mRd8h

— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) June 17, 2025

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Andrew Thomas being cautious so Giants’ star left tackle can stay on field when it counts | New York Daily News

It’s difficult to ignore, however, that starting left tackle Andrew Thomas (Lisfranc) did not practice all spring — and that little about these practices will matter if Thomas does not return 100% healthy to anchor this offensive line for 17 games. The initial expectation was that he’d be physically ready for OTAs.

The good news is that sources say Thomas has not had a setback in the rehabilitation of his foot. Thomas, the Giants and his doctors are just being careful. So sources say Thomas is healing well. The plan was always for him to push himself in the gym this spring, not on the field in OTAs. And his workload will ramp up as the summer heat rises.

2025 NFL receiving corps rankings: Eagles kick things off at No. 1 | PFF

24. New York Giants. The Giants’ passing attack isn’t just Malik Nabers, but he represents the biggest piece of the pie. Nabers earned an 87.1 PFF receiving grade as a rookie despite a terrible quarterback situation. He was the only Giants receiver to earn a single-season receiving grade higher than 65.0 in 2024.

Tyrone Tracy Jr., Theo Johnson, Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt make up the same group from 2024, which posted a 29th-ranked 67.1 PFF receiving grade.

Groh: Wilson puts pressure on defense to cover the whole field

WR Coach Mike Groh on the addition of Russell Wilson

: https://t.co/zopZs4NKYo pic.twitter.com/hm9PDDcvDH

— GiantsTV (@GiantsTV) June 17, 2025

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NY Giants roster analysis: Position-by-position breakdown for 2025 minicamp | The Record

Depth chart: Theo Johnson, Chris Manhertz, Daniel Bellinger, Thomas Fidone, Greg Dulcich, Jermaine Terry

Break it down: Bellinger’s role was limited last year, so he has to force the Giants to keep him and carve out a bigger part within this offense. The Giants showed some interest in tight end prospects, so adding a tight end was expected. Did they find a sleeper in Nebraska’s Fidone? A foot injury ended Johnson’s rookie season just when he was getting going, so there are big plans for the former Penn State star heading into this year. Manhertz was a solid contributor last season. Bellinger and Manhertz could wind up in a battle for one spot if Fidone earns the trust of the coaches earlier than anticipated. Dulcich joined the team late, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can show something this summer if he gets chances with Wilson, his teammate in Denver.

Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart draws praise – ‘Fit right in’ | ESPN.com

Dart seems to have passed all the early tests this spring.

“It’s been impressive to see the last couple weeks just how he’s prepared and made the transition to becoming a pro,” quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney said. “We thought that about him, which is one of the reasons why we liked him. But he’s done a really good job of coming in here and understanding what he’s got to do to make himself a pro and approaching it the right way.”

Eisen: Jaxson Dart will not start a game this year

Giants’ surprising roster strategy could be a telling sign | New York Post

The easy thing for the Giants to do after their worst season in 100 years would have been to blow up the roster. General manager Joe Schoen did the exact opposite and brought back an NFL-high 91 percent of players who logged at least 30 percent of the offensive or defensive snaps, per OverTheCap.com.

Giants work out ex-Eagles draft pick, three others | USAToday.com

The Giants hosted several free agents for workouts: Safeties K’Von Wallace and Millard Bradford, OLB Kenny Dyson, and G Carter O’Donnell. Wallace is seen as most intriguing candidate the Giants are working out, a five-year veteran safety who was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 and most recently played for the Seattle Seahawks. He has the most NFL experience and would be a huge asset for players like Tyler Nubin and Dru Phillips. His mentorship is easily as valuable as his ability on the field.

Giants Now: Malik Nabers, Russell Wilson among Giants set to take part in Fanatics Fest NYC | Giants.com

Wilson and star wide receiver Malik Nabers will also be a part of the “New York vs. The World” panel discussion, where they will be joined by Olympic gymnast Suni Lee, former NBA stars Vince Carter and Allan Houston, and the one and only Tracy Morgan.

Numerous other Giants players will be at Fanatics Fest NYC, including first round picks Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart, along with running backs Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Cam Skattebo. But the current players aren’t the only ones that will be there representing the Giants. Several franchise legends will also be attending, including Eli Manning, Michael Strahan, Phil Simms, Justin Tuck, and Mario Manningham.