How the Giants Could Actually Land a Defensive Tackle Before Cutdown
Harbaugh says the Giants are shopping for interior line depth. Here is what their cap space and waiver position actually let them do about it.
John Harbaugh said this week the Giants are talking to other teams about adding depth at defensive tackle. The team has two real ways to get one: trade for a player before Sunday's roster cutdown, or claim one off waivers after it. The Giants have $14.95 million in salary cap space. They reportedly sit fifth in the post-cutdown waiver order.
What Harbaugh said
Harbaugh appeared on WFAN's "Boomer & Gio" on Aug. 26. Asked about the interior defensive line, he said:
"We're talking to people around the league to see if we can bolster up our depth in there a little bit."
Big Blue Interactive, a Giants fan site, transcribed the comment from the broadcast with a timestamp. No professional outlet has independently reported the quote as of this story's publication.
The comment came four months after the Giants traded three-time Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence II to the Cincinnati Bengals. GiantsGator has already reported on the thin defensive tackle room that trade left behind.
The cap math
The Giants have $14,950,220 in top-51 salary cap space, 23rd in the NFL, according to Spotrac. Their total cap allocations are $334,460,122, 19th in the league. They are carrying $27,385,915 in dead money, including $13,916,260 tied to the Lawrence trade.
Roughly $15 million buys a modest veteran addition or a trade for a player on a rookie or bargain contract. It does not buy a top-market defensive tackle.
How the Giants' waiver priority works
Teams must cut their rosters to 53 players by 6 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 30. Players with fewer than four accrued NFL seasons who get cut must first clear waivers. Waivers are scheduled to clear at 1 p.m. ET Monday, Aug. 31, according to the NFL's roster rules.
Waiver priority for this period runs worst-to-best based on final 2025 standings, the same order as the 2026 draft, CBS Sports has reported. That order holds through the third week of the regular season, then flips to reflect current standings.
The Giants finished 4-13 in 2025, which is why they hold the No. 5 pick in the 2026 draft. GiantsGator's earlier reporting on the defensive tackle hole put the Giants at the same No. 5 spot in the post-cutdown waiver order, citing Giants Wire. A team with a worse 2025 record gets first crack at any defensive tackle another team releases. The Giants would get the next shot.
Players with four or more accrued seasons who are released skip waivers entirely and become free agents right away, able to sign with any team immediately. That makes trading for a veteran, rather than waiting on a cut, the faster path if the Giants want a specific player with that kind of experience.
The one name already in play
Chicago Bears defensive tackle Gervon Dexter is in trade talks, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Giants Wire's John Fennelly wrote Aug. 26 that the Giants could be a fit given their need. Dexter started all 17 games for the Bears last season and has 13.5 career sacks, per Pro Football Reference. He is reportedly in the final year of his rookie contract.
Giants Wire's own report says there's no confirmation the Giants have any interest in Dexter.
CBS Sports' Josh Edwards separately named the Giants' defensive line as the one position group the team should address via trade or waiver claim before the roster deadline, writing that the Giants "would probably take a flyer on a talented young discarded defensive tackle, though."
What's next
The Giants have until Sunday to make a trade before the rest of the league's cut players hit waivers Monday. No reporting has established what New York would be willing to give up for a veteran tackle, or whether Harbaugh's comment reflects an active push rather than a standard answer about staying open to improvement.