The New York Giants recently traded away defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th overall pick in the draft. And although they added a defensive lineman late in the draft, they knew they still had a pretty big void in the roster that needed to be filled.
On Wednesday morning, Aaron Wilson reported on social media that the Giants were moving forward with a signing of defensive tackle Shelby Harris, who previously played for the Cleveland Browns.
According to reports, this will be a one-year deal.
“#Giants have signed veteran Shelby Harris, per a league source #NFL,” Wilson posted on X.
#Giants have signed veteran Shelby Harris, per a league source #NFL
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 29, 2026
Even before they let go of Lawrence, the Giants were going to focus on enhancing the interior of their defense, so this move to land Harris isn’t that shocking. It’s even less surprising because Harris met with the team a few weeks ago, one of the several defensive linemen who visited the Giants during the offseason.
Harris is about to start his 12th season in the league. Last year with the Browns, he racked up 32 tackles and one sack across 17 games. Throughout his career, he has 358 tackles and 28.5 sacks during his years with the Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, and the Browns. He has played in 146 NFL games with 89 starts.
Harris is now 34 years old, and although he can bring his years of experience to the Giants, he may not be enough to totally revamp their defense. The team has a lot of room for growth, and there is a chance that they will add more veterans to the lineup before the new season kicks off, because not one single player can replace what Lawrence did.
Harris is seen as potentially just one step of many that the Giants might take in order to pick up the slack left by Lawrence. There could be multiple defensive recruits coming to New York this offseason.
After 11 seasons and four different NFL teams, Harris is arriving at a new squad, and it’s one that desperately needs his help.
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