Survey results: DT Darius Alexander is the player to watch in 2026

The New York Giants were closer to competing than their record would suggest a year ago, but close to winning still isn’t a win.

There were a wide variety of reasons why the Giants were able to give playoff caliber teams all they could handle, but not quite close out games when they had the chance.

One of the biggest keys to making the leap from close losses to closing out games will be for the under-the-radar players to step up. This week we asked you which of the Giants’ less heralded players will establish themselves as the hidden gem on the roster. In other words, which player you would tell fans of another team to watch out for as an impact player they might not know about.

Your choice this week? Defensive tackle Darius Alexander.

Chris’ thoughts

All told, I can’t say I’m too surprised by these results.

It just makes sense that Giants fans want to see Alexander step up and become “that guy” who impacts the game, considering the concerns surrounding the defensive line. And the position is ripe to produce a hidden gem as well, considering defensive tackle is a (generally) thankless position. Alexander has the traits to be a player who makes an impact as both a run defender and pass rusher, with good size and near-elite athleticism for his frame.

Alexander was a non-factor to start his rookie season after dealing with an undisclosed injury for most of last spring and summer. However, he improved consistently over the second half of the season once he got healthy and played under Charlie Bullen. He could be a player primed to make a real jump in 2026 with a year and a full NFL off-season under his belt.

There has been significantly more optimism for the Giants so far in 2026 than we’ve seen in the past for a team coming off of a 4-win season. There’s always a general trend toward optimism in the offseason, but this year’s optimism has more substance than in previous years. That’s largely being driven by the hope that John Harbaugh can build the kind of culture in New York that made the Baltimore Ravens the model of consistency and competitiveness for the last 18 years.

Right now the Giants are still considered the least-likely team to win the NFC East, but we’re also seeing more optimism from Vegas. The Giants’ over/under is still only at 7.5 per FanDuel, but that’s still 2 wins better than the over/under of 5.5 prior to the 2025 season.

Speaking personally, I’m excited to see each of these players in training camp and the preseason. We’ve already talked about Alexander, but I’m equally intrigued by the other players and how they perform under the new regime.

Defenses typically need three good corners and three good safeties to effectively combat modern offenses. Ar’Darius Washington’s versatility to be a “nickel” who blurs the lines between slot corner and safety could make him a valuable piece for the defense.

Matt Nagy and Brian Callahan have both shown a tendency toward versatile backs, and Tyrone Tracy is very versatile. At the same time, the Giants have been most successful with counter runs over the last couple years, so Tracy might be an unexpectedly good fit with Greg Roman’s love of power runs.

Finally, John Michael Schmitz has improved each season, and the conditions might be right for him to blossom the way similar centers have in the past. Adding Francis Mauigoa and keeping Jermaine Eluemunor could give the rest of the line the size and strength to allow JMS to win with leverage, athleticism, and positioning. Pairing big guards and tackles with smaller centers is a potent combination, as we’ve seen with Tyler Linderabum (300-305), Jason Kelce (280-295), and Weston Richburg (290-295).

Really, if the Giants want to start putting away these close games, they’ll need each of these players (and more) to step up and have a positive impact.

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