Week 2 of the 2026 season is one of the darkest days in recent memory for New York Giants fans.
Jaxson Dart‘s season-ending injury, along with injuries to All-Pros Brian Burns and Andrew Thomas, leaves the rest of the season feeling hopeless.
However, there is a silver lining in the injury plague: giving Arvell Reese the freedom to develop everywhere on the field.
Burns’ Absence Opens the Door for Reese on the Edge
Burns is bound to miss time with his ankle injury, creating a void on the edge.
Though Reese has had a solid start to his rookie campaign at linebacker, his edge-rush potential is too good to leave untested. He dominated up front at Ohio State, logging 8.0 sacks and 23 pressures in just 104 pass-rush snaps in his final season with the Buckeyes.
Reese has shown his pass-rush ability in the NFL as a blitzer, too. He’s already at two pressures on just six pass rushes. His strength and size make him a force anywhere on the line, but now is the time to test him on the edge in a real role.
Reese has held up well enough to keep playing in the middle of the field, but with the Giants’ contention chances slim, Burns’ injury is a perfect opportunity to see how his rushing translates at the pro level.
If he plays well there too, New York will have unlocked one of the league’s most versatile defenders.
A Derailed Season Gives the Giants Room to Let Reese Grow
Reese has translated his physicality well to the NFL, but his coverage still needs significant work. Quick reactions in space will be the biggest area for growth as he shifts full-time to middle linebacker.
Reese has struggled to lock onto matchups, and his indecisiveness has cost New York at times. After a strong Week 1, there may have been urgency to mask the issue. The Dart injury changes everything.
Now, though, the G-Men can view this more as a season of experimenting with their building blocks.
Before, they may have felt they needed to switch Reese into easier coverage matchups to hide his coverage struggles temporarily. Now, the Giants will feel comfortable putting Reese anywhere this season. They can line him up anywhere in the front seven and see what works best once the team is fully healthy.
From there, the New York Giants’ defense can be transformative, lining Arvell Reese anywhere up front and knowing he can hold his own at multiple spots.
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