Giants' DL Roy Robertson-Harris Out After Tearing Achilles During Practice

John Harbaugh inherited a tough situation when he joined the New York Giants, and it keeps getting harder. The Giants were already dealing with questions after trading Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals just days before the NFL Draft.

Moving your best defender while coming off a last-place finish was never going to sit well, and replacing a lineman of his caliber isn't something you patch up overnight, especially in a draft class that was thin up front. Now, barely into OTA season, the defensive line has taken another serious hit.

Veteran lineman Roy Robertson-Harris tore his Achilles during Thursday's practice, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. The injury is a significant blow to a unit that was already short on proven depth.

Giants Defensive Line Rotation Takes Another Hit

Robertson-Harris started all 17 games last season in the first year of his two-year $9 million deal. He brought experience and reliability to the front, qualities that become a lot harder to replace when the roster behind him is still being built out.

With Robertson-Harris now sidelined, the Giants will likely lean harder on DJ Reader and Shelby Harris to anchor the line. Duggan also noted that younger players like Darius Alexander and Bobby Jamison-Travis could find themselves pushed into bigger roles sooner than the team originally planned.

Reader and Harris were both absent from the Giants' first open OTA session along with Sam Roberts, though their absences don't appear to be injury-related. Skipping voluntary workouts is common around the league for established veterans, particularly this early in the offseason.

That said, building chemistry in a new system has its own value, and some could argue the spring reps matter more when you're still finding your footing with a new team.

Robertson-Harris also becomes the second Giants player in the past week to suffer a torn Achilles. Duggan reported that undrafted rookie cornerback Thaddeus Dixon went down with the same injury just days earlier, adding to what's shaping up to be a difficult start medically for the organization.

Harbaugh's first season with the Giants was always going to come with growing pains. Losing a starting lineman before training camp even opens makes the road ahead a little steeper.

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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 8:29 AM.