Damon Harrison To Sign With New York Giants

The defensive overhaul of the New York Giants got another big free agent infusion, this time in a literal sense. The Giants are about to beef up the interior of their defensive line with massive nose tackle Damon Harrison, formerly of the cross-town rival Jets.

This is the background on Harrison:

"“He’s called Snacks for good reason. Damon Harrison is a big boy at 6’4″, 350 lbs. What’s so remarkable about him though, aside from the sheer mass is how well he moves and how strong he is. With him manning the middle of the New York Jets defensive line, opponents didn’t need long to find out they couldn’t run the football.  At all.  In 2015, the Jets finished the year ranked 2nd in the league at stopping the run, allowing just 83.4 yards per game. He’s not much of a pass rusher, but he’s an active defender who is the best at what he does.”"

Given how soft the Giants defense has been the past few years, they needed to start adding guys who would bring toughness and power. That is what Harrison is all about.  It doesn’t matter that he’s coming from a 3-4 to a 4-3. He knows his job will be to plug the middle of the line, stop the run and free up the pass rushers. It may not be a glamorous move, but it can pay huge dividends.

GRADE:  B+

Nose tackles in general don’t make that much money, so if the Giants were going to spend some money, that’s a good position to do so. Throw in the specific benefits he’ll bring the defense and it’s as smart and responsible a move as a team can make without breaking the bank.