Giants DL Roy Robertson-Harris Tears Achilles at OTAs

Veteran defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris suffered a torn Achilles tendon at the New York Giants' third organized team activity practice on Thursday, a season-ending injury first reported by Dan Duggan of The Athletic. It is the second torn Achilles the team has absorbed in two weeks.

Robertson-Harris Was the Giants' Most Experienced Starter Up Front

Robertson-Harris, in his tenth NFL season, started all 17 games at defensive end for New York last year, recording 35 tackles and three tackles for loss. At 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds, he was the anchor of a defensive front that had already been stripped of its most dominant interior player: the Giants traded star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals just days before the NFL Draft, after Lawrence had expressed dissatisfaction with the organization's direction. Robertson-Harris is in the final year of a two-year, $9 million contract, meaning the Giants now face an extended recovery timeline for a player whose replacement will not be straightforward.

A Second Torn Achilles in Fourteen Days Exposes Depth That Was Already Stretched

The injury follows the same diagnosis for undrafted rookie cornerback Thaddeus Dixon, who tore his Achilles the previous Wednesday. Two torn Achilles tendons in consecutive weeks at voluntary practice is an unusual injury cluster for any team; for a roster still being rebuilt under head coach Brian Daboll, the timing is particularly difficult to absorb.

Darius Alexander and Draft Picks Now Face Accelerated Roles

Second-year lineman Darius Alexander reportedly absorbed Robertson-Harris's practice reps immediately after Robertson-Harris left the field Thursday. The Giants will otherwise lean on recent veteran additions — DJ Reader, Shelby Harris, Sam Roberts, Leki Fotu, and Zacch Pickens — along with sixth-round draft pick Bobby Jamison-Travis. One important qualifier on that depth picture: Reader, Harris, and Roberts were not present at Thursday's voluntary practice session, so how those veterans respond to the vacancy, and when, remains to be seen. What is clear is that Alexander and Jamison-Travis will be asked to contribute sooner than the Giants had planned heading into the summer.