The New York Giants struggled at linebacker throughout the 2025 season. Veteran Bobby Okereke remained steady but showed signs of decline, and an early foot injury to Micah McFadden forced the Giants to lean heavily on Darius Muasau and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles in expanded roles. What was meant to be rotational depth quickly became a central responsibility, exposing the unit’s lack of proven impact behind Okereke.
Okereke, though, is entering the last year of his contract, and the Giants could save $9 million against the cap while incurring a $5.5 million dead cap hit. Okereke, among a few other veterans on the roster, could become cap casualties, depending on what the front office does over the next few months.
Flannigan-Fowles and McFadden are both free agents; the latter could be an inexpensive option, who showed a positive developmental arc through his rookie contract. Retaining him on the cheap seems wise if the new coaching staff believes in his talent. Even still, the Giants need to add more talent to the position group. Here are five veterans who may be targets for Dennard Wilson’s defense.
Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville Jaguars
Will the Giants make a major investment at linebacker in free agency? It’s unclear — but signing Lloyd would qualify as a significant swing, potentially commanding upwards of $19 million per year.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound linebacker is still just 27 years old and topped 100 tackles in each of his first three seasons. His 2025 campaign was less prolific, statistically — he finished with 81 tackles — but that dip coincided with a calf injury suffered in Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks that sidelined him until Week 10.
When healthy, Lloyd offers true sideline-to-sideline range, physicality between the tackles, and three-down versatility. The question for the New York Giants wouldn’t be about talent — it would be about cost, and whether they’re willing to commit premium cap space to anchor the middle of the defense.
Even with a signing like Lloyd, prospects such as Sonny Styles out of Ohio State University — along with other draft targets — likely wouldn’t be ruled out. However, pairing a major free-agent contract with an early draft investment would represent a significant allocation of resources at linebacker, a position general manager Joe Schoen has not historically prioritized with heavy spending.
Lloyd is a great football player who would help the Giants, but this free agent class is loaded with talent at linebacker, and the draft is deep as well. New York could use a player like Lloyd, but it may come down to money.
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Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints
The savvy 37-year old veteran has played for the Saints since the 2018 season. He’s logged over 1,000 snaps in every season with the Saints, other than 2018, when he played 994 snaps. Davis is an insanely smart, physical linebacker who remains athletically sufficient. He has just under 14,000 career defensive snaps, and he’s had more than 100 tackles in every season since 2017 — he had 99 in 2016.
The Giants could use veteran leadership on the defensive side of the football. Players like Davis and Calais Campbell could be culture-shifting additions that can expedite the Giants’ progress to competency in the early stages of the John Harbaugh era. Not only is Davis productive, but he also epitomizes smart, tough, and dependable. New York could use speed at the position, but an addition like Davis still makes sense.
Leo Chenal, Kansas City Chiefs
Will Chenal follow Jim Leonhard to the Buffalo Bills? It’s certainly possible. But the Giants could also emerge as a suitor.
Chenal was a blitzing nightmare at Wisconsin under Leonhard, and he has carved out a valuable role with the Kansas City Chiefs over the past four seasons in Steve Spagnuolo’s aggressive system. Across 1,786 defensive snaps, he has compiled 218 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and 48 pressures — strong production for a rotational linebacker often deployed as a situational weapon.
Chenal also won’t command the same price tag as loyd, and at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, he’s still just 25 years old. He brings tone-setting physicality against the run, legitimate pass-rush utility, and enough awareness in short zones to disrupt throwing lanes. With his downhill explosiveness and sideline-to-sideline range, Chenal profiles as a versatile second-level defender who can impact all three downs in the right scheme.
Devin Bush, Cleveland Browns
Bush saw his early momentum stall due to significant injuries during his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. A brief stint with the Seattle Seahawks in 2023 yielded limited playing time, and his trajectory appeared uncertain.
That changed when he signed with the Cleveland Browns as a 25-year-old, five-year veteran. Under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Bush revitalized his career, posting 78 tackles in his first season in Cleveland before erupting for 126 tackles last year. Now just 27, he’s reestablished himself as a productive, ascending presence in the middle of the defense.
Bush is undersized at just 5’11, but his stout 234 pound frame is coupled with hard-hitting aggression. He recorded 44 STOPs in 2025, and he’s maintained an impressive 7% missed tackle rate through his career. Bush should not cost much, and his trajectory is ascending. He may be a solid option for Joe Schoen and the Giants.
Kaden Elliss, Atlanta Falcons
The 30-year-old free agent. Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham was vague when addressing the media about Kaden Elliss’ future with the Falcons:
“He’s a guy that we’re obviously evaluating, and I think there’s a lot of linebackers in this market. We’ve got to really look at our cap situation and our roster moving forward”
Elliss is not a household name, but he’s been solid for the Falcons since 2023, where he was coached by Frank Bush, the Giants’ current LBs coach. Elliss has recorded over 100 in all of his seasons with the Falcons, and had 78 in his final season with the New Orleans Saints, the team that drafted him in the seventh round out of Idaho in 2019.
Familiarity helps Elliss, but his skill-set also fits what Dennard Wilson likes to do defensively. Elliss was used frequently in the Falcons’ pressure package. The 6-foot-3, 238-pound linebacker would often align on the edge and he’s not a stiff dropping into coverage. Elliss has played more than 1,000 snaps in each of his last three seasons. He has 124 pressures and 22 sacks in his career. Elliss should not cost much on the open market and he would be an immediate upgrade for the Giants at linebacker.
