New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh said at the beginning of training camp that the team had three starting inside linebackers: Big-ticket free agent Tremaine Edmunds, first-round pick Arvell Reese, and Micah McFadden, whom the team re-signed in free agency.
Edmunds, a two-time Pro Bowl selection who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 250 pounds, was signed to run the defense and wear the green dot as the signal caller. Reese, who has similar dimensions to Edmunds but with a 4.46 speed, is going to be a game-wrecker for the Giants.
So, where does the 6-foot-2, 243-pound McFadden, the Giants’ former leading tackler who is coming off a lost season to a foot injury, fit in? There will be fewer snaps for him with the others around. Harbaugh says not to be concerned.
“We’ve got three starting inside linebackers. That’s a really good situation,” Harbaugh said. “We treat them appropriately, all those guys. They’re going to play a lot of ball.”
McFadden saw where the Giants were going this spring and could have latched on elsewhere, but liked what he saw in the team that drafted him in the fifth round out of Indiana back in 2022.
“I like the situation. I like the coaching staff they brought in, and on the defensive side of the ball as well,” McFadden told reporters on Wednesday at training camp. “I like DWil (defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson), I like (linebackers coach) Frank Bush, and the system. I’ve played in something similar before, but I like the system, and I’m excited to be a part. I think they’ve got a great — like I said, they’ve got a great staff here, and the culture that they brought in is something that I want to be a part of.”
McFadden knows better than most how a season can turn on a player. He was poised for a huge contract season last year after leading the team in tackles in 2024. He suffered the dreaded Lisfranc injury to his right foot in the Giants’ opening game against Washington and was lost for the season. He was not offered a long-term contract extension by the Giants but did decide to return on a one-year, $3.75 million deal.
“I think at this point it’s just control the controllables, and with that be ready when the opportunity is called, but first and foremost embrace my role, and whatever that may be, go out and do my part to help the team,” he said.
That’s a recurring theme for this Giants team this year. Players want to be here and contribute in any way or fashion they can. McFadden is playing on the second team at the moment, next to Jack Kelly, a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft that is opening some eyes at training camp.
“He’s (Kelly) looking good, and like Arvell, I think both the rookies are some of the best rookies I’ve seen as far as picking up the defense and playing fast and really not a whole lot of mistakes out there,” said McFadden.
The Giants’ linebacker room is talented, and they are bonding fast. McFadden likes what he sees, especially from the freakish Reese.
“I think we have a really good room, and our standard is going to be to be the best inside group in the league, and that’s something we’re looking forward to putting on tape. But I don’t think Arvell needs too much help,” McFadden said. “He’s a smart dude, and he knows how to play the game, but if there ever is kind of something different about the position that comes up, it comes up for both of us, just kind of talking it out and repping through it, I think. He’s done a great job.”
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants’ Micah McFadden ready to ‘run through a wall’ after lost 2025 season
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
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By John Fennelly, Giants Wire | USA TODAY Network
