How Giants rookies are making immediate impact during 3-1 start
Arvell Reese of the Giants celebrates his interception during the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Arvell Reese carefully tucked a football inside his backpack at his locker Sunday. For a second straight week, the rookie took a ball home, this time after his first NFL interception in the Giants’ 36-24 win over the Cardinals.
“Just try to put it in the house somewhere,” Reese said. “Probably frame it, one day, I guess.”
The Giants (3-1) could not have pictured things going better for Reese or their rookie class. Through four games, several of them have contributed as starters, and it’s validating John Harbaugh’s impact on personnel moves with the front office.
Consider what happened against the Cardinals. Malachi Fields caught his first touchdown pass, a 12-yarder from Jameis Winston, along with a 40-yarder with the Giants facing third-and-20. Dominic Zvada finished 3-for-3 on field-goals attempts, including a 52-yarder with 2:11 remaining to make it a six-point game.
Zvada is 9-for-9 on field-goal attempts this season and is the first Giants rookie to make at least three field goals of at least 50 yards in a single season.
Sisi Mauigoa was beaten on a sack of Winston but mostly held his own at right guard. Then there’s Reese, who played with violence and precision.
He showed his closing speed on an open-field tackle of running back Tyler Allgeier on a third-down play. He deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage and finished with a game-high nine tackles.
Reese’s second-quarter interception came off a deflection by defensive lineman Shelby Harris and set up the Giants to take the lead. On an earlier blitz, Reese hit Jacoby Brissett, which led to Greg Newsome II’s interception.
“He’s getting more comfortable as the year goes on,” second-year linebacker Abdul Carter said. “I felt the same thing last year as each game went on. I got more and more comfortable. Now he’s starting to find his rhythm.”
It’s validation, for now, that the Giants drafted well with Harbaugh’s input on personnel for the first time. Given how some recent picks under general manger Joe Schoen have fared since 2022, it’s refreshing to see.
The Giants want to turn things around quickly under Harbaugh. It helps that the rookies are a part of that by earning the trust of the coaches right away.
“It started when we first got here hearing Coach Harbaugh’s vision for us and just us being hungry,” Fields said. "Just wanting to be out there, help the team and do whatever we can whenever the play comes our way.”
Four games in, the rookies are key cogs in a team that’s one victory away from tying last season’s win total. But it’s no big deal to Reese because pressure is about doing your job, not the weight of expectations.
“I play because I don't want to let the person beside me down,” Reese said. “I do my job and try to dominate so he can know I've got his back."
That’s why he got another ball to take home.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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