Giants' Abdul Carter holding himself accountable after quiet start to rookie season: 'I gotta do better'

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Even amid a 2-7 season mired at the midway point by injuries to young stars such as Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo, there is optimism for who the Giants can become in the near future.

Perhaps lost in some of the hubbub is the relatively ho-hum start to No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter‘s career.

The defender is personally keyed in on his performance, though, and he’s intent to improve during the second half of his rookie campaign.

“I gotta do better,” Carter said, per Pat Leonard of the Daily News. “It’s about being more physical, more violent, being in the right gap. I just gotta do better.”

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Big Blue must do better defensively overall. Although Brian Burns leads the NFL with 11 sacks, the next-closest Giant is Kayvon Thibodeaux at 2.5. New York has been picked apart, currently allowing an average of 27.6 points and 382.1 yards per game, respectively good for 28th and 29th in the NFL.

The first pass rusher selected in the 2025 draft, Carter, an All-American and 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at Penn State, was meant to create an impossible trio to compensate for alongside Burns and Thibodeaux. He entered the NFL coming off a season in which he totaled 12 sacks and led the FBS with 23.5 tackles for loss.

Thus far, he’s managed 0.5 sacks — logged in the season opener — and one tackle for loss. Since contributing five quarterback hits in Week 4 against the Chargers to bring his season total to eight, he’s failed to touch the QB. He’s also struggled at times with gap integrity and containing the run.

There simply hasn’t been a ton to highlight in the stat sheet.

“It’s been a learning process,” Carter said. “I’m holding myself accountable more.”

However, Carter has still displayed the pass-rushing prowess he’s known for. The results haven’t been there, but with his engine and his creation of pressure, the dam seems certain to break at some point soon.

Carter has 34 quarterback pressures, according to Next Gen Stats, tied for ninth with the Browns’ Myles Garrett, and his 20 quick pressures (under three seconds) rank third.

Of the 10 defenders with 34 or more pressure this season, the players with the fewest sacks after Carter’s 0.5 are the Chiefs’ George Karlaftis (38 pressures) and the Colts’ Laiatu Latu (35), who both have five.

And while Carter hasn’t created pressure at the same percentage as the top guys in the league, his 13.7% pressure rate is actually higher than his teammate Burns’ 12.6%.

He’s causing stress on signal-callers and opening up opportunities for others, he has just been unlucky getting home.

In a year that’s turning out to be all about growth for the Giants, Carter is seemingly on the verge of breaking through.

He certainly possesses the correct mindset to make it happen.

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