Jevon Holland Ruled Out vs Texans as Giants Lose Their Top Safety

6 days ago

3 min read

Updated: 13 hours ago

Published Oct 25, 2026, 8:05 AM ET | By Vincent Rapisardi

Key points

Jevon Holland (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Texans, The Athletic's Dan Duggan reported Saturday.
Holland was listed as questionable on Friday's injury report but has not been cleared by an independent neurologist.
Ar'Darius Washington is expected to start at free safety in his place, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported.

Jevon Holland will not play for the Giants on Sunday in Houston. The safety, who has been in the concussion protocol since the Week 6 loss to the Saints, was downgraded from questionable to out on Saturday.

Big Blue Film Room shared Duggan's report on X: "This is a big loss for the Giants defense." The Giants also ruled out tight end Theo Johnson (neck) on Saturday.

Tremaine Edmunds is already out for the year, as we covered in Tremaine Edmunds Out for Season: Who Replaces Him for the Giants. Cornerback Greg Newsome II was ruled out on Friday.

Why Jevon Holland Could Not Clear Protocol in Time

Holland did not practice Wednesday. He was limited Thursday and Friday, and the Giants listed him as questionable.

That was not enough. He still has not been cleared by an independent neurologist, according to RotoWire via CBS Sports.

The Giants (3-2-1) lead the NFC East. Houston (2-4) has won two straight. The Texans will also be without safeties Reed Blankenship and Jalen Pitre.

Ar'Darius Washington Steps In at Free Safety

Washington is expected to start at free safety, Garafolo reported. He is listed second behind Holland on the depth chart and has played in five games for the Giants this season.

The 26-year-old spent his first five NFL seasons with John Harbaugh's Ravens before signing with the Giants in March.

Tyler Nubin (neck) is questionable at the other safety spot, with Jason Pinnock behind him. Cornerback Paulson Adebo (knee) is also questionable, as detailed in Paulson Adebo Returns to Giants Practice as His IR Window Opens.

Safety Raheem Layne was also elevated from the practice squad on Saturday for depth.

What the Giants Lose Without Jevon Holland

Holland was the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for September. He picked off a pass in each of the first three games, and his four takeaways led the NFL, per Giants.com.

By the Numbers: Jevon Holland With the Giants

Season	Tackles	INT / Forced fumbles
2025 (14 games)	61	1 / 0
2026 (6 games)	30	3 / 2

Source: Giants.com's Jevon Holland career stats.

Holland is in the second year of a three-year, $45.3 million contract he signed in March 2025.

Dennard Wilson's defense has leaned on pressure, which we covered in Giants Blitz Plan vs Saints: Dennard Wilson Expected to Send the House. A heavy blitz rate puts more weight on the last line of the defense, and that is where Holland played.

Our Take: Holland Is Proof That Coaching Matters

I said it at the start of October: it's amazing what a change in coaching staff can do. Jevon Holland was invisible last season. Within the first month under this staff, he was the NFC Defensive Player of the Month.

I was saying it before the award, too. After his pick against the Titans in late September, I posted that Holland is having a year, and the numbers backed it up.

I've said more than once that Dennard Wilson has saved Deonte Banks and Holland. When Banks won Player of the Week a few days after Holland's award, my reaction was simple: coaching matters.

That is why this one hurts. The Giants are missing the player who best shows what Wilson's defense can do. Washington knows Harbaugh from Baltimore, and now he gets his shot.

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