No. 74 and the New York Giants Player Who Wore It Best

The countdown to the start of the New York Giants’ 2025 season is underway, as we’re now 74 days away from the opening kickoff against the Washington Commanders. To count down the days until then, we look at the best players to wear the corresponding number for the Giants.

Who Wore #74 in at Least One Regular Season Game*

OT Ian Allen (2002-03), OL Rich Baldinger (1982-83), DT Mike Bundra (1965), DE Charles Cook (1983), OG Lou Cordileone (1960), OT Dennis Crane (1970), OT Roger Davis (1965), LB-OG Don Ettinger (1948-50), OT Ereck Flowers (2016-18), OT Scott Gragg (1995-99), DT Art Hauser (1959), DT Dwayne Hendricks (2011), OG John Hicks (1974-77), NT Erick Howard (1986-94), DT Jim Krahl (1978), DE Chris Linnin (1980), DT Tom McCann (1969), C Russell Mitchell (1987), DT Jim Moran (1964-67), OT Tom Neville (1979), OT Matt Peart (2020-23), OT Mike Remmers (2019), DT Dave Roller (1971), OT Geoff Schwartz (2014-15), OT Billy Shipp (1954), OT Tim Stokes (1981), OL Greg Van Roten (2024), OT Chris Ziemann (2000).

*Jersey numbers per Pro Football Reference.

Which Giants Player Wore It Best?

Nose tackle Erik Howard spent the first nine of his 11 NFL seasons with the Giants before he signed with the New York Jets, where he finished the final two years of his career.

Howard was a stocky, powerful interior force who could apply pressure from the front of the pocket but also played with strength against the run despite battling through a variety of injuries. He was a part of four postseason trips with the Giants, including victories in Super Bowls XXI and XXV.

The Giants took Howard in the second round, with the 49th overall pick, out of Washington State in the 1986 NFL Draft. Although he was part of the Cougars’ four-man front, Giants head coach Bill Parcells immediately converted him into a 3-4 nose tackle to play behind Pro Bowler Jim Burt (1986-88).

Howard missed eight games in the middle of his rookie season because of a broken hand but came up with some important plays in the playoffs. He recorded four tackles in the NFC Divisional Round win vs. San Francisco.

In the second quarter of Super Bowl XXI, he was in on the goal-line stand that left Denver scoreless and battled a double-team to help pressure quarterback John Elway during George Martin’s safety.

He became a full-time starter in 1989 and registered a career-high 69 tackles to go with 5.5 sacks. Howard responded with 67 tackles and three sacks to earn a trip to the Pro Bowl in 1990, but the most important stretch of his career started with the NFC Championship Game in San Francisco.

The 49ers led 13-12, with 2:40 remaining and needing a first down to run out the clock. On first down from the Giants’ 40, Roger Craig took a handoff and plunged up the middle, where he had the ball knocked free by Howard and recovered by linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

The Giants marched down the field and won the game on Matt Bahr’s 42-yard field goal at the gun. In Super Bowl XXV, defensive coordinator Bill Belichick decided to rely heavily on just two defensive linemen – Howard and Leonard Marshall – to better deal with Buffalo’s explosive passing attack. Howard made five stops in the dramatic 20-19 victory.

A back injury cost Howard 10 games of the 1991 season. He started 15 games and recovered a fumble in three straight games (Weeks 8-10) during the 1992 season before back issues forced him into reserve duty for 16 games in 1993. In his final season with the Giants, Howard recorded 44 tackles and a career-high 6.5 sacks over 16 starts.

In 2024, Howard was named No. 94 on the list of the all-time Giants’ Top 100 Players as selected by an independent committee of journalists, NFL/Pro Football Hall of Fame executives, and superfans polled by the team.

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Who’s Wearing It Now?

Offensive lineman Greg Van Roten was issued No. 74 after the Giants signed him as a veteran free agent before the 2024 season. He played every offensive snap (1,125) last year, starting 15 games at right guard and two in place of injured center John Michael Schmitz.

A 10-year veteran, Van Roten has also been with Green Bay (2012-13), Seattle (offseason in 2014), Jacksonville (offseason in 2017), Carolina (2017-19), the New York Jets (2020-21), Buffalo (2022) and Las Vegas (2023). He also spent 2015-16 in the CFL.

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