The New York Giants have seen some major changes along their interior defensive line this offseason, particularly in the wake of the Dexter Lawrence trade.
For the last seven seasons, Big Blue had a certified stud at the nose of their defense, earning three Pro Bowl nods and two second-team All-Pro selections.
Of course, all that changed in April when Lawrence and the Giants front office were unable to find common ground on a contract extension, and New York shipped him to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Giants have done their best to replace Lawrence and his dominating presence, and they’ve made several veteran additions to try and counteract the loss.
But it’s hard to replace a superstar defender in the NFL, and New York may notice his absence once the regular season rolls around.
Giants’ Biggest Weakness May Be Defensive Tackle
ESPN’s Mike Clay, Aaron Schatz, and Seth Walder listed and ranked every NFL team’s roster from worst to best, and pointed out the biggest strengths and weaknesses for every franchise ahead of the 2026 season.
According to Clay, defensive tackle remains the New York Giants’ biggest weakness, particularly due to the departure of Lawrence.
“New York is doing its best to patch up this position after trading away superstar Dexter Lawrence II. It’s a tough assignment after the Giants ranked 28th in the NFL in run stop win rate last season (28.3%) with Lawrence,” wrote Clay.
“Offseason signing Roy Robertson-Harris already tore his Achilles, leaving DJ Reader and Shelby Harris as potential starters (both are 32 and older) and the likes of Darius Alexander and Leki Fotu competing for significant roles.”
Trading away a player like Lawrence was never going to make the Giants a better team; that much is clear.
But it’s not like they were an elite unit with him, either. As Clay points out, they had one of the worst run-stop win rates in the league in 2025, and gave up the second-most rushing yards per game (145.3) to opposing offenses.
New York is likely hoping that a deeper rotation of defenders will help address their inability to stop the run.
Giants Did Add Better Run Defenders
While Clay points to the age of the New York Giants’ current interior defensive tackles as a problem, they are at least better in one area that Lawrence struggled in.
Their top two (and projected starters), D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris, both finished with better Pro Football Focus run-defending grades than Lawrence did last season.
Reader, who spent the 2025 season with the Detroit Lions, earned a 61.7 grade, good for 36th-best in the league.
Harris, who was with the Cleveland Browns, finished the season with a 64.4 run defense grade, earning the 28th-best spot.
Compare that to Lawrence, who, despite being one of the best pass-rushing defensive tackles in the league, recorded a 57.0 grade and was 56th best at his position.
Losing the long-time star is a tough pill to swallow for Giants fans, but hopefully, the improved run defense will help soften that blow.
Giants’ Biggest Weakness Exacerbated by Dexter Lawrence Absence