Much has been made about the strength of the New York Giants‘ pass rush entering 2025.
Especially after selecting Abdul Carter at No. 3 overall in the NFL Draft and dropping him alongside veterans Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, expectations are high. But, even that potentially dominant unit might not be the backbone of coordinator Shane Bowen‘s defense.
After all, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has made three Pro Bowls and is a two-time Second-Team All-Pro, arguably the most gifted player across the Giants’ roster.
Ahead of Lawrence’s seventh season, since being chosen No. 17 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, CBS Sports analyst Pete Prisco lists the Giants’ stalwart as one of the top-100 players in the league, at No. 29 overall.
“Big Dex missed time with injury last year,” Prisco points out for CBS, listing Lawrence as the second-ranked defensive tackle in the NFL. “But he was a force before being sent to the sidelines. He can play the run as well as anybody, but he can also push the pocket. He’s a massive force inside.”
Lawrence posted a career-high nine sacks last season, while adding 44 total tackles in 12 games, before suffering a season-ending elbow injury.
If Lawrence is fully healthy and hits the ground running in a second year in Bowen’s system, with Carter now wreaking havoc off the edge, there’s a real possibility the Giants’ defense makes major strides and the 27-year-old interior wrecking ball climbs the defensive tackle rankings next summer.
More ‘Exotic’ Blitzes Coming for Giants Defense?
Mike Coppola | GettyBrian Burns and Dexter Lawrence are critical pieces of what could be a dominant and revitalized New York Giants pass rush in 2025.
The combination of Burns, Thibodeaux, and Carter is a callback to the Giants’ defenses from 2007 through 2011 that featured former defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s famed ‘NASCAR’ fronts, with four edge rushers pinning their ears back and getting after the quarterback on third down.
According to Burns, who enters his second season a Giants uniform with lofty expectations, there could be some unique looks coming on third downs and passing situations for New York, this fall.
“Our third down could be a little more exotic,” Burns recently told reporters. “With the addition of Carter. It’s kind of like pick your poison. And then we have a Dex, so…”
Lawrence’s ability to collapse the pocket as an interior pass rusher can’t be discounted, given that in addition to setting a new career-high in sacks, the 6-foot-4 and 340-pound former Clemson standout also generated 36 pressures and five quarterback hits in 2024.
The bottom line for the Giants is that Bowen has a stable of disruptive pass rushers at his disposal, and there could be some unique and havoc-wreaking looks coming to East Rutherford, come September.
Russell Wilson’s Locker Selection Has Deep Meaning for Giants QB
Dan Mullan | GettyRussell Wilson is already changing the way the New York Giants practice, ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
Some players are deeply tied to their jersey numbers, others have game day rituals and superstitions tied to their game day routine, but new Giants quarterback Russell Wilson couldn’t wait to make a different decision when he signed as a free agent with New York this spring.
Wilson made a very specific choice for his locker at the Giants’ Quest Diagnostics Training Center.
It’s the same locker stall he used when he won the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, at MetLife Stadium, back in 2013.
“The first story that Russ shared with me was his locker position,” Giants quarterback Jameis Winston told reporters on June 17. “He’s sitting in the same locker that he sat in when he won the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks. I think that gives some type of context of what it means to him.
“Every year, especially at the quarterback position, there’s only one of us, so we have to approach that with a type of integrity and the type of responsibility that no one else has.”
The Giants face an uphill climb to play their way into the Super Bowl conversation this season, but Wilson is clinging both to a tangible reminder of past glory and likely using his locker as a reminder each day of what it takes in order to lift the Lombardi Trophy at season’s end.
Wilson, though says he believes things are starting to come together for his Giants teammates.
“I just think that we’re just on this constant growth of trajectory,” Wilson told reporters. “And we’ve got to stay there. I think that we’ve grown so much every day. The team, the team, the team, the team. I think we just have gotten better and better every day.
“Offense, defense, special teams. I think our camaraderie has been amazing. It’s always cool, this is going into my 14th year in the National Football League and it’s fun to be able to see guys who are young, staying extra, doing the extra necessary things.”
Giants’ Star Ranked No. 2 at His Position in the NFL Ahead of 2025 Season