The New York Giants made the tough decision this offseason to replace one of their best and longest-tenured players, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
After seven seasons, three Pro Bowl nods, and two second-team All-Pro honors, the former 17th overall pick and the team that drafted him were unable to find common ground on an extension, and the Giants traded him to the Cincinnati Bengals, netting a first-round draft pick.
To replace him, New York turned to the free-agent market, inking veteran names like DJ Reader and Shelby Harris to replace Lawrence in the aggregate.
It’s never going to be easy replacing a former All-Pro-caliber player, but Reader told the New York Post’s Steve Serby he’s going to do his best despite his different skill set from Lawrence.
DJ Reader on Replacing Ex-Giants Star Dexter Lawrence
In the interview with the New York Post, Serby asked Reader about the pressure he’s facing in replacing such a talented player on the New York Giants, but the 10-year veteran is ignoring the outside noise and focusing on himself.
“I put a tremendous amount of pressure on myself as a player, especially in the run game. Obviously there’s pressures from the outside, but I don’t pay attention to ’em as much. I feel very confident in me being to do the job I came here to do. Not gonna be that player, not looking to be Dex, he plays the game a little bit different than the way I play it, but I feel like we both do it effectively,” Reader told Serby.
“We affect the game. We affect the quarterback, we affect the run game. The thing is a special way that I do it, and I’ve been doing it for a long time at a high level in my position. So I would just say you’re getting a physical player who’s really bought into the system and is gonna play his ass off.”
While Reader is certainly a great player in his own right, he doesn’t have the career accolades a player like Lawrence has to his name. That doesn’t mean he can’t be impactful, though, and in some areas on defense, the former Detroit Lions defensive tackle is actually better.
Where DJ Reader is Better Than Dexter Lawrence
Lawrence was an elite pass rusher for the New York Giants over the last seven years of his career. He recorded a grand total of 30.5 sacks, which is a lot for a defensive tackle.
But he always seemed to struggle against the run, which has been the Giants’ biggest defensive weakness over the last few seasons.
Just last season, New York gave up 145.3 rushing yards per game, 31st-worst across the entire league.
Reader, who carries a reputation as a staunch run defender, is hoping to change that in 2026.
Serby asked the veteran defensive tackle if the Giants will be able to stop the run this season in the interview, and Reader gave a short but stern answer.
“Yeah, I confidently believe so. We gotta go out there and do it, but I believe so.”
We’ll see if Reader and Big Blue’s new-look defense can pull it off.
Giants’ DJ Reader Gets Blunt on Pressure to Replace Dexter Lawrence