Lawrence is great, but he can’t do it alone
The New York Giants had strong defensive lines in recent memories. Since Jerry Reese signed Damon ‘Snacks’ Harrison, the spine of the Giants’ defense was sturdy; names like Dalvin Tomlinson, Leonard Wiliams, and B.J. Hill were all above-average to excellent starters in a deep rotation over the last decade.
Williams was traded for a second-round pick that was used to acquire Brian Burns before the 2024 season. The pain of Williams’ departure was compounded when A’Shawn Robinson took his talents to Carolina. GM Joe Schoen stood idle, and New York entered the season with one of the weaker defensive line units in recent memory.
Dexter Lawrence is one of the league’s top three interior defensive linemen, but talent was scarce behind the 27-year-old. Nunez-Roches is respectable but not ideally a number two defensive lineman, especially when the third, fourth, and fifth defensive linemen are all unproven players with little capital investment.
Any injury to Lawrence would pose a massive problem for the Giants. So much for limiting the big man’s snaps to keep him fresh.
2024 in review
The roster
Dexter Lawrence, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Elijah Chatman, D.J. Davidson, Jordon Riley, Casey Rogers, Armon Watts, Elijah Garcia, Cory Durden
New York allowed 136.2 rushing yards per game, ranking 27th in the league. There were large parts of the year where the Giants’ defense could not fit the run. A burden was placed on the second-level defenders whenever Lawrence was spelled, especially after his Week 13 elbow injury that ended his season.
New York went into heavy base personnel to compensate for their loss of Lawrence against the Saints and the Ravens. When they were in nickel and sub-packages, their game plan was more oriented toward halting the run. The dearth of proven talent on the defensive line was the issue.
The Giants signed Armon Watts midseason, and he flashed in just 87 snaps. He recorded five pressures on 46 pass-rushing reps. It’s a stretch to say he was the second-best defensive lineman on the team, but the mere suggestion indicates the issues at the position. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL at the end of the year.
Lawrence flashed when the Giants were competitive. Although he was constantly double-teamed, he finished with 36 pressures, 44 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, and a team-high nine sacks. The transition from Martindale to Bowen led to Lawrence seeing less time at nose tackle, especially with a five-man front to force one-on-one matchups. Pro Football Focus graded him as the second-highest IDL behind Pittsburgh’s Cameron Heyward in just 551 snaps.
Nunez-Roches led the position group in snaps (608). He recorded 13 pressures and two sacks, with a pair of tackles for a loss. He added 19 STOPs at the line of scrimmage. The 31-year-old has one year left on his deal.
Rookie UDFA Elijah Chatman out of SMU made headlines during training camp and earned a final 53-man roster spot. He was mainly used as a designated pass rusher and contributed 19 pressures, 21 tackles, one sack, and eight STOPs. He played 423 snaps for the Giants and there’s still upside with Chatman moving forward.
D.J. Davidson and Jordon Riley played 261 and 248 snaps on the season. The former is quicker, but neither has moved the needle in their short careers. Davidson did have his best season to date: eight pressures, 21 tackles, two sacks, and two fumble recoveries. Davidson was placed on Injured Reserve with a shoulder injury in early December. Riley flashed during his rookie season but failed to build upon that. He lacks consistency and doesn’t anchor well enough against double-teams for a man of his stature.
Injuries forced the Giants to dive deep into street-free agents and practice squad players. Casey Rogers was with the Giants in training camp and spent much of the season on the practice squad. He played in two games (33 snaps), and failed to record a statistic.
Elijah Garcia joined the active roster after Lawrence’s injury. He was the best of the fill-ins; he recorded four pressures, eight tackles, and a sack while leveraging his length and briefly flashing on tape. Cory Durden played 84 snaps across four games with three pressures.
The Giants were trying to survive on the defensive line at the end of the season. The position group was ignored through the off-season, and it remains one of the most significant liabilities on a roster barren at critical positions.
2025 outlook
Let’s do a thought exercise — behind Lawrence, who would you say is the most valuable Giants’ interior defense lineman moving forward? If your answer is a 2024 undrafted rookie with one sack on the season, you may also understand the gravity of the situation.
Lawrence is fully entering his prime and would benefit immensely from a significant addition to the defensive line room. A player like Braden Fiske (Rams) last season would have been a perfect compliment for Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Brian Burns in Shane Bowen’s system, but the Giants failed to select him or any player at the defensive line position.
Schoen must add sturdy run defenders and a quick penetrator to help fortify the Giants’ defensive front. The Giants have zero free agents at IDL, but Nunez-Roches may be a cap casualty; the Giants can save $3.6 million on the cap with just a $1.4 million dead cap hit. Depending on the Giants’ moves this off-season, this may occur.
Still, the Giants have to find multiple options to replenish the possible departure of Nunez-Roches. Relying on the young to develop was risky, with no proven veterans behind Lawrence and Nunez-Roches. I will say, though, at least Schoen had multiple options for the competition, but that still falls short!
This issue MUST be addressed this offseason, either in free agency or in the draft. Players like Garcia and Rogers may compete for a practice squad spot; maybe they can develop into something more than that in the future. Chatman will also have to earn a roster spot, albeit he’s a bit more secure and adds something entirely different for the pass-rushing room.
It may not be feasible due to finances and the Swiss cheese nature of the roster, but the Giants should add a quick, explosive penetrator and a well-rounded defender who can anchor against the run. As much as I love seeing Dexter Lawrence for 60 snaps a game, Schoen and Brian Daboll were correct at the end of 2022 — that’s not the best approach. The Giants must keep him fresh with competent options behind him, lest teams will directly run at the Giants every time Lawrence is spelled…again.
