The New York Giants are building a fierce front seven ahead of the 2023 NFL season. New York added talent in free agency with LB Bobby Okereke, combining him with the elite duo already possessed on the defensive line. Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams combine to create an elite interior defensive line duo; one Pro Football Focus names the top duo in the NFL.
PFF says Giants have the best DL duo in the NFL
Lawrence got paid this offseason after putting together a career year in 2022. The Giants’ elite defender ranked third in the NFL on Gordon McGuinness of PFF’s top defensive linemen. His teammate, Williams, ranked 12th in the league on the same list.
The two combine to create the top interior defensive line duo in the league, per PFF:
Sexy Dexy earned a career-best 91.6 PFF grade after producing 70 pressures on 577 pass-rushing snaps in the regular and postseasons combined. Lawrence set new career-highs in sacks (7.5), combined tackles (68), tackles for loss (seven), and quarterback hits (28) in 2022. The 25-year-old landed a four-year, $90 million contract extension this offseason, making him one of the highest-paid defensive linemen in league history.
Lawrence’s partner in crime, Williams, ranked 12th on McGuiness’s list following the eighth season of his career. Williams battled through injuries in 2022, playing a career-low 12 games this past season. He totaled 2.5 sacks, 45 combined tackles, and five tackles for loss. Wiliams “has never earned a PFF grade lower than 70.5,” McGuinness writes.
Entering 2023, the Giants are primed to have one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL led by Lawrence and Williams. New York added additional talent to their defensive line this offseason, signing veterans Rakeem Nunez-Roches and A’Shawn Robinson to rotate in the third defensive lineman’s spot.
Lawrence and Williams are a game-changing duo for the Giants as they both possess the abilities to stop the run and pressure the quarterback. Entering 2023, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale will rely on his defensive line to hold things together and propel the unit to success this season.