The New York Giants are revamping their defense this offseason under new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. The team saw the departure of former DC Wink Martindale this offseason following his resignation from the team after two seasons. Bowen’s new scheme is expected to bring with it a significant shift in playing style and mentality.
The Giants’ new defensive scheme is anticipated to be a far more conservative, zone-heavy defense with less emphasis placed on blitzing and more emphasis placed on winning individual pass-rushing assignments. This shift could be beneficial to some of the team’s top pass-rushers, including elite defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence
In particular, Lawrence is likely to see an increased workload as a result of Bowen’s hiring. The defensive coordinator could put the Giants’ All-Pro defensive tackle on the field at a higher rate than he’s ever seen before.
Dexter Lawrence will likely be a three-down player under new Giants DC Shane Bowen
Many of the NFL’s top defensive linemen are two-down players, meaning, they are on the field on early downs when the opposing offense is expected to run, then subbed off for a quicker player on passing downs. While Lawrence isn’t necessarily limited to being just a two-down player, he wasn’t exactly an “every-down player” last season either.
Lawrence was on the field for 67% of the Giants’ defensive snaps last season. Playing two-thirds of a team’s snaps is a standard amount for a starting defensive tackle, but this was a step back for Lawrence from his previous campaign. In 2022, Lawrence played 82% of the team’s defensive snaps.
An increased, 80% snap count could be in the cards for Lawrence once again this season. As ESPN’s Jordan Raanan recently pointed out on X, Bowen has shown a tendency to put his star defensive tackles on the field at a high rate in the past.
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Prior to being hired as the Giants’ new DC, Bowen was the defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans from 2021-23. During that span, he coached star DT Jeffery Simmons, one of the Titans’ top players. Simmons played over 80% of the Titans’ defensive snaps last season despite missing five games, including a 95% snap share in Week 1.
Simmons was on the field for 90% or more of the Titans’ defensive snaps in three of the 12 games he appeared in last season. He was on the field for 70% or more snaps in seven of those 12 games, too.
Comparatively, Lawrence never played 90% or more of the Giants’ defensive snaps last season, played 80% or more of their snaps only twice, but played in 70% of their snaps or more in eight games.
If his deployment of Simmons is any indicator, Bowen is likely to get Lawrence on the field more frequently than ever this season. The Giants’ elite nose tackle will play an essential role for the defense on all three downs this season.
