The New York Giants are staring down a familiar, unwelcome storyline. At 0–2 following a heartbreaking loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the team once again finds itself in an early-season hole with little margin for error.
The road doesn’t get any easier with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers looming, and the frustration is starting to bubble up among veterans who have already lived through too many losing seasons. One of those voices is star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, whose patience may be wearing thin.
Lawrence finding his rhythm again
Lawrence’s slow start can be traced back to last season’s elbow dislocation, which required months of recovery. In Week 1, he failed to register a single pressure, looking understandably rusty. But against Dallas, he started to look like his old self again, generating three pressures, three tackles, and three run stops.
For a defensive line that relies heavily on his ability to collapse the pocket and clog the middle, it was an encouraging performance. Lawrence showed flashes of the dominant interior presence the Giants have leaned on since drafting him in 2019. Still, there was a sense that he hadn’t fully returned to peak form, and New York needs him firing on all cylinders if the defense is going to compensate for its other shortcomings.
The weight of constant losing
Beyond the stat sheet, the bigger story is Lawrence’s growing frustration. Since entering the league, he’s been part of just one winning season—the 2022 playoff run that already feels like a distant memory. Every other year has ended with the Giants buried in the standings, and it’s beginning to take its toll.
Jordan Raanan of ESPN captured the sentiment perfectly: “You can see it building, little by little.” For a player as talented as Lawrence, who is widely regarded as one of the NFL’s premier defensive tackles, the patience to endure another rebuild is understandably running thin.
Concerns about his future
Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Lawrence remains underpaid relative to his production — the Giants allocated an extra $3M bonus to try to mitigate the issue. Interior defenders of his caliber don’t grow on trees, and rival teams would line up for the chance to add him if he ever became available. That raises the uncomfortable but increasingly realistic scenario of Lawrence eventually forcing his way out if the Giants fail to turn things around.
It’s not just about money, though. For Lawrence, this is about legacy. His prime years are being spent on a roster struggling to find direction. A trade to a contender could instantly thrust him into meaningful games, while staying in New York might mean more seasons of wasted potential.
Coaching and management on notice
The Giants’ struggles can’t be pinned on Lawrence. Much of the criticism has shifted toward defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, whose conservative approach has left the unit underperforming. Meanwhile, management is already facing questions about roster construction and long-term direction. Another disappointing year could easily trigger sweeping changes to the coaching staff, and Lawrence might not want to wait around for yet another reboot.
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For now, the Giants are hoping Lawrence’s rediscovered rhythm on the field translates into momentum for the defense. But the underlying tension is clear. Each loss not only chips away at the team’s playoff hopes but also risks pushing one of its cornerstone players closer to the door.
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