Giants Defensive Line Trending Toward Youth Movement

For as long as the New York Giants offensive line has been a huge problem, the defensive line has been a strength, and for that, the Giants have the solid play of Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence to thank.

But times are changing. Williams was traded to Seattle at last year's trade deadline, having added another 884 defensive snaps to his now over 7,400 career total. Although he was replaced in the starting lineup by veteran A'Shawn Robinson, the Giants appear to be gravitating toward more of a youth movement on their defensive line moving forward.

The unit, of course, will be anchored by Lawrence, named to his second straight Pro Bowl this season and the only member of the Giants to earn All-Pro honors from the AP and NFLPA. Lawrence's versatility--he is a force against the run and can rush the passer--makes him the glue that holds that defensive line unit together.

The best part is that Lawrence is still a very young man who is just 26 years old and has played in just 3,800 defensive snaps over his five-year career, his 2023 total (709) being the second-lowest snap count of his career.

And speaking of youth, the Giants project to go into 2024 with a lot of still young players on the defensive line--Jordon Riley, D.J. Davidson, and Timmy Horne are all on the roster and will join 30-year old versatile defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches.

The Giants will probably add to this group, as A'Shawn Robinson, who stepped into the starting lineup after Williams was traded, is set to be a UFA when his contract voids. Whether the new addition will be a draft pick, a veteran, or both is still to be determined, but there is a shift toward the youth movement on the defensive line, a smart strategy for building in the pit.

Now for the player breakdowns...

Dexter Lawrence: Lawrence came into his own in 2022 when he moved to nose tackle, and he built on that in 2023 with another dominating performance. Lawrence’s excellence afforded the coaches to play lots of two-down linemen, his run defense regularly drawing two blockers and still mucking up the works. He was also the lone interior pass-rush threat most of the year, especially once Leonard Williams was traded. That event affected Lawrence’s production as much as, if not more than the hamstring injury.

A’Shawn Robinson: Robinson had to shake off the effects of a knee injury that had limited the league’s interest in the off-season. When stepping in for Williams following his trade to Seattle, Robinson produced solid results, including two 8-tackle games and a heavy-handed presence at all times. However, his reputation as being one-dimensional-- he's not a pass rusher--was also on display as he hadn’t recorded a sack in two years. Robinson will have a job, though, as long as he shows himself capable of stopping the run.

Rakeem Nunez-Roches: Nunez-Roches has shown versatility, toughness, and energy in his game. His role was to absorb blocks, but even so, he was handled much too often by single blocking and rarely took advantage of gaps to attack. He will have $2 million of his $2.865 million base salary in 2024, guaranteed on March 18. If the Giants move on from him, they'd save $1.44 million on the cap.

Jordon Riley: Part of the youth movement, Riley moved into the backup nose tackle role, taking advantage of the snaps he saw more of in the latter part of the season when Lawrence had to deal with a hamstring issue. Riley held up against the constant double-teaming inside, staying on his feet and taking up lots of space. He even showed some ability to shed blocks and make tackles, though he needs to do a better job of finding the ball. If he can develop something of a pass rush, that would be a feather in his cap.

D.J. Davidson: Davidson lost the backup nose tackle job to Riley but was moved to defensive end, where he survived, even though it's not his best position. As a pass rusher, he could bull rush and take up spaces between the tackles. He will likely compete with Riley this summer to be the backup nose tackle behind Lawrence.

Timmy Horne: Signed off the Falcons’ practice squad in mid-December when injuries hit the defensive line, Horne is a 26-year-old journeyman nose tackle who suited up for one game with the Giants and barely saw the field. He'll likely be invited to camp to compete for a depth role.

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