The New York Giants have had plenty of issues through the early part of the 2025 season, but one of the more troubling storylines is the decline in production from their star defensive tackle, Dexter Lawrence. Once considered the team’s defensive heartbeat, Lawrence has looked more human than alien so far, and it’s starting to show up both on film and in the results.
Lawrence, 27, is coming off a 2024 campaign cut short by a dislocated elbow that sidelined him for the final few weeks. That injury may still be lingering, because the explosiveness that made him one of the league’s premier interior defenders hasn’t fully returned. Through the early stretch of this season, he’s totaled 16 pressures but hasn’t notched a single sack — a surprising drought for a player who’s usually the engine of New York’s front line.
A quiet force who’s gone too quiet
In recent years, Lawrence has been the Giants’ tone-setter in the trenches — the rare defensive tackle who could dominate both phases of the game.
This season, however, his performance has dipped noticeably. Once a steady run defender capable of anchoring the middle and collapsing pockets, Lawrence has become more of a liability than a stabilizer. Opponents are finding ways to neutralize him, and his usual burst off the snap has looked a step slow.
Pressure rates are down, run stops have thinned out, and the impact plays that used to define his presence have nearly vanished. For a defense already struggling to generate momentum, Lawrence’s quiet production is compounding the problem. The Giants built their front around him, but when your best player on the defensive line isn’t dictating matchups, the entire unit feels the ripple effect.
Carl Banks calls out Lawrence after latest loss
Giants legend and former linebacker Carl Banks didn’t mince words following Sunday’s blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Banks, who’s never been afraid to offer tough but fair assessments, delivered a stinging reality check for Lawrence on his postgame show. “Dexter Lawrence… No one respects you anymore. Nobody,” Banks said bluntly.
While his words were sharp, they came from a place of expectation rather than disdain. Banks knows how dominant Lawrence can be when he’s healthy and fully engaged. The comment wasn’t meant to bury him — it was a challenge, a reminder that great players earn respect through consistency and fire. For Lawrence, that message should resonate.
Is the injury still holding him back?
It’s hard not to wonder if Lawrence is still feeling the effects of last year’s elbow injury. Defensive line play relies heavily on leverage and hand placement, and even minor discomfort can affect technique and timing. Watching him this season, his power moves lack their usual punch, and his ability to disengage from blocks looks diminished. That could suggest lingering physical limitations or simply a confidence issue as he tries to get back to full form.
The Giants desperately need Lawrence to rediscover his dominance. He’s too talented, too important, and too central to this defense’s identity to be just another name in the box score. The effort is there — that’s never been in question — but the results haven’t followed. If New York wants to salvage anything from this season, it starts with their defensive cornerstone returning to the disruptive force he once was.