The New York Giants don’t have to worry about finding a like-for-like replacement for the All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II, not when a “stylistically different” player is already being tipped as a breakout candidate.
Second-year defensive lineman Darius Alexander’s initial stat line hardly endorses his case to adequately replace Lawrence, who was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th pick in the 2026 NFL draft, but ESPN’s Benjamin Solak has other ideas.
Solak explained why Alexander’s modest debut campaign shouldn’t concern the Giants: “Alexander started his college career on the offensive line, so he was always projected for more 2026 impact than 2025. Still, he had three sacks and three tackles for loss over the last six games of his rookie season.”
While it’s right to expect bigger things from Alexander in Year 2, Solak was at pains to point out the 25-year-old “is not a Lawrence replacement at all. Lawrence is a squatty nose tackle with run-stopping prowess; Alexander is long and linear and wants to play upfield.”
Fortunately, the differences in Alexander’s game are crucial to making the whole of the Giants’ loaded front seven work.
Darius Alexander Breakout Vital for Giants’ Defense
Solak outlined a strong argument for why Alexander will be a vital player for the Giants this year, even if it’s just in a situational role. As Solak put it, “For as deep and dangerous as the Giants’ room of edge rushers is, quarterbacks will far too easily climb the pocket without an interior presence.”
This is an important point because the Giants and new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson are counting on a different kind of pressure to offset the loss of Lawrence. Specifically, Big Blue needs its star edge-rushers, Pro Bowler Brian Burns and second-year pro Abdul Carter, to dominate protection on the outside.
It’s a sound plan if Carter translates his ability to create pressure into something better than Burns’ elite sack totals. Carter and Burns collapsing the edges consistently will be a problem for offenses, but they won’t replace Lawrence’s other-worldly ability to crush the interior of the pocket.
Enter Alexander, whose amoeba-like versatility appealed to the Giants when they made him a top-65 pick a year ago. That was a reach given Alexander’s relative inexperience on defense, and an early snub as a rookie prompted comparison with a Hall of Famer and Giants great.
GettyAlexander has the key role to play for the Giants’ defense up front in 2026.
Alexander has a ways to go before he can justify being mentioned in the same breath as franchise legends, but he’s on an upward trajectory after a strong finish to his first season. The former Toledo stud logged three sacks, as many hurries, seven pressures and one quarterback knockdown during the final six games, per Pro Football Reference.
Numbers like those indicate there’s more to come from a natural menace on the inside who’s at his most disruptive on passing downs. Alexander generating pressure more often is one half of how the Giants solve the problem of replacing Lawrence.
Dexter Lawrence Change Will Take a Village
The Giants opted for quantity over quality to fill the void created by Lawrence leaving town. A host of journeymen were added to a swelling depth chart at defensive tackle, with former Super Bowl starter D.J. Reader the most notable name.
Reader remains a rugged run defender “who led the NFL in double-team rate last season,” according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. Putting Reader over the ball is a sensible way to fortify the league’s most-generous run defense, in terms of yards per carry, last season. Similar thinking was behind the signing of 34-year-old Shelby Harris, whom Duggan notes “is more of a run-stuffer at this point of his career.”
Harris and Reader doing the dirty work alongside Alexander’s more dynamic style can create the ideal complementary trio to ensure the Giants won’t miss Lawrence too much.
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