To all of my New York Giants fans, you can officially stop stressing over the blockbuster Dexter Lawrence trade. If you're still feeling iffy about it, I'm giving you permission to change your tune right now.
While losing a defensive cornerstone is never a fun time, general manager Joe Schoen essentially pulled off a masterclass in how to win a trade by getting a haul for a 28-year-old interior defensive lineman coming off a brutal season.
The Giants got the 10th overall pick from the Cincinnati Bengals and used it to land Miami's Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa.
The roster is coming together nicely under new head coach John Harbaugh, and new defensive lineman D.J. Reader gave a pretty clear look at how he feels about not being able to play alongside Dex. When Paul Schwartz of the NY Post spoke with Reader about Lawrence, the veteran defensive tackle gave a relatively eye-opening response that shows how he's moving forward:
“It would be cool, obviously, to play with him [Lawrence]. Got a chance to text him and talk to him. It wasn’t something that played too deep into my decision.
It was more so I wanted to be in a place with some good pieces.’’
What I'm hearing is, "No Dex, no problem."
D.J. Reader is living proof the Giants are better positioned than anyone thought
It's obvious Reader didn't need Lawrence to play next to him in order to sign -- he'd already been long gone before he put pen to paper. Chalk that up to guys simply wanting to play for Harbs because the man wins everywhere he goes.
The signing is already paying massive dividends as the team works through what's becoming a chaotic, injury-filled offseason.
With Roy Robertson-Harris out after tearing his Achilles, Reader instantly becomes one of the most important pieces of Big Blue's defense. No one's expecting him to outright replace Sexy Dexy... but he needs to replace him.
As for the "good pieces" the soon-to-be 32-year-old was talking about, think Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Tremaine Edmunds, Jevón Holland, Paulson Adebo, Arvell Reese, Colton Hood, and Kayvon Thibodeaux. If there's enough talent in that group to like for a guy like Reader to publicly praise, it's certainly good enough for me.
So while the days of Big Dex eating double teams in East Rutherford might be dead and gone, the physical identity of the new-look trenches under Harby has only just begun. Reader clearly didn't view Lawrence as the be-all, end-all in his contract decision. He's betting everything on the pieces the Giants still have in the building that actually want to be there.
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