To say Dexter Lawrence had a down season in 2025 would be like saying water is wet, Mondays are brutal, pizza tastes good. Duh.
The New York Giants defensive tackle came into 2025 with sky-high expectations after a monster 2024. Nine sacks, eight tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits in just 12 games. If he doesn’t dislocate his elbow in Week 13, we’re probably talking All-Pro nod. The assumption was he’d pick up right where he left off, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Because of last season’s struggles, Dex’s name has popped up in trade proposals and hot-take segments, which Giants fans will rightfully roll their eyes at. But at the end of the day, this league is a business, and nothing’s off the table. At least that’s how it felt before Harby got to the podium at the NFL Combine and made it clear where he stands on his cornerstone defensive lineman.
During his media session on Tuesday, the 63-year-old made it clear the three-time Pro Bowler isn’t going anywhere and will be a major part of getting things back on track in North Jersey:
“How important is he? Really important. He's super, super important. He's a cornerstone football player. Not really a cornerstone. He's more like the middle stone. He's right in the middle. He's a very big stone, you know, and he's a very active, athletic stone.”
Who'da thought Harbs was such a big stone guy, huh?
John Harbaugh is bringing Sexy (Dexy) back in a big way
Hard to read that from Harbs and not get fired up. Impossible, honestly. Lawrence has been here for seven seasons and has lived through the absolute bottom of the bottom in East Rutherford. If anyone deserves to be part of whatever this next chapter looks like under a future Hall of Fame coach, it’s him.
Bonus points to Harby for the play on words there. Looks like he went no stone unturned in praising the 6-foot-4, 340-pound game-wrecker.
General manager Joe Schoen echoed a similar sentiment, stating the plan is for Sexy Dexy to be with the Giants this season and that he hasn’t received any trade calls on him.
This is all great stuff. Last year was a nightmare for Lawrence. He was never fully healthy, got double-teamed into oblivion because there was zero help next to him, got publicly ripped by Giants legend Carl Banks, and still showed up every week during another lost season. Giving up on him would rank near the top of this franchise’s worst decisions, and that’s a crowded list.
If anyone knows how to get the most out of a defensive lineman, it’s Harbs. In 18 years in Baltimore, he worked with guys like Haloti Ngata, Nnamdi Madubuike, Calais Campbell, Michael Pierce, and Travis Jones. Now he gets to build around a player like Lawrence, who's still in his prime. Not a bad starting spot.
Dex is going nowhere. Harbaugh made that clear. This defense runs through the biggest stone in the building, and the Giants are betting there’s still overwhelming amounts of sexy left in it.