It’s gotta be tough being Dexter Lawrence these days. Or at least as tough as it gets for a 28-year-old heading into Year 3 of a four-year, $90 million deal.
Sexy Dexy has been the backbone of the New York Giants defense since they selected the tackle 17th overall in the 2019 Draft out of Clemson. But after a steady rise over the first six years of his career -- earning three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro second-team honors -- Year 7 wasn’t as kind to the 6-foot-4, 340-pounder.
A dip in production stirred up a clown show of hot takes, fights with Giants legends, and trade proposals, but getting double-teamed into oblivion on seemingly every snap takes its toll when there’s no help next to you. The G-Men already brought in veteran Shelby Harris for a visit earlier this offseason before Dex threw the organization and its fanbase for the loop of a lifetime with his public trade request over stalled contract talks, and now they’re back at it again -- this time with another proven body on the interior.
According to Jordan Schultz, the Giants hosted veteran defensive tackle D.J. Reader for a visit on Monday:
Sources: The #Giants hosted veteran DT DJ Reader for a visit today.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 13, 2026
Reader, who also recently visited the #Ravens, has started 128 career games and has been a consistent presence on the interior. pic.twitter.com/rvGR4ItoS6
DJ Reader visit doesn’t look like a team moving on from Dexter Lawrence
At first, you might think this could be a potential play to show they're looking to replace their defensive cornerstone. But not so fast, my friends.
Reader checks a lot of the same boxes they were looking for with Harris. He’s a proven vet, entering Year 11, has played for the Texans, Bengals, and Lions, and brings 6-foot-3, 330-pound experience to a room that’s lacked a reliable running mate for Lawrence. He’s not the same run-stuffer he was a couple years ago, but a 75.3 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus, as recently as 2023, shows there’s still something left in the tank.
There’s been plenty of bodies in rotation next to Lawrence over the years, but not much to show for it. Neither Rakeem Nunez-Roches nor D.J. Davidson is back after free agency, so the G-Men have had to rework the room around Dex.
Related: Giants insider didn’t make the Dexter Lawrence nightmare any easier to shake
They used a third-round pick on Darius Alexander in 2025, still have Roy Robertson-Harris under contract, and just brought in Sam Roberts this offseason. Reader wouldn’t fix everything, but he’d give them a legitimate presence next to Dex, which has been missing for a while now.
Which is why this visit doesn’t really feel like a team preparing to move on from its best defensive player.
If anything, it feels like the opposite.
Bringing in veteran interior linemen doesn’t line up with a team looking to start over -- again. It points to a focus on giving Big Dex legitimate help and getting more out of the defensive front as a whole. The Harris visit alluded to it. The Reader visit all but reinforces it.
The trade request is still very much on the table, and that’s definitely not ideal. But the Giants are starting to send a pretty clear message about where they stand with Dex.
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