Giants' Dexter Lawrence wants teammates to have commitment to excellence

For Dexter Lawrence, the time is now.

He’s had individual accolades, plenty of them. Now he just wants to win. And he wants his teammates to understand the opportunity ahead of them.

“You know, it’s rare that you have so much talent,” Lawrence said. “So, I’m doing all I can to take advantage of it. Whether it’s over-communicating, motivating, doing a little extra. Trying to lead as a servant leader, that sort of thing. I think that’s the biggest thing. If you keep [reinforcing] that, everybody will see the importance in every little thing.”

The season opener is Sunday against the Vikings at MetLife Stadium.

What does Lawrence expect?

“Winning,” he said. “Nailing down each practice, going into the game and winning. I think it’s up to us in this locker room just to be honed in on the details of the game plan and give your 1/11th on every play.”

Lawrence has always been respected in the locker room, but he feels an urgency now.

“There’s been a lot of losing,” Lawrence told Newsday in the locker room on Wednesday. “We’ve just got to take advantage of these moments. It’s not about the future. It’s not about looking back to the past. It’s about being where you are and taking advantage of every rep you get, every game you get. It’s about being grateful.”

Lawrence said those words at his locker, just after he finished in the weight room. He was unhurried and resolute.

He wants his teammates to see in the 2024 Giants what he does. 

Lawrence’s voice resonates in the locker room. And he has the accolades to prove it.

According to Pro Football Focus, Lawrence finished last season as the only interior player to earn an 85.0-plus grade as both a pass-rusher (92.6, the best at the position) and against the run (89.5).

Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, in his first season with the Giants, said he was surprised with how much and how hard Lawrence plays for such a big man.

“He's a total pro,” Bowen said. “He does everything you want in the meeting room. He's vocal. He helps with the younger guys. He asks questions and he comes out here and works. He puts the work in. There's a reason he's to the level he's gotten to and hopefully that continues and elevates even further. But it's because he's a pro and he works at it.”

The Giants enriched the defensive line when they traded for Brian Burns of the Panthers.

Burns has seemingly fit in well. He and Lawrence, both in their sixth NFL season, knew each other previously.

What has Burns brought to the Giants?

“Just an attitude,” Lawrence said. “It’s fun playing beside a guy like that. We kind of dial up [plays] on our own. Just talk about the game, how are we going to rush this [offensive line]. He just brings that animal attitude that we need from the outside.”

Lawrence paused and smiled.

“Burns is more physical than he looks, which is good,” Lawrence said with a laugh. “I think he also brings knowledge and understanding to the game. So I think that’s the biggest thing.”

What about Kayvon Thibodeaux, now in his third season?

“I think Kayvon is the alter-ego of Burns a little bit,” Lawrence said. “Burns is a little more reserved. Kayvon is more out there, but he brings a physical attitude, too. It’s going to be see how much knowledge he picks up from Burns. He can learn from someone who’s done it for years.”

Lawrence said there have been tweaks made with the defensive coaches, ones that he endorses.

“We did a game plan together on the [opposing] linemen,” Lawrence said. “That is new [this season]. I think it’s promising if we just take advantage of it and understand the importance of everything, every moment in the locker room, in the field.”

Lawrence, the best player on the Giants, seems to have cast a wide net, imploring his teammates to join him in a quest for excellence.

“I’ve been getting a lot of attention lately,” he said. “But that’s not what fuels me. I want to win, and I care more about my teammates than sometimes myself, in a sense. So I think my biggest thing is just getting everyone to have the same mindset or close to the same mindset as me. Just to understand the importance of everything.”

Notes & quotes: After re-signing with the Giants this week, the door could be open for Adoree’ Jackson to return punts on Sunday. “I'll never close the door on getting the ball in the playmaker's hands," special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial said. "He’s back there working at it, and obviously you guys know we only suit up 48 people on game day, so the more position flex, the more versatility a player can have, the better.” Ghobrial called Jackson “dynamic with the ball in his hands.” . . . Despite many injuries throughout training camp, every member of the Giants’ 53-man roster and practice squad was on the field participating on at least a limited basis . . . Coach Brian Daboll did add safety Dane Belton to the injury report with a sore back. And quarterback Drew Lock is still dealing with a hip injury suffered during a Week 1 preseason victory over the Detroit Lions. If Lock can’t go Sunday, that would open the door for Tommy DeVito to be Daniel Jones’ backup.

By Kimberly Jones

kimberly.jones@newsday.comkimjonessports

Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.