Giants' Dexter Lawrence not worried about playing too many snaps
Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (1) is sacked by New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (97) during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
Wink Martindale wants to use Dexter Lawrence as much as he can. And why not?
“If you had a Rolls-Royce, wouldn’t you want to drive it everywhere?” the Giants defensive coordinator said before practice on Thursday.
The numbers confirm it.
Lawrence, the Giants’ force in the interior of the defensive line, has played 314 snaps so far this season — a remarkable 84.64% of the team’s total snaps on defense.
At this rate, he will play close to 900 snaps for the season, having played 757 last season, which made him among the team’s leaders in that category.
But it is a long season, which creates a bit of decision-making for Martindale and his staff.
“He’s in great shape right now,” Martindale said. “It does concern you for the 17-game schedule, so we’re going to try to find spots to spot him some reps. But when he’s playing as well as he is, it’s so hard . . . He’s playing so well, and he wants to go back in. We’re going to try peel back on some of those reps when we can. It all depends where we’re at in the game.”
Lawrence himself seems unconcerned about Martindale’s concern.
When told of the “Rolls-Royce” comment after practice, Lawrence told Newsday, “Honestly, I'm not too worried about too many snaps. I’ll do whatever the team needs me to do to to help win. I’m used to playing a lot. I’ve played a lot all my life. I trust in the coaches and whatever they want to do and the decisions they made. I’m the type of guy just to make the best of everything I do.”
So how does he feel after six games with the heavy workload?
“Well, I get in 60 or 50 car crashes a game or whatever,” he said with a laugh. “But I’m good. Nicks and bruises, but that’s what you signed up for.”
That being said, Lawrence is fine with taking breaks if that is what the coaches order.
“We have a lot of guys at the position that also play well,” he said. “If I do come off the field, it's not like we're losing anything from a player stance . . . I’m not going to complain. Everything I do is what I do in my control.”
The Giants’ decision about their defensive line rotation is similar to that the Jets have faced this season with their own star interior lineman, Quinnen Williams. So far the Jets have tended to rotate more freely than the Giants have at that spot, but for big men playing big minutes, it is a week-to-week balancing act.
Martindale said Lawrence, the 17th pick in the 2019 draft, is “the player that we thought he would be. He’s using his length, he’s using his power, he’s converting from the run game to the pass rush, the play-action pass. He’s being the force that we thought he would be.”
Sunday’s game against the Jaguars will be a reunion of sorts for Lawrence, who will be facing his old teammate at Clemson, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
“That’s my long-lost brother,” Dexter said. “He’s a good player. We have to slow him down by putting guys on his feet, getting in his face, having him throw over hands.”
Dexter said he has seen the improvement in Trevor over his rookie season in 2021.
Trevor Lawrence has thrown nine touchdown passes and four interceptions and has a passer rating of 91.9. Last season, he finished with 12 TD passes, 17 interceptions and a rating of 71.9 while going 3-14 as a starter.
“He’s taking control of the offense,” Dexter said, “and that's just good to see for him.”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
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