Dexter Lawrence, a 27-year-old defensive tackle for the New York Giants, is getting crucified right now. Former Giants player John Banks, through his harsh comments, has thrust him back into the spotlight. Banks, who now plays for the Tri-City Americans in the WHL, said he was surprised by Lawrence’s subpar season. He proposed that Lawrence isn’t playing up to the level he’s capable of. He’s gone on to a successful seven-year NFL career, with three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro nods under his belt. On that last point, he very forcefully disagrees with Banks’ judgment.
This season, Lawrence’s numbers are a representation of the difficulty he’s had on the field. On top of that, he sees the league-highest double team 74.9% of the time on pass rush opportunities. In spite of this daunting test, he’s tallied 20 tackles, one tackle for a loss and a half sack in eight games. Beyond that, he’s produced one interception, 10 pressures to start and four QB hits. Last season, he played 12 games and finished with 44 tackles, nine sacks, and 18 initial pressures before suffering an elbow injury that has since been reported as non-problematic.
Lawrence put a lot of stock in his outcome this year. You’d better hope folks don’t get to disrepecting me first,” he bravely crooned. His speech was prophetic, and his words set a defiant tone in the face of blistering criticism. Indeed, he thinks that even if the double teams are taking a toll on his stat sheet, he’s still playing well despite those challenges.
Even Aaron Rodgers publicly praised Lawrence during their matchup last season, calling him one of the best players in the league. This endorsement highlights Lawrence’s talents and accomplishments over the course of his impressive career. The implications in Banks’ comments have left many wondering about his 2023 state.
Bobby Okereke, a former teammate of Lawrence’s at Clemson, went to Lawrence’s defense in the face of criticism. So I don’t want to say that there’s any purposeful malice or anything like that. Perhaps he’s simply trying to light a fire or in his own way motivate Dex,” Okereke observed. He stressed Lawrence’s steadfastness as a leader and caliber of professionalism. If she ever has a performance problem, Lawrence says, she’ll be the first to grab the bull by the horns and address it directly.
Despite the outside pressures, Lawrence is more concerned with helping the Giants win games. His current pass rush win rate is 36.3%, and his escape rate (the average % of time a player escaped while pressured) is a colossal 5.4%. These metrics reflect his struggle to maintain peak performance under high-pressure conditions.
Carl Banks’ pointed critique—“Dexter Lawrence, nobody respects you anymore. Nobody,”—has fueled the fire for Lawrence as he navigates this tumultuous period. In turn, Lawrence not only sounded supremely confident in his showing but cited the underlying circumstances on which he still found success while creating havoc.
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