Dexter Lawrence PFF
Getty
New York Giants recorded grades of 78.5 and 72.9 in his two game against the Washington Commanders in 2025 according to Pro Football Focus.
The Washington Commanders have worked a masterclass this offseason. Coming off a disappointing 5-12 record, the team has signed 23new or restructured contracts in the offseason, the most in the league. All these moves were made in an effort to solidify their roster. As Washington has added more star power to their squad, it appears that one of their NFC East Rivals may be losing some of their own.
ESPN’sAdam Schefter reported on April 6th that, “New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II has requested a trade, and he will not be participating in the team’s offseason workout program that begins Tuesday.”
Dexter Lawrence’s Absence Is Significant And Will Benefit the Commanders
Dexter Lawrence Stats
GettyDefensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has recorded 30.5 sacks, four passes defensed, and an interception across seven seasons with the New York Giants.
Lawrence is one of the premier defensive tackles in the league, and his absence would be significant for a Giants team that is looking to build off its young nucleus. The two-time second-team All-Pro has been reportedly struggling to reach a contract extension agreement with New York over the past two seasons.
Schefter recapped that Lawrence was hoping that the changes within the organization, including hiringnew head coachJohn Harbaugh, would have moved conversations along. However, things appeared not to have changed, and so Lawrence has now moved the needle himself.
The Giants previously stated that they haveno interest in trading Lawrence.
Art Stapleton
John Harbaugh adamantly expresses desire for Dexter Lawrence to remain a Giant: “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
Lawrence still has two years left on his current contract and is set to make $20 million next season. It appears that the three-time Pro Bowler may be set up for a holdout situation. The Commanders will benefit greatly if Lawrence ends up getting traded or ends up sitting out at all next season.
Commanders Expected to Have a Battle For Starting Center
Dexter Lawrence had a down season last year. He recorded onlyhalf a sack and eight quarterback hits. However, even in a down year,Pro Football Focus still graded him as the 13th-best defensive tackle overall and the seventh-best in terms of pass rush. His ability to push the pocket is significant. Guarding Lawrence was partially a task that former center Tyler Biadasz handled last season. However, Biadasz signed athree-year, $30 million contractwith the Chargers this offseason.
In Biadasz’s absence, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn revealed that the plan for now is to have a true competition for the starting role.
Nicki Jhabvala
Dan Quinn said that, as of now, the plan at center is to have Nick Allegretti and Julian Good-Jones compete for the job.
Commanders reporterNicki Jhabvala stated per Quinn that, “the plan for the starting center spot will be to have Nick Allegretti battle with Julian Good-Jones to be the guy Jayden Daniels will take snaps from in 2026.”
Jhabvala stated that he believes that Allegritti currently has the edge over Jones. “Allegretti spent the final two games of the 2025 season at center for the Commanders, allowing 0 pressures on 34 pass-blocking attempts. While a natural guard, Allegretti performed well enough for the Commanders to see him as the potential successor to Biadasz, given his veteran leadership and experience working with Daniels.”
This is the state of the position currently; however, the Commanders have done a good job providing themselves flexibility in the upcoming NFL Draft after all their free agent signings. It wouldn’t be surprising if general manager Adam Peters decides to explore another option at the center position with one of their draft picks.