This Giants Dynamic Duo Named Tops At Position Group by PFF

Giants defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams are ranked as the top defensive linemen tandem by Pro Football Focus.
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According to Pro Football Focus, New York Giants defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence II and Leonard Williams were ranked as the top interior defensive line duos in the league.

(And in other news, water is wet.) 

Seriously, the emergence of Lawrence last season--he racked up career highs in sacks (7.5), tackles (68), tackles for loss (7), and quarterback hits (28) on his way to Second-Team All-Pro Honors and his first Pro Bowl berth--was a pleasant development for the Giants defensive front.

Lawrence, who moved to nose tackle under new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, should help Williams, who fought through injuries that cost him game snaps last year, get back to his typical production. Williams was already widely regarded as a top defensive lineman in the game, but having Lawrence to play off of gives the Giants a powerful one-two punch that can create headaches for opposing teams.


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The good news for this dynamic duo and the Giants, in general, is that, unlike last season when Lawrence and Williams had to play the bulk of the snaps due to a lack of healthy and quality depth behind them, this year, that won't be the case. The Giants added veterans A'Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches and drafted Jordon Riley out of Oregon in the seventh round. 

They also have holdover Ryder Anderson to help take some of the load off Lawrence and Williams so that they don't have to take the beating they did last year when they participated in 82% and 75% of the defensive snaps, respectively.


 


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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.