Giants may already have a Dexter Lawrence replacement

The New York Giants landed a huge return for veteran DT Dexter Lawrence.

However, they're not expected to take a defensive tackle with the No. 5 or No. 10 pick, and they still need to figure out how to replace Lawrence's production.

According to Paul Schwartz of The New York Post, they already have a suitable replacement in mind.

The Giants hosted former Bengals and Lions star DT D.J. Reader for a visit earlier in the offseason, and they're expected to sign him after the 2026 NFL Draft. 

The Giants want to sign D.J. Reader

"The defensive tackles on their roster are Darius Alexander, Roy Robertson-Harris, Elijah Chatman, Sam Roberts and Marlon Tuipulotu. Help is needed. Lots of it," Schwartz wrote. "Expect the Giants to sign veteran D.J. Reader, making it official after the draft to protect the compensatory pick formula. Reader visited last week, and pairing him with Lawrence was on the table. Not any longer, of course."

The Giants may already have agreed to a deal with Reader. However, signing him before the NFL Draft would affect their compensatory pick formula for 2027, so it makes sense to wait.

John Harbaugh will have two top 10 picks to kick off his days in the Big Apple, and while they might use both of them on defense, losing one of the premier defensive linemen will require some adjustments.

Reader is no longer at the peak of his powers, but he's still a reliable run-stopper who's coming off playing all 17 games at the ripe age of 31, logging 28 total tackles and four QB hits, per Football Reference.