New York Giants' Rakeem Nunez-Roches offers blunt solution to fix run defense

USA Today

10-07-2025

The New York Giants' defensive line got a wake-up call when stud nose tackle Dexter Lawrence was not on the field in 2024.
This offseason general maanger Joe Schoen added a few more pieces that should address the depth issues, but the returning core needs to step up their collective games.
Veteran Rakeem Nunez-Roches recently said on the Giants Huddle podcast that he and his linemates must band together and communicate better to have a cohesive unit.
"To be honest with you, a simple fix: Just do your job," Nacho said. "The biggest thing last year was sometimes you felt like you had to do somebody else's job or compensate because of a lack of trust.
"This year, I feel like taking that step together and believing in one another. Like, hey, 'I'm going to do my part and you do your part.'"
The Giants relied heavlily on Lawrence up front last season until he was lost for the year in Week 13 with a dislocated elbow. Lawrence played on nearly 80 percent of the defensive snaps to that point and the Giants were last agaisnt the rush, yielding 5.2 yards per attempt.
The line actually played better against the run after Lawrence went on season-ending injured reserve (IR).
This season the Giants hope to lessen Lawrence's workload, bringing in veterans such as Ray Robertson-Harris and Jeremiah Ledbetter to take some snaps in the rotation. The best-case scenario, however, is that third round pick Darius Alexander can come in and be effecive early on.