The Los Angeles Chargers are monitoring the trade market for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who requested to be traded by the New York Giants.
The Giants drafted him in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and have been his home for the first seven seasons of his NFL career. With a new head coach coming in John Harbaugh, Lawrence is also looking for a fresh start. NFL.com writer Kevin Patra believes that could be with the Chargers.
“If John Harbaugh can’t keep Lawrence, maybe he’d ship the defensive
tackle to his brother, Jim, in L.A. The Chargers don’t have many draft assets to spend, but they have enough cap space to pay Lawrence the contract he seeks,” Patra wrote.
“L.A. could use a penetrator in the middle of the defense next to Teair Tart. Pairing Lawrence with Tart, Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack would be frightening for offenses. The Chargers have mostly taken a conservative approach this offseason. A splash trade for Lawrence would be a resounding statement heading into Harbaugh’s third season after back-to-back one-and-done playoff appearances.
If Lawrence were to be traded, the Chargers would have to give up some premium draft capital in return, possibly the team’s number 22 overall pick.
This past season, Lawrence played in all 17 games for the Giants, but he only recorded 31 tackles and half a sack after notching nine the year before in 12 games. A fresh start could be what Lawrence is looking for and nothing is a more stark change of scenery than moving from New York for Los Angeles.
BFTB community, what do you think about the possibility of trading for Lawrence? Would you want the Chargers to make the move? Chime off in the comments section below.
