In an interview last season, New York Giants nose tackle Dexter Lawrence said he wanted his name in the team’s Ring of Honor. But on April 6, 2026, he formally requested a trade, skipped the first day of the voluntary offseason program, and ended two years of stalled contract talks by going public.
At the Giants’ offseason program’s presser this week, defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson was asked whether drafting Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles (a projected top-5 pick) was tempting for the team. If Lawrence’s trade request really goes through, the question carries even more weight. And Wilson has made his stance clear on where the player stands.
“I like good players, period,” Wilson clearly asserted. “I don’t care where they’re at. I’m not going to say no to any good player.”
Wilson has backed that mentality up everywhere he has coached before. In Tennessee, Jeffrey Simmons made back-to-back Pro Bowls under him. In Philadelphia, CJ Gardner-Johnson led the league in picks (six) in 12 games. In Baltimore, Kyle Hamilton earned All-Pro under him. These weren’t accidents.
As for Sonny Styles, he ran a 4.46-second 40-yard-dash at the combine, tied for the fastest among all linebackers in this class. To cap that off, he also posted a 43.5-inch vertical, an all-time high. He stands at 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 244 pounds.
Dennard Wilson was asked about the possibility of the Giants drafting Sonny Styles:
“I like good players, period. I don’t care where they’re at. I’m not going to say no to any good player.” pic.twitter.com/aloYoN3Ty8
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) April 7, 2026
He is also known to cover tight ends, as well as blitz, and play like a safety, according to the former players under head coach John Harbaugh. What makes this alluring even further is the bold pronouncement that Wilson has issued for his 2026 team.
“We’re gonna play a New York brand of football,” he said, per Giants beat writer Paul Schwartz. “That’s violent defense.” And per reporter Ryan Dunleavy, Wilson added the defense would be “unpredictable, dynamic, unapologetic in our approach.”
But for that kind of production to show up in the field, the Giants need their 3x Pro Bowler. Dennard Wilson’s draft board and his defensive plan both still have Lawrence at the center. His answer on Styles is how he approaches every offseason. But none of it changes the more pressing question this week: Is New York really going to trade Lawrence?
The Giants’ stance on moving Dexter Lawrence
A report floated recently claiming the Chicago Bears had inquired about a trade for Dexter Lawrence. Greg Gabriel, a former Giants executive, shut it down, saying, “Dexter Lawrence is not available.”
But is the front office on the same page? At the presser, Harbaugh put the entire locker room on notice by making it clear that no one on the roster is safe if a good offer comes through. Harbaugh stated that he would even trade the reporters if that helped.
“Everybody is tradeable. Everybody,” Harbaugh said. “Even you are tradeable, Dan [Duggan]. If we can get something for you, we’d trade you in a heartbeat.”
But when asked about Lawrence staying in New York, Harbaugh had a different approach.
“We’ll find out,” Harbaugh said. “I think the prospects are going to be high, because speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here. And I believe Dexter wants to be here. That’s a good formula. But there’s business involved. These things happen every year pretty much on every team.”
Apart from saying he wants Lawrence to stay, the head coach also noted he’s had “good conversations” with his camp as well. As for Dennard Wilson, his response to the trade request didn’t sound like a coordinator planning around an exit.
“Obviously, Dexter is a great player in the National Football League,” Wilson said. “I love the way he plays. I love the style that he plays. He’s a big man that anchors this defense. It’s part of the business right now. Everything right now is voluntary. The CBA says he doesn’t need to be here right now, and we’ll see how things play itself out. Hopefully, everything works out in our favor.”
But none of it actually resolves anything. The Giants don’t need to be in a rush. That is not the kind of situation in which an NFL team moves one of its own players under pressure. This was how it was stated by Greg Gabriel. At this very moment, it appears that everything the New York Giants have said and done seems to support that exact stance.
