Jets shouldn't replace one Pro Bowl DT with another after Dexter Lawrence news

The NFL world was hit with major news Monday afternoon, when ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence requested a trade amid a heated contract dispute.

Every non-Giants fan in the world likely immediately thought about the possibility of their team trading for Lawrence, a perennial Pro Bowler and recent All-Pro.

Even the New York Jets, who just traded their own former All-Pro defensive tackle, Quinnen Williams, less than a year ago, likely considered the idea.

But a Jets trade for Lawrence makes little to no sense, despite having the cap space and draft capital to facilitate the deal.

Jets should absolutely not be thinking about a Dexter Lawrence trade

Sports Illustrated's Zach Pressnell broached the idea of the Jets trading for the former first-round pick and listed the reasons why New York could be attracted to the services of Lawrence.

"It might be expensive to trade for Lawrence, but the Jets should at least gauge the waters. They should have the Giants on the phone right now in an attempt to figure out if the two could come together on a trade. Lawrence could slot in as a nose tackle in some sets. He could play as a 4-3 defensive tackle or a 3-4 defensive end for the Jets."

Zach Pressnell

While Lawrence would certainly make the Jets a better team on paper, investing a good majority of their assets into a 28-year-old defensive tackle coming off the worst year of his career is not a good allocation of resources.

His pass rush skills are elite; he's one of the best to do it from the interior. But Lawrence isn't going to help as a run defender. The Giants are consistently one of the worst run defenses in the league, and the Jets have their own problems to solve on that front.

SNY's Connor Hughes revealed on Monday that the asking price for Lawrence is a late first-round pick, or an early Day 2 pick packaged with a Day 3 pick, something the Jets are absolutely armed with.

But it's also important to keep in mind that whichever team trades for Lawrence would immediately have to give him a new contract as he walks through the door. He's looking for top-of-the-line defensive tackle money, likely around $30 million a year.

The Jets have one too many holes on their roster to justify forking over premier draft picks and a good chunk of their cap space to land Lawrence. If anything, trading for the former star would set them back in their current rebuild, not push it forward.