The Giants' Pass Rush Runs Through the Edge Now, Not the Middle
Dexter Lawrence is in Cincinnati. Whatever T.J. Bass does at left guard Sunday, the Giants' pressure has to come from Brian Burns and Abdul Carter.
The Giants traded Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals in April, and he's not walking back onto this defense Sunday. New York sent its Pro Bowl defensive tackle to Cincinnati for the Bengals' 2026 first-round pick, and Cincinnati signed him to a contract extension through 2028, according to the Bengals' official announcement. Whatever happens with Dallas' offensive line Sunday, the Giants no longer have the interior force that used to make offenses account for pressure up the middle.
Their current interior line is DJ Reader, Shelby Harris, Darius Alexander, Chauncey Golston, Bobby Jamison-Travis and C.J. Okoye, according to the team's official roster. NBC Sports' Pro Football Talk reported the Giants added veteran Dean Lowry to the practice squad Sept. 7 as depth; that addition did not appear on the Giants' own roster page as of this week, and Lowry is practice-squad depth regardless, not a Week 1 factor.
Dallas' line changed this week, too. Left guard Tyler Smith needs thumb surgery and is headed to injured reserve, out four to six weeks, NFL.com reported Sept. 7. Coach Brian Schottenheimer said Smith is eligible to return for a Week 5 game against Tampa Bay. T.J. Bass will start in his place. "We tendered him the way we tendered him because we trust this guy as a football player," Schottenheimer said, according to the Cowboys' official site.
The obvious story is that a backup guard makes the Giants' pass rush easier. The numbers don't clearly back that up. Bass allowed eight quarterback pressures on 198 pass-blocking snaps in 2025, with zero sacks allowed — the lowest pressure rate of any Cowboys offensive lineman with at least 190 snaps, according to the team's own site. Smith is a three-time Pro Bowler and the better player by reputation, but Bass's actual performance in relief last season doesn't support an easy downgrade narrative.
The Giants' edge rush holds up on its own, independent of anything about Bass. Brian Burns finished 2025 with 16.5 sacks, second-most in the NFL behind Cleveland's Myles Garrett, and earned second-team All-Pro honors, according to the Associated Press. Abdul Carter, the Giants' 2025 first-round pick entering his second season, has been used by defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson as a movable piece who can rush off the edge or slide inside — a pattern established in offseason practices this spring, Empire Sports Media reported.
No one in the Giants organization has said publicly that Wilson plans to scheme pressure specifically at Bass's side Sunday. And Smith's absence is short-term for Dallas — he's expected back by Week 5. Whether Wilson's game plan actually targets Bass's side of the line Sunday remains unconfirmed heading into kickoff.