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Jordan Raanan, ESPN Staff Writer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants standout defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is expected to return from a hamstring injury and play Monday night against the Green Bay Packers, sources told ESPN.
Lawrence missed his first career game because of injury (against the New England Patriots) before the Giants’ bye week. But the Giants eased him in at practice this week with the hope of having him return Monday night.
The Pro Bowl lineman returned to practice in a limited capacity Friday. Coach Brian Daboll said on Saturday that he was “hopeful” that Lawrence would be able to play against the Packers.
“Yeah, he did some individual stuff [Friday] and then he did team periods, which was a good thing to see. He’ll do the same thing [Saturday] and hopefully he’ll be ready to go in a couple days here,” Daboll said. “That would be the plan.”
Lawrence told ESPN he made it through Saturday’s practice without incident and was also “hopeful” for Monday night.
The Giants (4-8) get their best defensive player back against a Green Bay offense that has been playing well. Quarterback Jordan Love & Co. are coming off a 27-19 win over the Kansas City Chiefs but will be without top wide receiver Christian Watson and potentially running back Aaron Jones because of injury.
Getting Lawrence back is a major boost for the Giants, even if he handles a slightly lighter workload than usual. He is playing 73% of the team’s defensive snaps even after missing a game.
Lawrence has 41 tackles, four sacks and 17 quarterback hits this season. He’s third among all defensive tackles with a 19.3% pass rush win rate.