Falcons should jump at trading for disgruntled Giants superstar

This upcoming NFL season will be the 10th anniversary of the Atlanta Falcons' last trip to the Super Bowl. If they're interested in getting back anytime soon, at some point the front office is going to have to make an aggressive trade or two to land some top-tier talent.

One such opportunity may have just opened up.

According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, New York Giants superstar defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has requested a trade and will not be reporting for today's initial offseason workout with the team.

The Giants would of course be crazy to trade Lawrence, who became the best interior defensive lineman in the sport when Aaron Donald retired. However, the Giants are one of the league's most poorly-run franchises, and it would come as no real surprise if they do end up dealing Lawrence to another team.

Whether it's Matt Ryan, Ian Cunningham or Arthur Blank himself, the Falcons should already be ringing the Giants' phones off the hook and asking what it would take to swing a deal for the superstar tackle.

To be sure, trading for Lawrence will not come cheap. Since he was drafted in 2019, he's put up 30.5 sacks, 103 quarterback hits and 40 tackles for a loss in 109 games. As impressive as the raw numbers are, they don't do justice to Lawrence's impact on the game.

One of only a handful of NFL defenders who can command triple teams, Lawrence forces opposing offenses to devote massive resources to containing him. By extension, that opens up opportunities for his teammates - making the entire defense that much better.

That's exactly the kind of dynamic that Atlanta's front-seven needs, especially their interior rotation, which is one of the weakest in the league.

Trading for Lawrence would instantly put the Falcons back on the map as a force to be reckoned with in the NFC. With Lawrence in the fold, Atlanta would be relevant again - and if either Michael Penix Jr. or Tua Tagovailoa can rebound they might even be a contender. The Falcons should not hesitate to pay a princely sum for Lawrence, even if it means surrendering multiple first-round picks.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Should Atlanta Falcons trade for Giants DL Dexter Lawrence?