John Harbaugh likened the start of his first offseason program as coach of the New York Giants to the first day of school, so he kept introducing himself to players along the way.
鈥淚鈥檓 like, 鈥楬i, John Harbaugh,鈥�” he said with a chuckle. 鈥淢ost guys will say, hey and give me their name. Some guys don鈥檛 give me their name and I’m like, 鈥楧ude, I鈥檓 not really sure who you are.鈥欌��
Harbaugh knows who Dexter Lawrence is but did not get the chance to say hello Tuesday. The three-time Pro Bowl nose tackle was one of three players not present, following word that .
Attendance is voluntary at this stage, and Harbaugh cited good conversations with agent Joel Segal while acknowledging he was not surprised by Lawrence’s absence. Still, though, Harbaugh estimated 鈥渢he prospects are going to be high鈥� for Lawrence to stick around.
鈥淪peaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here. I believe Dexter wants to be here. That鈥檚 a good formula,鈥� Harbaugh said on a video call with reporters. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 business involved. It鈥檚 a business proposition. We know it鈥檚 pro football. These things happen every year pretty much on every team.鈥�
Harbaugh spent the past 18 season with the Baltimore Ravens, coached them to a Super Bowl, and three years ago dealt with , which got resolved. Familiarity helped that situation, though Harbaugh said this also calls for a patient approach.
“It鈥檚 going to work out,” Harbaugh said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 high-level business, high-level football. I鈥檓 sure it will be handled in a real high-level way like that. I鈥檓 not worried about it.鈥�
Lawrence, 28, has two years left on his contract, set to earn $20 million and $19.5 million, respectively. He’s coming off a tumultuous 17 games in which he finished with a career-low 31 tackles and a half-sack.
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy called New York’s front the best he and the Kansas City Chiefs saw last season, and Lawrence is a significant part of that, even if the stats are not there.
“He鈥檚 a beast,” Nagy said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been doing it a while and a lot of respect for him. I just know that when we played him last year, we had to know where he was on every play.鈥�
Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson reached out after getting the job on Harbaugh’s new staff to open a line of communication and sensed Lawrence was in a good place.
鈥淗opefully everything works out in our favor, but, hey, I love Dexter and we have a good relationship,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淔or me personally, and from an organization standpoint, we understand the value of Dex. We love him, and we understand the business side, as well.鈥�
Cornerback Paulson Adebo also did not attend
Cornerback Paulson Adebo made it two defensive starters not in attendance for the start of the spring program, Harbaugh said, adding he was not sure of the reason.
鈥淚t’s his right,鈥� Harbaugh said. 鈥淕uys come or not come according to their choosing: voluntary time of year.鈥�
Harbaugh said the third player who did not take part was defensive tackle Sam Roberts, who had a procedure that did not allow him to travel to the practice facility in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo have different injury return timelines
Top receiver Malik Nabers is coming off from a home game on Sept. 28, and running back Cam Skattebo is working back from a and additional damage incurred Oct. 26 at Philadelphia.
Each player was at the facility, Harbaugh said, with Skattebo ahead of Nabers, who is expected back either during training camp or closer to the season.
鈥淚t wouldn鈥檛 be fair for me to give you days or dates,鈥� Harbaugh said. 鈥淚 have a vague idea. It鈥檚 not that important today.鈥�
Kayvon Thibodeaux remains with the Giants
After edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux’s name surfaced in trade buzz in recent weeks, Harbaugh said 鈥渆verybody’s tradeable.鈥� But Thibodeaux was in attendance and has not been traded yet, if he is at all.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a great player,鈥� Harbaugh said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited about him. I was fired up to see him today. He looks great, he鈥檚 in great shape. I鈥檓 thinking about him on the field, getting him plugged into our defense and getting him rolling.鈥�
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