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The Bengals defense needed Dexter Lawrence like a drowning man needs oxygen.
That’s why the April trade for the three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle was one that could potentially change the trajectory of the next few years for this franchise. The trade was absolutely uncharted territory for this team and its fans as it was the first time in the common draft era (since 1966) they traded a top-10 pick for a player.
The return here was well worth the tenth overall pick. After all, this is a draft where there was no guarantee that Cincinnati would be able to land one of their three top choices of Caleb Downs, Reuben Bain, or Sonny Styles. If those three were off the board, the drop off behind them was significant. There was an excellent chance that the team may have reached for a player that they had no business taking at such a high spot.
And to be honest, with as bad as the Bengals defense has been, they needed someone who could help them turn things around immediately. And while Bain, Downs, and Styles would certainly have had an immediate impact next year, it’s highly unlikely they’d operate at the same elite level that Lawrence will be able to the moment he steps on the field.
In Lawrence the Bengals get a player that brings 341 tackles, 40 TFLs, and 30.5 sacks to the table at a position where it is extremely difficult to accumulate game breaking pass rush statistics.
Yes, all Bengals fans can read, and understand that Lawrence had just 31 tackles and 0.5 sacks in 2025.
But success at the defensive tackle position is probably least defined by pure reliance on sacks or tackles as the measuring stick. And Lawrence is a great example of that. Over the last five seasons he has been double teamed on over 53 percent of snaps, which is the most in the league in that span. And yet, in that same span he still managed 65 QB pressures, good for fourth overall.
And it’s extremely important to recognize that when he doesn’t just create for himself. When he was on the field in 2025, the Giants’ pass rush went from the bottom third of the league to nearly top ten in many major categories. He also has 108 QB pressures when aligned at the nose tackle position since 2022. The next closest player? Vita Vea with 32.
This is exactly the type of player that young and talented defensive ends in Myles Murphy and Shemar Stewart would need to see more genuine one on one opportunities for success, given the attention Lawrence demands every down. With all due respect to TJ Slaton and Kris Jenkins Jr. the Bengals were getting absolutely nothing from their interior defensive line when it came to rushing the passer.
And with so much draft capital invested at the edge, adding Lawrence made the most sense, even at the high price of the 10th overall pick. But even with the $28 million extension he signed, he is only under contract through age 31. So while the cash is steep, it is not crippling over the long term.
Bengals fans have been asking for a sign, any sign, that the team is going “all in” to boost the defense to match the investment in Burrow, Chase, and the team’s elite offense.
Well now they’ve gotten it, so let’s all buckle up and get ready for a wild ride with a stacked deck for 2026.
