3 Reasons Why Dexter Lawrence’s Move to Bengals Makes Perfect Sense

The Cincinnati Bengals gave up their 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the New York Giants to acquire nose tackle Dexter Lawrence.

3 Reasons Why Dexter Lawrence’s Move to Bengals Makes Perfect Sense

Joe Burrow and Dexter Lawrence (Image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • Dexter Lawrence has been traded from the New York Giants to the Cincinnati Bengals for their 10th overall pick in the 2026 draft.
  • The Giants will save approximately $13.4 million in cap space by trading Lawrence before June 1.
  • Lawrence's addition is expected to significantly improve the Bengals' struggling defense, which ranked near the bottom in several categories last season.

Few could have predicted that Dexter Lawrence would push for a trade out of the New York Giants during the final year of his four-year contract. And yet, the Giants and their new coaching regime under John Harbaugh decided to part ways with “Sexy-Dexy” when the right offer arrived.

Lawrence did not seem too happy with his contract, despite receiving a generous $3 million in additional incentives. According to Connor Hughes of SNY, Lawrence asked for money similar to his production. He witnessed the New York Jets trading a disgruntled Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys for picks and Mazi Smith. Williams instantly got a bump in his yearly salary. Hughes wrote:

What will be interesting is if the [New York] Giants take a 2026 second-rounder and demand a 2027 first. If that’s the case, and if the Giants do deal Lawrence, they wouldn’t have to do the transaction until [April 24]. If we get through [the night of April 24] with no deal, I would not expect one any time soon.

Lawrence was due $22 million on his previous contract in New York. He sought to earn $30 million APY. But the Giants reportedly had little intention of paying him that much money regardless of his impeccable numbers. Therefore, the Giants shopped around to see if there was a market for Lawrence. Sure enough, teams contacted them with offers.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Mike Garafolo confirmed that the Giants agreed to trade Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for their 10th overall pick in the 2026 draft. NFL insider Albert Breer reported that both sides had been in negotiations for two weeks, with the discussion centering around the compensation.

According to Hughes, the Giants will clear Lawrence’s remaining 2026 and ’27 salaries from their books. As it’s a trade taking place before June 1, the Giants will incur a dead cap of $13.92 million and save around $13.4 million in cap space.

Dexter Lawrence will improve the Bengals defense

With Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, and Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals possess the offensive firepower to challenge anyone in the league. However, it’s impossible to win a Super Bowl without a solid defense. And that’s what the Bengals have lacked in the last few years.

3 Reasons Why Dexter Lawrence's Move to Bengals Makes Perfect Sense
Dexter Lawrence (Image via IMAGO)

The Bengals ranked second from bottom in total defense (averaged 380.9 yards per game), last in rushing defense (147.1 yards per game), and fifth-worst third-down defense out of 32 NFL teams in 2025.

Lawrence is arguably the best nose tackle in the league. The 28-year-old’s 341 combined tackles, 103 quarterback hits, 40 TFLs, 15 passes defended, 5 forced fumbles, and 30.5 sacks are some of the best numbers at his position.

Shortage of top-class talent at tackle

Finding a good nose tackle in the draft is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Clemson’s Peter Woods, Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald, and Florida’s Caleb Banks can play in a similar position to Lawrence, but it seems the Bengals did not value them as highly as some other teams.

In that sense, adding a player like Lawrence gives the Bengals good leverage heading into the new season. Sure, giving away the 10th overall pick seems a hefty price to pay for a 28-year-old, but the upside is very high.

NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah wrote:

I was on the phone with a GM less than an hour ago running through top 10 scenarios. The way we had it going, we both said, “the bengals are screwed.” Well, not anymore. This trade makes a ton of sense for them.

The Bengals are building a solid defense

Lawrence joins a Bengals team that already added Boye Mafe, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks last year. In his four years with the Seahawks, Mafe accumulated 164 combined tackles, 20 sacks, 24 TFLs, 14 pass defenses, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 forced returns.

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