The Cincinnati Bengals have worked hard to reinforce their defense this offseason, and they took their biggest step towards accomplishing that goal on Saturday night when they swung a trade with the New York Giants for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. In exchange for Lawrence, the Bengals sent the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft the other way.
With the draft just days away, this move has shaken up the league, with many folks shocked to see Cincinnati move off of the No. 10 pick. The Bengals have already signed Lawrence to a new one-year, $28 million contract extension in the wake of this trade, and according to NFL insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, it sounds like the All-Pro defender is pumped to have landed with Cincy.
Dexter Lawrence is ‘Jacked’ After Getting Traded to the Bengals
Earlier this month, Lawrence requested a trade from the Giants due to his current contract situation. Lawrence, who had around $40 million left on his two-year deal with the team, wanted to be paid in line with the top defensive tackles in the league. With his aforementioned extension, Lawrence will see a nice bump in pay, but he’ll have to wait until 2028 to actually see it hit his bank account.
The Bengals have been furiously attempting to build a championship contender around Joe Burrow for the past few years. While their offense is lethal, their defense has been one of the worst units in the league for some time now. Cincy has attempted to fix that issue this offseason by aggressively bringing players to town on that side of the ball, with Lawrence being the latest and biggest addition of the bunch.
Cincinnati is obviously fired up to have landed Lawrence, even if it came at the mind-boggling price of the No. 10 pick in the draft. But how does Lawrence feel about this move to the AFC North? According to Fowler, Lawrence is “jacked,” as he’s excited to help the Bengals in their quest to win a Super Bowl in 2026 and beyond.
“I talked to a source who said Dexter Lawrence is jacked about this trade,” Fowler said on “SportsCenter.” “He gets a chance to go play with Joe Burrow, chase a championship. They’re in their window right now, so he likes the change of scenery. Very happy about it.”
Bengals Have Big Expectations for Dexter Lawrence
GettyThe Bengals have signed Dexter Lawrence to a one-year, $28 million contract extension after acquiring him in a trade with the Giants
While Lawrence is a stud, there’s a lot of risk associated with this trade from the Bengals’ perspective. We’ve already noted that they gave up quite a lot to get him, and his new contract isn’t exactly cheap. Beyond that, Lawrence is coming off a down year (31 tackles, 0.5 sacks, one interception, four pass breakups) that saw his streak of three-straight Pro Bowl selections get snapped.
In order for this deal to be worth it for Cincinnati, it needs Lawrence to rediscover his prior form from the 2022-2024 seasons. He’s still only 28 years old, and defensive tackles can play into their late 30s if they take care of their bodies, so there’s reason to believe he can turn things around. If he can’t, though, the Bengals could find themselves stuck in a similar spot with their defense for years to come.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Insider Shares Dexter Lawrence’s Immediate Reaction to Bengals Trade appeared first on Heavy Sports.