Bengals Land Dexter Lawrence in Blockbuster Deal Ahead of NFL Draft

The next big thing happening in the NFL is the draft, which happens this coming week. There was a massive trade over the weekend though, so let's break that down, as it has draft ramifications.

We will discuss real-world and fantasy football impacts of the deal. Let's get to it!

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The Trade and More Details

The Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants completed the trade on Saturday. The only player swapping teams was Dexter Lawrence, and he went from the Giants to the Bengals. The only other asset in the trade was the No. 10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft - that goes back to the Giants.

It's a pretty simple trade, but it's a massive one, as the number of that pick shows.

On top of the trade, the Bengals extended Lawrence's contract on Sunday, giving him $28 million for another year.

This is clearly a player the Bengals believe in for the long haul, so let's next discuss Lawrence.

Lawrence's Stats and Bio

Lawrence is a 28-year-old defensive tackle. He was drafted in the first round by the Giants in 2019, going 19th overall. So I guess the Giants got more out of Lawrence than they used to originally get him.

Anyways, Lawrence has been in the NFL for seven years. Over 109 games, he has 341 combined tackles. Lawrence has 40 tackles for losses, 103 quarterback hits, 30.5 sacks, 15 passes defensed, five forced fumbles and one interception.

He has been super durable, playing in 16 or more games in all but one season (2024). Lawrence has been to the Pro Bowl three times.

He was named to the 2019 All-Rookie Team, and has been a top-100 player in the NFL for each of the past three seasons. 

Lawrence was a Pro Bowler in 2022-24, before not getting there in 2025. He saw a lot of his stats drop off, with 8.5 less sacks, 13 less combined tackles and four less tackles for losses than he posted in 2024.

He's still a very good defensive tackle, and will be a welcomed addition to the Bengals' defense. Speaking of, let's discuss what this trade does for the defense.

Bengals' Defensive Outlook with Lawrence

Lawrence will start on the defensive line for Cincinnati, on a defense that has struggled over the years.

Cincy made a lot of offseason moves to address the defense, and things should be better in 2026.

Alongside Lawrence, B.J. Hill is projected to be the team's other defensive tackle. Myles Murphy and Boye Mafe are the other projected starters on the defensive line. There's some depth there too, with Cedric Johnson, Jonathan Allen, T.J. Slaton, Shemar Stewart and others as projected backups.

At linebacker, Cincy has Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. Oren Burks and Shaka Heyward are the projected backups for the time being.

In the secondary, Dax Hill and DJ Turner II are the projected outside corners, with Jalen Davis as the projected nickelback. Josh Newton, DJ Ivey and Ja'Sir Taylor are the top backups at corner.

At safety, Jordan Battle is expected to start alongside newcomer Bryan Cook. Newcomer Kyle Dugger and Daijahn Anthony are the projected backups.

There's some talent on the Bengals' defense after some offseason additions, and I'd guess the team adds more young talent to the roster through the draft. It's not likely to be a top-end unit in 2026, but Cincy should be improved, and it should help the team in its quest to make the postseason.

As for Lawrence's IDP outlook, I like him joining the Bengals' defense, and think he could put together some big seasons for them in the years to come. There's enough talent around so that offenses can't double team Lawrence all the time, and it could help him as he rushes the passer, so more sacks, TFLs and tackles in general could be coming in 2026.

Giants' Outlook without Lawrence

New York is worse off without Lawrence, and the team is likely going to struggle defensively without him in 2026.

Getting the No. 10 pick in return is a nice return for a player who didn't want to play there anymore. It will be hard to replace Lawrence though, so don't expect the defensive line, and defense overall, to be better.

Sam Roberts and Roy Robertson-Harris are the projected defensive tackles now. Darius Alexander and Elijah Chatman are the top projected backups, with Marlon Tuipulotu another option. I wouldn't be surprised to see New York add a couple more d-tackles to the mix before the 2026 season opens.

Brian Burns and Abdul Carter are the defensive ends, with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Chauncey Golston as the top backups. So there's enough talent on the line to get after the passer, but down Lawrence, the middle of the d-line could struggle for the Giants.

The rest of the defense is solid, but more pressure will be on the interior of the line to make up for the loss of Lawrence. New York is a couple years from making serious noise anyways (probably), so I don't mind them ditching Lawrence for a top-10 pick.

The Giants now have picks five and 10, so they can draft two impact players, and should be better off as a result in 2026. Maybe that player won't have as big of an impact as Lawrence would have had, but at least the Giants add another piece as they retool and build under new coach John Harbaugh.

We will break down the NFL draft more as it approaches, and then more after it happens, so keep checking back for those stories!