The Bengals’ 2026 offseason haul is getting real national respect, and ESPN’s Matt Bowen put two Cincinnati additions inside his 50 most impactful moves of the entire NFL offseason.
At the top of the group for Cincinnati sits Dexter Lawrence II, the defensive tackle acquired in a trade with the New York Giants that sent the 10th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft the other way. Lawrence checked in as Bowen’s No. 4 overall addition, a placement that reflects just how much he changes the shape of a defense.
“After upgrading their defensive line with Jonathan Allen and Boye Mafe, the Bengals made a splash move to bring in Lawrence,” Bowen wrote. “As an elite interior defender, he impacts opposing game plans due to his power and ability to occupy two blockers in pass protection. Lawrence should also be viewed as a high-level run defender despite a career-low 28 tackles on designed rushes in 2025.”
That kind of profile is exactly why Lawrence has drawn so much buzz inside the Bengals locker room, including from Joe Burrow.
“We filled some holes that we had from years past, got better at a lot of positions. Signed the best free agent safety.
Got the best D-Tackle in the league, in my opinion,” Burrow said in May. “We have a lot of depth now on the defensive line.
That’s exciting. He’s bigger and stronger than everybody.
And getting to know him, it means a lot to him. He wants to go out and perform well and assert his will, so when you have a guy like that, it’s going to be exciting to watch and be a part of.”
Bryan Cook also made Bowen’s list, coming in at No. 40 after signing early in free agency. The Cincinnati native may not have landed near the top of the rankings, but Bowen still framed him as a major upgrade in the back end.
“Cooks adds range -- from the deep half and post -- to coordinator Al Golden’s defense,” Bowen wrote. “Plus, he has the top-down speed to drive on the football. With the upgrades Cincinnati made on the defensive line, Cook should have an easier time patrolling the field from deep.”
Cook’s arrival stands out even more when weighed against the safety play Cincinnati had before him, with Geno Stone coming off what Bowen described as arguably the worst football of any starting safety over the last two seasons, based on a 53.7 combined Pro Football Focus grade across 2,014 snaps.
Bowen listed Myles Garrett, A.J. Brown and Trent McDuffie ahead of Lawrence. Still, Cincinnati landing two players on the list says plenty about how aggressive the team was on defense this offseason, with nearly 10 total moves made on that side of the ball.
That spending spree also ties back to the restructuring of Burrow’s contract, a sign the Bengals are heavily committed to getting a big season out of their franchise quarterback.
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