Dexter Lawrence has already changed the look of the Bengals’ defense, and the numbers are starting to make that impossible to ignore.
Cincinnati’s defense still has plenty of room to grow, but the trade for Lawrence is looking like a major win. The price was modest - the 10th overall pick in a weak draft - and the contract is manageable at three years and $70 million. Lawrence may be due for a raise after this season, but for now the Bengals are getting exactly what they paid for.
The comparison only gets more favorable after Jeffery Simmons went from Tennessee to Chicago for two first-round picks yesterday. Against that backdrop, Lawrence’s arrival looks even sharper, and the production backs it up. He has four sacks in six games, but that barely tells the story.
What Lawrence does best is tilt the field. On the rare occasions he gets a clean one-on-one, he punishes it. More often, he’s forcing opponents to commit double teams on at least 80% of his snaps, and that attention is opening lanes for everyone else around him.
That ripple effect shows up in the team stats. The Bengals are the only team in the NFL ranked top five in both sacks and run stuff rate this season, and they are first in both categories. They’re tied for the lead with 21 sacks, and the run defense has shown the kind of disruption that changes games.
Boye Mafe’s team-high 4.5 sacks are part of that picture, but Lawrence is the engine. He has been every bit the force multiplier the Bengals expected when they made the deal, and any talk that he was fading after a down year with the New York Giants looks shaky now.
His impact has been most obvious in key moments. One of the season’s defining plays for this defense came when he stopped a Houston Texans run on fourth and short in Week 2. Cincinnati has also held opponents to six conversions on seven fourth-down tries through Week 7.
The pass rush totals have climbed right alongside that interior force. Before the Green Bay Packers sacked Bryce Young six times on Thursday night to open Week 8, Cincinnati had matched the league lead with 21 sacks. Lawrence’s presence in the middle has helped create those chances by forcing offenses to adjust around him.
There’s also a broader effect here for Joe Burrow and the offense. A stronger defense means Cincinnati can be a little less predictable on offense, and that matters even with all five starting linemen back from last year. The offensive line continuity helps, but Lawrence is a huge reason the team is even in position to benefit from it.
That said, the Bengals are not finished on defense. The group still gives up too much on third down, where Cincinnati ranks 30th, and it allows 4.7 yards per carry. Those are real issues.
Still, if Lawrence keeps playing like this, the defense has a chance to keep climbing. The roster had a lot of new pieces to blend together this season, and the remaining schedule is arguably the easiest in the NFL. If the Bengals clean up a little more on third down and against the run, this Lawrence-led defense could start looking a lot scarier beginning the day after Halloween against the Titans.
In Other News...
Bengals Fans Wont Like The NFLs Latest Erick All Jr. Update
The Bengals were already dealing with the fallout from Erick All Jr.s injury when the leagues review of the play brought another layer of frustration. All went down on a hip-drop tackle by Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith in Week 7, and Cincinnati later had to put the tight end on injured reserve after he tore his ACL. In response, the Bengals added former Minnesota practice squad tight end Cam Grandy to help fill the gap.
Now comes the part Cincinnati fans probably wont love: the NFL reviewed the tackle and did not fine Smith. For a team that lost a young tight end and had to reshuffle its depth chart almost immediately, the lack of discipline only adds to the sting of a play that already changed the Bengals plans at the position. [Read more 🡒]
Zac Taylor Had The Perfect Reaction To A Trade Bengals Fans Loved
Zac Taylor had a little extra reason to smile after the Bears landed Jeffery Simmons from Tennessee, and he made sure his brother Press knew it. Press Taylor, Chicagos offensive coordinator, said Zac called him to talk through the move, which figures to give the Bears a real boost on defense, especially up front where the pass rush can change games in a hurry.
From Cincinnatis side, the appeal is obvious too. Any time a contender in the AFC loses a disruptive defender off the schedule, it catches the attention of a coach preparing for the next stretch of games. Both brothers had a lighthearted take on the deal ahead of their teams upcoming matchups, and for Bengals fans, the best part may be that their head coach sounded like he appreciated the timing just as much as the rest of them did. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Running Back Search Just Got Much Tougher Than Fans Hoped
The market for running back help just got a lot more complicated, and Cincinnati is watching from the same uncomfortable place as everyone else. Indianapolis has reportedly already turned down a trade offer for Jonathan Taylor that included multiple draft picks, a sign that any team trying to pry him loose is going to have to pay a premium. With the Broncos, Packers, Vikings, Giants and Seahawks all said to be interested, the bidding could turn into exactly the kind of expensive chase the Bengals would rather avoid.
For Cincinnati, the issue is not just need, but price. Taylor would bring name value and upside, but the cost is shaping up to be steep enough that the Bengals are unlikely to jump in. Instead, they may have to look for a more realistic fit on the trade market, with Tony Pollard emerging as the kind of option that better matches their budget and roster priorities. [Read more 🡒]