The Bengals have already seen the kind of edge Dexter Lawrence can bring to a defense, and Zac Taylor says the ripple effect has shown up fast in training camp.
Cincinnati made the offseason move that stunned the league by sending the 10th overall pick to the New York Giants for the star defensive tackle, better known as “Sexy Dexy.” The trade gave the Bengals the kind of interior force they badly needed, and Taylor says Lawrence has wasted no time making life harder on the offense.
“Lawrence has already paid off throughout training camp,” the source reporting notes, with his presence in the middle helping set the tone for the defensive line. The offense, in turn, has had a tougher time than usual dealing with him.
Taylor pointed to the constant strain Lawrence puts on opponents when he spoke with Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.
“A relentlessness to him,” Taylor told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “Ted (Karras) has his hands full, and it’s making Ted better.
Whatever year Ted’s in (11). I think it’s certainly a grind for both those guys.
They’re two smart guys that are doing everything they can to win the rep and help their unit, but he’s tough.
“We ran a counter play that was really good the other day, and he just reached around and grabbed Chase Brown. And there’s nothing I would have told (right guard) Dalton (Risner) to do differently.
Dalton did a great job 99% of the time against 99 of 100 tackles. That’s going to be a great block.
And Dexter just made that play. That’s a rare play for a guy to make.”
That one snap, Taylor said, was a perfect example of what Lawrence can do: even when the blocking is sound, he can still reach in and wreck the play.
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Zac Taylor has already spoken positively about Howells impact, and Boye Mafe has also taken note of the potential the rookie is showing. The bigger question now is how much of that early momentum sticks as camp goes on, because Howell is doing enough to make this a real competition rather than a developmental subplot. For a Bengals pass-rush group trying to sort out roles, that is exactly the kind of push that can change the conversation quickly. [Read more 🡒]