Multiple national outlets are already putting Dexter Lawrence near the top of the defensive tackle mountain, and that’s exactly the kind of impact the Cincinnati Bengals were banking on when they brought him in this offseason.
Sports Illustrated ranked Lawrence as the fourth-best defensive tackle in the NFL heading into the 2026 season, while The Associated Press placed him at No. 5. For a Bengals defense that badly needed help, that kind of recognition only adds to the expectation that Lawrence can become the centerpiece of a much-improved unit.
Lawrence arrives in Cincinnati with a résumé that has long made him one of the league’s most disruptive interior defenders. He’s coming off a quieter season by his standards, finishing 2025 with just half a sack after returning from injury.
But the year before that, he was at his best, piling up nine sacks in 2024 and earning his third straight Pro Bowl selection. He was also a two-time second-team All-Pro in 2022 and 2023.
Even in a down year, Lawrence still showed enough to stay in the conversation among the league’s best. He ranked top-20 in pass-rush win rate in 2025, and the expectation in Cincinnati is that he can bounce back and help pull the defense up from the bottom of the rankings.
The AP’s case for Lawrence centered on the rare blend he brings to the middle of the line: a nose tackle who can both pressure the quarterback and hold up against the run. Cincinnati traded for him from the New York Giants before the draft, using the 10th overall pick in hopes he could help rebuild a struggling defense.
His production from 2022 through 2024 backs up the reputation. Lawrence posted 21 sacks over that stretch and made the Pro Bowl in all three seasons. Last season, though, opposing offenses clearly made him a priority, with PFF saying he faced the fifth-highest double-team rate among defensive tackles at 70.35%.
The Bengals went into the offseason knowing they had to fix their defense. Lawrence is the biggest name in that effort, and the buzz around him suggests Cincinnati believes it added a player capable of changing the tone of the entire unit.
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