Dexter Lawrence trade grades: Bengals pay hefty price to upgrade problematic defense in deal with Giants originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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While the rest of the NFL focuses on the upcoming draft, the Bengals still had some offseason business to handle.
Cincinnati swung a blockbuster deal with the Giants for DT Dexter Lawrence on Saturday, landing the three-time Pro-Bowler in exchange for the No. 10 pick in Thursday’s draft.
The deal leaves the Giants with two top-10 picks but a void up front on their defense, while the Bengals add a defensive anchor after losing Trey Hendrickson in free agency.
Here’s how the Bengals and Giants did in the Lawrence blockbuster.
MORE: Full 2026 NFL Draft order
Dexter Lawrence trade grades
Bengals grade: C
- Bengals receive: DT Dexter Lawrence
Make no mistake: the Bengals badly need a talent infusion on their defense, and that was true even before Trey Hendrickson’s exit in free agency. Lawrence makes their defense better from day one, and a stronger defense is critical to Cincinnati’s hopes of returning to the playoffs with Joe Burrow.
This is still a hefty price to pay for player heading into his eighth season who is presumably asking to become one of the highest-paid defensive linemen in the NFL. The Bengals might not get a player of Lawrence’s caliber with the No. 10 pick — ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the team considers 2026 “a big year” and want an immediate impact — but considering how much more cost-controlled that player would be, Cincinnati has to hope Lawrence plays like an All-Pro to live up to this deal.
Instead, a Bengals team that needs help just about everywhere other than the skill positions now owns only three top-180 picks in the 2026 draft.
The Bengals are betting that Lawrence will prove his 2025 was an aberration. He wasn’t as effective at getting to the passer or stopping the run, something he owed to playing through an elbow injury. Lawrence was much more effective in 2024 and even more effective in 2022 and 2023, when he was an All-Pro Second-Team selection.
It’s certainly possible Lawrence becomes that type of player again, but there is enough uncertainty to say this trade could be looked back upon as a desperation move.
MORE:2026 NFL mock draft with trades
Giants grade: A
- Giants receive: DT Dexter Lawrence
Trading a defensive anchor just as you’re expecting to come out of a rebuild and make a leap isn’t ideal, but the Giants clearly drew a line in the sand in contract negotiations with Lawrence. Is that because they believe he won’t be the player he once was? Only time will tell.
Regardless, landing a second top-10 pick is a major coup that will allow coach John Harbaugh to better put his stamp on the Giants’ roster. No, that player might not have the immediate impact of someone like Lawrence, but New York now has two chances to add a cost-controlled, high-level talent to its roster and more flexibility to move around in the first round if needed.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported executives expected the Giants to land a late first-round pick for Lawrence, which sounds about right for a player who isn’t an edge rusher, isn’t coming off his best season by any means and is demanding a massive third contract. To land a top-10 pick, particularly as a team that already has a quarterback and has multiple major roster needs, is a significant win that makes the temporary void on the defensive line much easier for Harbaugh to stomach.
The Giants want to win in 2026, but Harbaugh is under far less pressure to win right now than the Bengals’ regime. That difference showed in this trade.
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