Bengals Trade for Lawrence, Boost Defense

0:00It's April 20th. This is NFL News Today Football coverage powered by AI. The Bengals just pulled off a bold move, trading their number 10 draft pick to the Giants for three-time pro-bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, then locking him up with a $28 million extension through 2028. Earlier this week, Cincinnati sweetened the deal by signing Jonathan Allen, beefing up that interior line alongside Sam Hendrickson to fix a defense. That right near the bottom last year. Analyst Emmanuel Acho called it a head scratcher, arguing you do not swap a top 10 pick for a defensive tackle unless he is dropping double digit. Sacks like Aaron Donald or JJ Wat Lawrence manage just half a sack in 2025 amid an elbow injury down from 9.5 the year. Before Lawrence knows the stakes, telling reporters he is fired up to prove his worth and stats back his value beyond sacks. He has drawn double teams on. For half his rushes since 2021, the highest rate at his position with 123 pressures since

1:032022, that trail only Chris Jones. Meanwhile, the Bengals have missed the playoffs three straight years, so this front four revamp could be the spark, but it all hinges on that elbow. Holding up for the healthy version, they are banking on.