After facing constant scrutiny for not doing enough to support QB1 Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals finally completed a blockbuster trade. Days before the draft, the Bengals traded for New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, which, according to franchise legend Andrew Whitworth, is a sign of going “All-in” for the 2026 season.

“To me, this is the first time in their history trading a top 10 pick like this,” Whitworth said during his appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. “They’re saying, ‘You know what, as an organization… we are all in on Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor in this era of Cincinnati football.'”

The Bengals have struggled to compete for the Lombardi Trophy since their Super Bowl run in 2022, where they suffered a 23-20 loss against the Los Angeles Rams. Fast-forwarding to four years, Cincy has failed to make the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, with injuries to Joe Burrow and defensive struggles contributing to missing the postseason.

Hence, a big move was required, and the Bengals front office delivered by trading away their 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL for Dexter Lawrence, who immediately bolsters a unit that ranked 31st in total defense last year. Furthermore, they allowed 233.8 passing yards per game and had 147.1 rushing yards per game.

Now with the Lawrence addition, Cincy gets arguably the best nose tackle in the league, who averaged five sacks and 16 knockdowns per 17 games as a pro, and is expected to deliver more after his disappointing 2025 season. The 28-year-old had 31 total tackles (14 solo), 0.5 sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery, and four passes defended while starting all 17 games.

Despite lower sack numbers, he had an elite pass-rush efficiency with an 84.5 PFF grade (7th among qualified interior linemen). Furthermore, Lawrence has been double-teamed on over 53% of his pass-rush snaps, which is the highest rate in the NFL since 2021. That’s more than 1,100 double teams, highlighting his importance to the d-line.

The Bengals have already made moves to bring in the likes of pass-rusher Boye Mafe on a three-year, $60 million deal, safety Bryan Cook on a three-year, $40.25 million deal, and fellow defensive lineman Jonathan Allen on a two-year, $25 million deal. But with the Lawrence trade, Cincinnati has managed to revamp a defense that held an incredible offense led by Joe Burrow and the receiving duo of Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase back over the last three seasons.

Hence, Andrew Whitworth also described this decision as a clear shift in direction for the franchise, which struggled to perform at the highest level over the last three seasons.

“I think this sends a message to that organization… hey, we have no excuses,” Whitworth said. “You can’t sit here and say the organization’s not bought in. Look how much money they’ve spent in the last two years — (and) trading away a top 10 pick for an elite player in Dexter Lawrence.”

As the Bengals have finally gone “All-in” with the blockbuster Dexter Lawrence trade and a plethora of quality offseason moves, QB1 Joe Burrow has expressed excitement about the 2026 season. A massive positive for the franchise, considering the LSU product had reportedly threatened to leave the Bengals if no significant steps were taken to improve the roster.

Burrow excited for 2026 season after Bengals’ stellar offseason

Ahead of the recently concluded NFL draft, a cloud of uncertainty was looming over the Bengals with franchise cornerstone Joe Burrow stating, “You have to do something defensively, or I’m out of here,” according to veteran reporter Dan Patrick. While many would deem this reaction to be over the top and too demanding, for someone like Burrow, who threw for 13,511 yards and 110 touchdowns since 2022, it is a simple cry for help.

And this alarming comment worked as it prompted the Cincy front office to trade for Dexter Lawrence and cap off a solid offseason on a massive positive. Since that trade, Burrow appears to be enthused and ecstatic for the upcoming season as he praised the team for taking the responsibility and making the right moves to compete for the Lombardi Trophy.

“I’m really excited about the moves we made this offseason,” Burrow said, as per Big Lead. “We need to get better, so it was exciting to see the initiative from everybody in the organization and recognize that we’re in an exciting stage.”

The Cincinnati Bengals have made their intentions clear this offseason. With the Dexter Lawrence trade and several other key defensive additions, the organization has finally given Joe Burrow the support he needs. Now the pressure shifts to the players and coaching staff to deliver results.