Bengals get star defensive tackle
Dexter Lawrence from Giants for 10th pick and extend him
[April 20, 2026]
By ROB MAADDI and STEPHEN WHYNO
The Cincinnati Bengals acquired three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle
Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants for the 10th pick in the
upcoming NFL draft.
The teams announced the deal Sunday after agreeing to it Saturday
night pending a physical.
Cincinnati then signed Lawrence to an extension that pays him an
average of $28 million through the 2028 NFL season, according to a
person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The
Associated Press on condition of anonymity because terms of the deal
were not disclosed.
The Giants now have the fifth and 10th picks for the draft that
begins Thursday night. They’re heading into their first draft under
coach John Harbaugh after finishing 4-13 last season.
The Bengals paid a hefty price for the 28-year-old Lawrence, who
asked for a trade because he wanted a new contract. He was set to
make roughly $20 million each of the next two seasons and is now
under contract for three more.
“I know they gave up a lot for me, and I appreciate that. I don’t
take that for granted. I have a fire in me,” Lawrence said Sunday at
Paycor Stadium, according to the Bengals' website.
Barring a trade, it’ll be the first time Cincinnati doesn’t have a
first-round pick since 1989, when the Bengals traded the
next-to-last pick in the draft (No. 27) to Atlanta for a
second-round pick (No. 35), a fourth (No. 89) and a 10th (No. 256).
The 6-foot-4, 340-pound Lawrence had a career-high nine sacks in
2024 but only registered a half-sack last season. He made the Pro
Bowl in 2022-24 and was a second-team Associated Press All-Pro in
2022 and 2023.
The Bengals ranked near the bottom in several defensive categories
last season. They were 31st in yards allowed, 30th in points allowed
and 30th against the run.
[to top of second column] |
New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II (97) walks off
the field after an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys,
Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam
Hunger, File)
With Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins
leading a dynamic offense, improving the defense was a must this
offseason. Lawrence gives Cincinnati a proven star in the middle of
the defensive line, though the cost was steep.
The Giants will be the 22nd team in the common
draft era (since 1967) to have two top-10 picks and the fifth in the
last five years. They did it in 2022 with Kayvon Thibodeaux (fifth)
and Evan Neal (seventh). The Bears took Caleb Williams first and
Rome Odunze ninth in 2024. The Texans selected C.J. Stroud second
and Will Anderson Jr. third in 2023. The Jets got Sauce Gardner
fourth and Garrett Wilson 10th in 2022.
On Tuesday, Giants general manager Joe Schoen said the team was
having productive talks with Lawrence’s camp.
“We’d like for Dexter to be here, and at some point we’ll come to a
resolution here, whatever that may be,” Schoen said. “We’ll see. But
conversations have been really good, they’ve been productive and
we’ll see what happens here down the road.”
But owning two top-10 picks was too good to pass up.
___
AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow and AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy
contributed to this report.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
