This Bengals-Giants trade for Dexter Lawrence jumpstarts the Cincinnati defense

If you want to know how much acquiring New York Giants star nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II would mean for the Cincinnati Bengals, just ask their players. Specifically, offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. wants to see his team trade for the disgruntled defensive lineman.

The 29-year-old Brown told FanDuel TV's Kay Adams on her show Tuesday that New York's three-time Pro Bowler "would make our football team better."

“Dexter Lawrence is a baller,” Brown said. “I think he’d be even more of a baller in orange and black. I don’t know how that kind of stuff goes necessarily, I don’t have all the answers.”

Lawrence has already demanded a trade out of East Rutherford after talks around a new contract reportedly reached an impasse. The 28-year-old still has two more years remaining on his current deal, which comes with over $52 million in salary cap hits across that time. It's entirely possible that this is just a negotiating ploy, and that he winds up staying in New York. If not, though, arguably no team has more to gain by getting a deal done than Cincinnati.

This Bengals-Giants trade for Dexter Lawrence could solve both team's problems

This Bengals front office is infamously stingy with its resources; as fans know all too well from the Trey Hendrickson saga, the purse strings are very tight. Convincing general manager Duke Tobin to pull the trigger on a trade for an already expensive asset, one who will come with a deal at or near the top of his positional market, will be tough.

However, Lawrence still has a lot of upside, especially for a defense that was the worst in the league against the run in 2025. Cincinnati allowed 2,500 total rush yards last year (147.1 yards per game) and 492 total points. At six-foot-four nad 340 pounds, Lawrence is exactly the body the Bengals need to plug up the middle — and attract double-teams that could help everyone around him.

New York reportedly wants a first-rounder for Lawrence's services, but with how risk-averse Cincinnati can be — and with how hesitant the league at large might be to shell out for a defensive tackle coming off a down year as he approaches 30 — I wouldn't be surprised to see them negotiate that down to a high second-rounder. The Bengals own the 41st overall pick in the upcoming draft but would probably have to toss in some late-draft capital to make up for the distance between that and their first-rounder (No. 10).

Cincinnati already owns the Giants' seventh-round pick (No. 221) from a previous transaction, so it would make sense for general manager Joe Schoen to ask for it back in this swap. In order to appease the Bengals' likely grumbling about taking on Lawrence's contract on top of whatever kind of extension he's asking for, New York can throw in the lowest of their three sixth-round picks (No. 193) to soften the blow.

Ideally, the Giants will keep Lawrence going into a critical rebuilding year, but it shouldn't shock anyone if he eventually makes enough of a stink to get the change of scenery he's demanding. Making a deal with Cincinnati, despite the probable headaches, could be a worthy exchange for all parties involved.

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