The Cincinnati Bengals shocked the NFL by trading their first-round pick for New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence . The 2026 NFL Draft was the likely reason behind the uncharacteristic move.
The Cincinnati Bengals trading the No. 10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is one of the most uncharacteristic actions the franchise has ever taken.
That’s not hyperbole.
Cincinnati doesn’t do anything with its first-round picks. The picks are spent where they are situated in the draft. Trade up? Nope. Trade for a player? Absolutely not.
There have been nearly 60 drafts in Bengals history. 28 picks inside the top 10 have been made. None of them have ever been moved for a player until Lawrence. The last time they executed a trade to acquire a player at the cost of a draft pick higher than a seventh-round value was in 1998. Linebacker Paul Justin was brought in for the cost of a fifth-round pick that year.
“Sexy Dexy,” one of the most physically dominant players in the league, coming to town for the 10th pick is quite the jump to put it lightly.
Why now? Is it purely for the sake of going “all-in” on the 2026 season like fans and the elite players on the team desire? It has to be part of the calculus. Sacrificing the chance to add a 21 or 22-year old on a cost-controlled contract for a 28-year old on the verge of another massive pay day makes it undeniable.
But there has to be more to it than that. A massive move like this has to have multiple layers. One of the most prominent draft analysts believes he knows the hidden motivation behind it all.
Trying to figure out what Cincinnati was going to do at No. 10 overall was becoming a tricky exercise.
A defensive player, yes, but which one? Which of the presumed top targets was most likely going to fall nine picks after Fernando Mendoza went No. 1 overall? Rueben Bain Jr., Caleb Downs
, and Mansoor Delane all seemed like possible outcomes, but watching all acceptable options come off the board ahead of them was becoming a more likely possibility following the news of Jermod McCoy’s combine medical recheck
.
It was evident to NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah, who believes trading for Lawrence makes “a ton of sense” for the Bengals.
As soon as Lawrence became available for trade, there was a choice to be made. Cincinnati could try its luck in the draft, hoping a name like Bain, Downs, or Delane would fall, or go get the developed star to become the new force-multiplier on the defense.
Again, the alternative was not reasonable to expect from the outside. The trade itself is bonkers on its own considering the well-known history of the Bengals. Add on an extension is forthcoming pending a physical, and this whole shebang is completely out of left field.
Cincinnati’s last two top-10 picks have gone as well as the club hoped. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase have turned the franchise into a perennial postseason threat, and Super Bowl contender once in the tournament.
Clearly, CLEARLY, the feeling inside Paycor Stadium was the No. 10 pick was not going to result in anything close to the game’s best nose tackle. The Bengals wouldn’t step all th way out of their comfort zone for any other reason.
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