Joe Burrow throws a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 4, 2026. Getty
The momentum that the Cincinnati Bengals enjoyed from the start of the 2026 campaign has quickly vanished, as they suffered their second straight loss in Week 4, with the Jacksonville Jaguars defeating them by a score of 22-17. There's no shame in suffering a hard-fought loss at the hands of a tough Jags team, but the Bengals clearly have some work to do after they started the year with a pair of resounding victories.
Teams across the league are continuing to survey their options for potential roster moves, and you can bet that Cincy's front office is considering everything after its latest loss. On Wednesday morning, the Bengals surely noticed that one of their former players, defensive end Carl Lawson, found a new home with the Indianapolis Colts ahead of Week 5.
Cincy selected Lawson in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and he immediately carved out a role for himself on the team's defense. Despite being used only as a situational pass rusher in his rookie season, Lawson managed to rack up 8.5 sacks, which is still the highest figure he has recorded in a single year.
After four years with the Bengals, Lawson signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the New York Jets in free agency. His tenure with the team didn't get off to a great start, as he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon that ended up resulting in him missing the entire 2021 campaign. Lawson had a great bounce-back year in 2022 (33 tackles, seven sacks, one forced fumble), but he has been unable to play at a similar level since then.
Over the past two seasons, Lawson has spent time with the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens , but he has been without a home this year. With the Colts needing help along their defensive line, and their defensive coordinator, Lou Anarumo, having had experience working with Lawson during their shared time in Cincy, the front office decided to take a flier on the veteran pass rusher by signing him to the team's practice squad .
Sources: The Colts are signing veteran DE Carl Lawson ," NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported in a post on X. "Lawson previously played under Colts DC Lou Anarumo in Cincinnati. He has recorded 32 sacks over his eight-year career, including five with the Cowboys in 2024. He'll start on the practice squad."
Getty Joe Burrow throws a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 4, 2026.
Injuries have hampered Lawson in recent years, but he isn't too far removed from a five-sack campaign in 2024 with the Cowboys. Lawson's experience playing in Anarumo's defensive scheme should help him with his transition to his new team, and even if he's just used on obvious passing situations, he could very well become a valuable piece for Indy.
As for the Bengals, their attention is fully on their Week 5 matchup against the Miami Dolphins . Nothing is ever guaranteed in the NFL, but the Dolphins have yet to win a game this season, so this contest should provide the team with a great opportunity to get back in the win column. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, and if all goes according to plan, Cincy will walk away from this game with its third win of the year.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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