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Bengals’ Dexter Lawrence Trade Doesn’t Signal a Philosophy Change in Cincinnati

Oct 13, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) is sacked by New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II (97) in the 3rd quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

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Bengals’ Dexter Lawrence Trade Doesn’t Signal a Philosophy Change in Cincinnati

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By Jay Morrison | Last updated Apr 19, 2026 7:13 PM ET

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In the 24 hours since the Cincinnati Bengals stunned their fanbase – and the entire NFL – by trading for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and giving him a one-year extension worth $28 million, a lot has been made about how this marks a philosophical change for the franchise.

It doesn’t.

This wasn’t a change in philosophy.

It was an impulse buy.

That doesn’t mean it’s bad or wrong or demanding of an audit.

It has every chance to be watershed moment in franchise history, one capable of pushing the Bengals across the dividing line between Super Bowl hopeful to contender.

But it’s not a philosophical change, and Bengals shouldn’t get their hopes up that it’s going to become the norm.

This is 100 percent about the front office and coaching staff’s conviction in Lawrence, a three-time Pro Bowl game wrecker whose value goes far beyond statistical production.

He swallows double teams and frees everyone else to make plays, and he forces opposing coordinators to create plans specifically tailored to dealing with him.

If this were another defensive tackle with 30.5 career sacks and only six games missed in seven seasons who became available, they wouldn’t have traded any draft pick, let alone No. 10 overall.

They may not have even made an inquiring call.

If this was the product of a true philosophical change, it wouldn’t have happened in the spur of the moment.

If a true sea change was afoot, we would have seen it earlier this offseason.

Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Bengals came out of the gate hot by signing edge rusher Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook, but the aggressive, all-in mindset so many had hoped to see fizzled after that.

There were enough quality linebackers in free agency to fill a Costco aisle, but the Bengals passed on every one of them despite it being arguably their biggest position of need.

As far an interior pass rush, another huge hole, the team pursued John Franklin-Myers, who has numbers similar to Lawrence – 34 sacks and four missed games in seven seasons – and is just one year older.

But instead of going all in, they tapped out when the price tag to rich.

No one is saying Franklin-Myers is on the same level as Lawrence, but there’s not a chasm between them.

In retrospect, that decision looks great. Franklin-Myers got $63 million over three years from the Titans. Lawrence will get roughly $70 million over three years.

His combination pass-rush and run-stopping skills combined with all of the intangibles make him one of, if not the top defensive tackle in the game. And Lawrence is a bargain. There are 11 other players at his position making more per year than him.

It’s hard to call it a steal considering the compensation was the No. 10 pick in the draft. It’s impossible to call it a philosophy change.

Passing on Franklin-Myers and landing Lawrence wasn’t a plan. It was the crumbling of a cookie, just how things worked out. And yes, condensed down to this one single signing, it’s a stark pivot in philosophy.

But again, it’s more about who Lawrence is as a player than who the Bengals are as a franchise.

Celebrate it, yes. Root for it to work, of course.

Buy a Lawrence jersey. Buy tickets. Send the front office its flowers (metaphorically or via a florist, your choice). Do any or all of that.

Just don’t get used to it.