Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle BJ Hill (92) celebrates a sack in the second quarter of the NFL Week 9 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

BJ Hill Seemingly Hints at Bengals Making Blockbuster Move

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By Landon Belote | Last updated Apr 7, 2026 3:36 PM ET

There are a couple of different needs that the Bengals must address either before, during, or after the NFL draft in under three weeks, and first-year captain BJ Hill has taken to X to seemingly hint at a big move coming for the Bengals.

Hill posted a shushing face emoji via X, something that in the past has often been a precursor to the Bengals making a move to add to the roster.

— BJ Hill (@BJHill5) April 7, 2026

What makes this occurrence extremely interesting this time is that it comes just after Hill's former teammate, Giants All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, requested a trade following a contract dispute with New York.

But that is not the only interesting part to the possibility of the Bengals being in the mix for a trade to acquire Lawrence.

Hill Could Be Hinting At Bengals Trading For Dexter Lawrence

Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What added further fuel to this speculation is the fact that Hill liked a tweet from an account asking if a reunion could be in the works for him and Lawrence.

pic.twitter.com/mDbRPNR6K4
— Vontaze Burner (@iamkingtez55) April 7, 2026

Should this be the precursor to the Bengals making a move for Lawrence, it would be a massive step toward putting the team in the best position to compete for a Super Bowl this coming season.

Lawrence has had 108 total pressures from the nose tackle spot since 2022, with the next highest total in that time span being 32 from Vita Vea.

This would immediately make an interior defensive line that has been a big weakness an immediate strength of the team, as not only would the Bengals have added Lawrence, but also Jonathan Allen alongside Hill and TJ Slaton.

Lawrence is one of the league's best pass-rushing defensive tackles in the sport, something Bengals executive Duke Tobin discussed in February.

"I don't think that the guys we have on our roster can't elevate our pass rush," Tobin said. "Because I think we have a lot of guys that are young in their career that can elevate our pass rush. You've got to get to third down to get that pass rush. It's a two-pronged approach. You want to be good on first and second down as well. And it's not just who's doing it, but what they're doing. And we're working on all those areas to get it fixed. But there are opportunities in every bucket of bringing players in. And we're gonna look at all the buckets."