Dexter Lawrence Already Terrorizing Bengals Practice After Blockbuster Trade

The Cincinnati Bengals paid a steep price this offseason for Dexter Lawrence, sending the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the New York Giants. Early returns from training camp suggest the investment is already paying off in the trenches.

Lawrence, the 28-year-old three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, has turned ordinary practice sessions into daily tests for the Bengals offense. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase did not hold back when describing the impact.

“Honestly, he’s been terrorizing practice,” Chase told Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein. “I can honestly say that.”

The 6-foot-5, 350-pound force eats up blockers, collapses pockets, and forces Joe Burrow and company to adjust their timing and technique. Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher feels the pressure every day.

“When you have a man as big as (Lawrence), the quick twitch and the speed they’re able to play with just disarms you,” Pitcher said. “I don’t know what you do to counteract that other than you just really focus on the technique of this interior line and you got to be really cognizant of what types of schemes you’re trying to run and how often that guy’s truly one-on-one. Running sideways and backward at quarterback in the NFL is a good way to not play very long. So it’s a problem.”

Lawrence arrived in Cincinnati after requesting a trade from the Giants in early April. The Bengals completed the deal on April 19 and immediately locked him in with a one-year, $28 million extension that keeps him under contract through the 2028 season. He enters his eighth NFL campaign coming off a 2025 season that produced just a half-sack, career lows in several categories, and heavy double-team attention. Those numbers never told the full story of his ability to control the line of scrimmage.

Guard Dalton Risner has felt the difference up close. Facing Lawrence daily has forced the offensive line to change its approach weeks earlier than usual.

“There’s certain guys in this league like Dexter who wreck a whole game plan, and you have to do everything around them and you change everything you’re doing,” Risner said. “You’re going to have to change how you block against certain guys. He’s just making us do it really early and really often.”

That early education is exactly what the Bengals wanted. Defenses typically hold the edge in the first week or two of camp while offenses install their schemes. Lawrence has accelerated the process. Offensive players keep saying the same thing: going against him every day will leave them better prepared when the regular season opens.

You can see it in the small moments. An offensive guard ends up on the ground. Secondary players get cleaner looks because the pocket collapses. Burrow has to get the ball out faster or risk throwing off-balance. Lawrence himself has embraced the role of enforcer, asserting himself early and letting teammates know the standard he expects.

The Bengals did not trade a top-10 pick for incremental improvement. They wanted a player who could elevate an entire defensive unit that ranked near the bottom of the league in 2025. Lawrence’s size, strength, and quickness create the kind of problems that force opposing coordinators to account for him on every snap. That attention frees edge rushers and linebackers to make plays.

Camp remains young. Pads only recently went on. Yet the consensus around the facility is clear. The big man in the middle is already changing how the Bengals prepare, how their offense practices, and how the defense views itself. The dividends Cincinnati hoped for when it made the biggest swing of its offseason are showing up under the summer sun at the practice fields.