The New York Giants have agreed to send Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the No. 10 pick in next week’s NFL Draft, a league source confirmed to The Athletic.
The move, which is pending a physical, comes after Lawrence publicly requested a trade April 6. The All-Pro defensive tackle has not attended the team’s voluntary offseason workouts, which began April 7. The day after the news went public, coach John Harbaugh said he wasn’t surprised by the request, calling the prospects of Lawrence staying with the Giants “high.”
“Speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here,” Harbaugh said. “And I believe Dexter wants to be here. That’s a good formula, but there’s business involved.”
That business was about updating Lawrence’s 2023 extension. At the time, the 2019 first-round pick’s four-year, $90 million extension made him the third-highest-paid defensive tackle in the league. But before this new deal, the 28-year-old Lawrence had dropped to 12th. And with no guaranteed money left on the final two years of his contract, things had been heading toward this point for a while.
At the NFL combine in February, general manager Joe Schoen said, “The plan is for Dexter to be on the roster.” At the combine, Harbaugh told reporters the Giants “want” and “need” Lawrence. Though Harbaugh had spoken with the three-time Pro-Bowler a few times after he was hired in January, communication began going through Lawrence’s agent, Joel Segal, with Harbaugh saying April 7 that he hadn’t recently spoken to the player himself.
During his annual pre-draft news conference, Schoen said he, Harbaugh and Dawn Aponte, the team’s senior vice president of football operations and strategy, had all been in communication trying to find “some resolution.” Even with the NFL draft looming as a potential deadline, Schoen said they wouldn’t put any deadlines on the process and emphasized that Lawrence is “under contract for two more years.”
Now, the pressure will be on the front office to add meaningful depth and a potential starter up front, given the position room was already thin even with Lawrence on the roster. The Giants only added defensive tackle Sam Roberts during free agency, but the team has had other players in the building, including defensive tackle DJ Reader. The Giants now hold the No. 5, No. 10 and No. 37 picks, along with five other selections, in this year’s draft, and there will be urgency to use one of those on a defensive lineman.
Why did the Bengals trade for Lawrence?
The Bengals’ defense lacked stars. It lacked an interior presence. It lacked any real punch for years.
No more.
Cincinnati’s stunning deal for Lawrence was arguably the most out-of-character, big swing in recent franchise history and indicates the urgency toward changing the face of a defense that’s doomed the window of quarterback Joe Burrow. Lawrence becomes the third significant veteran addition to the Bengals’ defensive line and invigorates a previously dead pass rush. This move makes the rest of the pieces around Lawrence make sense with Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy and Shemar Stewart filling out the edges, and B.J. Hill and Jonathan Allen a solid, veteran duo next to the double teams he will draw.
If this move hits, it could deliver a Super Bowl considering the star power on the other side of the football. — Paul Dehner Jr., Bengals beat writer
New York shakes up the draft
If the Giants had to part with one of their cornerstone players, the return gives them hope they can find the next star, as they now have two top-10 picks. That has to make Harbaugh happy as he enters his first draft as head coach with capital to pick two premium players or even package the picks together and move up should someone really stick out. This also gives the Giants another opportunity to trade with a team looking to move up and potentially gain more draft assets. — Carroll
Why is this so stunning from the Bengals?
The Bengals don’t make major trades. They hadn’t traded up in the first round in 31 years. They had only moved back in the first round three times this century. Heck, they stayed in their exact draft spot and picked 21 selections in a row dating back over three years. They’ve constantly banked on adding picks, staying patient and playing the NFL’s conservative game.
De facto GM Duke Tobin spoke about urgency being real this offseason, and there was a clear feeling that this was a win-or-bust season for this franchise as currently constructed in the Burrow renaissance. The frustration of watching that window slip away finally created a change of philosophy. The Bengals made the big move, and the jaws of everyone who knows the history of the franchise are permanently on the floor. — Dehner Jr.
Giants’ options at No. 10
Rip up your mock drafts. Two picks in the top 10 give Harbaugh substantial draft capital, especially considering the Ravens made just one pick in the top 10 during his 18 years as Baltimore’s head coach.
Obviously, there are multiple ways the Giants can attack these two picks. An offensive lineman such as Francis Mauigoa or Spencer Fano at five, followed by an Ohio State defender (assuming Sonny Styles or Caleb Downs falls to 10)? That is a plausible scenario. The Giants have also shown considerable interest in Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who is the wild card of the first round because of his high-level talent but unpredictable durability.
With the Cleveland Browns, Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs — all possible landing spots for a receiver — picking six through nine, respectively, the Giants might be forced to draft the position at No. 5 if they want to ensure they get their guy. – Dane Brugler, Draft expert