Lawson Aims to Disrupt NFL Backfields for Years to Come
Bengals defensive end Carl Lawson was named one of the NFL’s most underrated players before the season started. He was one of 11 players that made ESPN's list that was voted on by league executives.
AFC North coaches also took notice of Lawson's ability, something he takes a lot of pride in.
“It truly means the most to me when I get respect from players or coaches," Lawson said in an exclusive interview with AllBengals. “That type of stuff will literally make my day because I’m truly invested in this sport. Other football people know football people and things of that nature so I really appreciate it if after a game and a dude who played against me comes up and says ‘hey, you’re a beast’ that means the world to me."
Lawson's playing time is on the rise. The coaching staff increased his role in Week 5. They demoted Carlos Dunlap, which allowed Lawson to be on the field for all three downs.
He played a season-high 55 snaps against Tennessee following the Dunlap trade. There was plenty of drama surrounding the two-time Pro Bowler, but Lawson didn't let it impact him.
“My only focus was to try to improve and try to help the team win so it literally didn’t bother me one bit," Lawson explained. “None of that stuff phased me or bothered me. My biggest issue was how do I get better, how do I improve and that’s literally how it's always been no matter what’s going on around me that’s the main focus and I’ve always been dialed in on that”.
Lawson hasn't had the easiest road. He's suffered multiple injuries, including a torn right ACL in 2018 and a hamstring injury last season. He missed 13 games total over that two year span.
Fast forward to present day and Lawson is one of the most disruptive edge rushers in the NFL. He was the eighth ranked edge rusher entering Week 9 according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He has 30 disruptions and 24 quarterback pressures in eight games this season.
He believes the boost in playing time has led to his increase in production.
“I’ve always expected, and have been able to win the one-on-one and been able to put pressure on the quarterback but now I’m able to be on the field a little bit more," Lawson said. "My expectation for myself is to always be the best, but it does feel good I guess by some metric to get some recognition that way”.
Lawson hopes to have a long and fruitful career. He draws his inspiration from veterans like Jets running back Frank Gore. The 37-year-old running back has battled similar injuries and has managed to sustain a 16-year career.
“He’s had the same injuries as I’ve had. Early on he tore his ACL, he had probably the same hip injury and he’s able to go 16 years, Lawson said. “I’ve been able to bounce back from all of my injuries and become, you know exceed all of those [goals]. That’s my goal, I want to play a really, really long time and set myself up with a hall of fame legacy”.
Lawson, 25, wants to play for at least another 10 seasons.
He believes a solid diet will help him reach his goal. He consumes 260-275 grams of lean protein per day. He gets to his goal with food and shakes.
Our conversation went back to food quite often and right before our zoom interview, Lawson picked up his favorite cheat meal, oxtail. The bye week was a perfect time to treat himself.
“My dad is Jamaican so we eat a lot of Jamaican food, so I went and got some oxtail," Lawson said. "That’s my cheat meal. It’s like roast beef on a steak bone. It’s a really soft meat, it’s really… it’s ridiculous.”
The 6-2, 265-pound edge rusher was built to create chaos in the backfield and give opposing offensive tackles nightmares. He spends a lot of time training and studying film to make sure there is no hesitation on game day. Lawson begins watching tape 's after the game.
Lawson knows Sunday's matchup against the Steelers is going to be tough.
“They’ve got a great tackle in (Alejandro) Villanueva, I’ve been playing against him for a couple of years," Lawson said. "It is pretty much the same Steelers offense and Big Ben back there helps, and they’ve got a lot of new pieces as far as wide receivers, but it's kind of like that same style”.
Lawson had even more time to study the Steelers' offense with the bye week. The Bengals need every advantage they can get before their matchup against one of the NFL's best teams.
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