Bengals DC Al Golden Highlights 'Standard' Dexter Lawrence Sets For Defense

Cincinnati has made additions at all three levels of the defense in free agency.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden calls plays from the sideline in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 1 game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. The Bengals begin the season with a 17-16 win over the Browns. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The full rollout continues for Dexter Lawrence as the Bengals introduced their newest star on Monday after trading for him Saturday night and inking a one-year extension on Sunday. Defensive coordinator Al Golden has to be giddy about the new weapon he gets to unleash in the middle of his unit.

Lawrence has fallen off a bit as a pass rusher in the past two years, but was still a top-10 graded defensive tackle on Pro Football Focus this past season and has never posted fewer than 29 pressures in a season (34-plus in each of the past five).

New Tool In The Box For Al Golden

Oct 26, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (97) takes the filed against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Golden can't wait to put him next to B.J. Hill and let them go to work as they did for a few seasons together in New York.

"I think he's a mentor. He sees himself that way. He's a leader," Golden said. "So just in the short time that I've been exposed to him it's really impressive. He makes everybody around him better, I think, the way he plays the game, so technically sound, just watching reels of him here the last couple days, the way he uses his hands, the way he finishes on the ball carrier, the pocket push that he gets inside is at an elite level.

"So excited to build on that. And obviously, (our D-Line coaches) will do a great job teaching our techniques, but all the standards that he set will be what guys chase. And I think that the standard is the most important thing, not the expectation, the standard. And you can see it right on the tape, what the standard is, which is awesome."

The impact Lawrence can have on a defense can't be understated. Warren Sharp broke down the Lawrence on/off-field numbers across X this weekend.

2025 Giants With Lawrence OFF The field: #32 Yards per attempt allowed (8.4), #31 sack rate (4.1%), #27 EPA/pass (+0.13), #26 pass success allowed (47%), and #23 pressure rate (32%)

2025 Giants With Lawrence ON The Field: #7 pass success (40%), #8 YPA (6.6), #9 sack rate (7.7%), #10 EPA/pass (+0.09), and the #22 pressure rate (33%)

Those numbers should be eye candy for Golden and his unit.

"His technique, his aggression, his pursuit to the football, all of those things, we're just going to try to find the things that he does best. But I don't really see him outside that realm." Golden noted about keeping Lawrence a full-time interior player moving forward.

Add in the fact that Lawrence can command much more leadership than any rookie player with the 10th pick would've, and it's an even more enticing addition for one of the worst groups in the league to respond in a big way.

"I think he's someone that we've all admired," Golden noted. "I know I have just in crossover film, you know, the last, however, many years he shows up. It's one thing to be just a prodigious person, which he is, but it's another to play his play style, his play demeanor, his energy, his love for the game jumps out at the tape. And so I have incredible respect for that."

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