Bengals Stars Weigh in on Blockbuster Trade for Dexter Lawrence

Players are looking forward to the impact that Dexter Lawrence will make.

Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence addresses the media April 20, 2026, at Paycor Stadium for the first time since becoming a Cincinnati Bengal. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Bengals' blockbuster trade for Dexter Lawrence sent shockwaves around the NFL as the league geared up for the draft — and it apparently caught some of the team's biggest stars by surprise, too.

Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and DJ Turner II all spoke this week about the Bengals' offseason additions, and Lawrence's arrival in Cincinnati was, by far, the biggest move. For a team that has spent the past few seasons trying to return to the standard it set during its Super Bowl run, the trade has set the bar even higher inside the building.

Chase admitted that he didn't see the Lawrence move coming, but he sees it as a clear sign that the Bengals' front office is serious about helping the team take another step.

Bengals' Stars See Lawrence Trade as a Statement Move by the Front Office

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) fist bumps Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor during spring practice on at the Kettering Practice Fields on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I did not see it coming, if I'm being honest," Chase told reporters this week. "I did not know that was about to happen. Big move..."

For the star wide receiver, it was more than just a surprise acquisition. He saw it as a sign that the Bengals' front office is trying to match the urgency of the locker room.

"The moves [they made] is showing us they want to be with us too," Chase said. "They want to push us and help us be at the next level, where we know we could be at and that we know we needed."

The Bengals have had consistent championship expectations since their run to the Super Bowl in the 2021 season, but the ensuing years have fallen short of that goal. Chase also made it clear that the standard remains unchanged, even if the defensive additions have raised the bar.

“At the end of the day, we got to the Super Bowl in ’21 and never went back," Chase said. "So our expectations have always been high since 2021. But now that we have improved our defense a little more, the expectations have gone up for the defense to show us what they can do.”

Higgins, who played with Lawrence at Clemson, had a more personal connection to the move. He was thrilled to learn that his former college teammate would be coming to Cincinnati.

“Man, I’m happy...” Higgins said. “I played with Dexter in college, so he’s a good friend. Once that announcement came out, I was just happy and really, really excited.

“Obviously, we want to win a championship, but definitely that was a big move, and I’m happy we made it."

Turner, on the other hand, viewed the move through the lens of a defensive back. Turner explained that adding Lawrence to the defensive front gives the Bengals a proven, game-wrecking interior force — and he's excited about what it could mean for the secondary.

“The D-line is the DB’s best friend,” Turner said. “So I’m really excited about everything that happened. Brought in (Bryan) Cook, brought in (Tacario David). Everybody. We were really excited.”

The Bengals' defensive makeover has been one of the AFC's biggest storylines this offseason. After years of leaning heavily on its high-powered offense, Cincinnati has made major moves to upgrade the other side of the ball.

With the new additions, Turner said the new faces in the building have made it even more important to be present and build chemistry early. That same buy-in was echoed by both Chase and Higgins.

“It’s very important,” Higgins said. “We all want the same thing at the end of the day, man. Guys just want to grind with their brothers.”

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