Dexter Lawrence Embracing Leadership Role on Defense Including Teaching Young Secondary

When the Bengals traded the 10th overall pick in the draft for Dexter Lawrence this offseason, it was evident that they admired his ability to lead a defense alongside his playmaking ability.

Now more than a month removed from the trade occurring, Lawrence has already proved to be everything Bengals brass wanted in a leader on defense and more. During workouts, Lawrence is giving pointers to young players across the defense including last year’s first round pick, Shemar Stewart.

Stewart is an obvious candidate for improvement after a lackluster rookie season, and the addition of Lawrence on the defensive line will absolutely help him directly as a defensive end.

Another group that is set to benefit from Lawrence’s impact in the trenches is the secondary which even after the addition of Bryan Cook at safety, has many young players making up its depth.

Lawrence Guiding Young Cornerbacks

Newly signed Cincinnati Bengals defense tackle Dexter Lawrence speaks in a press conference for the first time since joining the team at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Monday, April 20, 2026. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lawrence is giving pointers to rookie cornerbacks in third-round pick Tacario Davis and UDFA Ceyair Wright.

Both know that Lawrence is as great a defensive player as anybody in the NFL currently and can directly help them become the best players they can be.

Lawrence has been a big part of young cornerbacks growing in the league, evidenced by him crediting Giants corners Cordale Flott and Deonte Banks for their improvement as vocal leaders in the locker room last year in New York, and while Banks has struggled to find his footing in the league, Flott saw steady improvement during his time in New York and just inked a big contract with the Titans in free agency after having arguably his best season.

Whether or not Davis and Wright develop steadily is dependent on multiple factors outside of Lawrence being a leader, but they are setting themselves up on the right track to be potential useful pieces for the defense in the long term.

Lawrence showing this type of leadership is getting recognized by everybody in the locker room, and second-year linebacker Barrett Carter continued pointing that out after practice. He told Bengals radio voice Dan Hoard that as soon as Lawrence arrived, the entire locker room elevated and rallied around him.

“Everyone knows what he’s done on the field,” Carter said to Hoard. “He’s a possible gold jacket guy. But the man that he is — the friend, the brother, the leader. Once he got here, it naturally elevated the whole locker room. When he talks, everybody listens.”

5. Dexter Lawrence isn’t only helping his fellow D-lineman. Here he’s giving pointers to rookie CBs Tacario Davis and Ceyair Wright.
“Everyone knows what he’s done on the field,” said Barrett Carter. “He’s a possible gold jacket guy. But the man that he is — the friend, the… pic.twitter.com/2qdHQbbmu1
— Dan Hoard (@Dan_Hoard) May 26, 2026

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