Bengals Dream Trade Lands Pro Bowl DT, Elite Playmaker in NFL Draft

The Bengals are in a window where they must pull every lever possible to bring the Cincinnati its first ever Lombardi trophy, and following a visit with Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love it is clear that the team views the star playmaker in high regard as we approach what is a critical draft.

Love’s visit with the Bengals was not the only news that broke at the beginning of the week however, as All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence requested a trade from the New York Giants per NFL insider Adam Schefter.

Lawrence is due for a payday at this point, given how the defensive tackle market has escalated since he signed a four-year, $90 million deal in 2023. Since then, names like Milton Williams and Jordan Davis have surpassed him in pay, making him eager to be paid what he is worth, as he is a more impressive player than those two at 28 years old.

With Lawrence making his request known, this in turn creates a universe where the Bengals could theoretically address two positions to greatly improve the team as a whole on both offense and defense.

A Trade for Dexter Lawrence While Moving up For Jeremiyah Love Makes Sense

Let's live in a world where the Bengals organization pulls out all the stops possible in order to maximize its championship window with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins.

We laid out what Lawrence would bring to the Bengals defensive line room should they acquire him here! Acquiring Lawrence in a trade by itself transforms the Bengals as a whole, but doing so while also drafting Jeremiyah Love would instantly propel a team that fell well short of expectations last season to possibly having the most talented roster in the AFC.

Having Love enhance the run game to an elite level, while having Lawrence along with free agent signings Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook, and Kyle Dugger, will lead to fewer instances of the team being unable to close out close games, something that has been arguably the biggest issue for the Bengals in recent years.

To pull this off though, it would require significant trade capital, but maybe not as much as you are thinking.

The Trade Package

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cincinnati Bengals general manager Duke Tobin speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With New York's supposed return from a Lawrence trade being a late first-rounder or second rounder according to ESPN Giants reporter Jordan Raanan. It is not outlandish to think that sending the 41st overall pick in round two, along with a fourth-rounder (110th overall), and Andrei Iosivas could be enough to get the deal done for the Bengals.

What could ultimately be enough to get the deal finalized would be swapping picks in the first round, with the Bengals moving up to 5th overall, and the Giants moving back to 10th.

Sending Iosivas in the trade would make sense for the Giants, with them looking to add more weapons for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart. With the fourth rounder and pick swap acting as "pot sweeteners" to get the deal across the finish line with the second-round pick.

This move allows the Bengals to jump the likes of the Saints and Commanders, both of whom are teams that are realistic landing spots for Love in the first round.

By completing this kind of trade, the Bengals would take an offense that is already filled with elite talent, and elevate it to a level with Love, Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins that would eerily compare to historic offenses such as the '06 Colts, and "The Greatest Show on Turf" the 1999 St. Louis Rams.

This idea makes sense for a team like the Bengals who are in a championship window, and at this time of the year, anything is possible.

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