NFL Believes Bengals Got Great Value in Dexter Lawrence After Recent Blockbuster Trades

When the Bengals first acquired Dexter Lawrence in exchange for the 10th overall pick in the draft, many in the media and fans everywhere were ecstatic, but there were segments of analysts and fans who believed it to be too much to add Lawrence.

Those thoughts should officially be put to bed following comments from ESPN Senior NFL Writer Jeremy Fowler during an interview on First Word. Fowler acknowledged that the Bengals gave up less compared to what other teams in the league gave up for superstar players.

"If you look at some of these other trades for superstar non-quarterbacks, they've had to give up a little bit more than the Bengals gave up" Fowler said. "The Bengals gave up just the straight one; it was a high pick, but the Bengals looked at the draft and said, 'We need to get a high-impact defensive player. We believe that the numbers are not going to play in our favor.' So, take the guesswork out, get a premiere player. The money's not bad. They can be happy with what they gave up financially."

The Bengals Got A Bargain

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

Fowler confirmed that many around the NFL believe the Bengals received good value for a superstar defensive player in Lawrence following the blockbuster trades for other superstar players such as Myles Garrett and Sauce Gardner.

"Some of these other trades, Sauce Gardner, Myles Garrett, you're giving up way more than a first-round pick" Fowler said, "So to get Lawrence for a one, the sense league-wide is that that's really good value. Even though it was a prime pick, it was one pick, and that's reasonable for a player of that caliber."

With the Bengals already seeing a quick return on their investment for Lawrence due to how quickly he has taken on a leadership role on defense, they surely feel even better than they did when they first made the trade back in April, something assistant GM Steve Radicevic spoke about when discussing Lawrence's impact.

“You feel the energy in there every day with the players working out,” Radicevic said. “There is a difference. Just you can feel the energy and the presence that he brings in that locker room."

Lawrence will look to be the core piece in taking what has been a historically bad defense and transforming it into a unit capable of complementing Joe Burrow and the Bengals high-powered offense.

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