NFL Media Voice Shares Funny Duke Tobin Story Tied to Dexter Lawrence Trade

Cincinnati worked behind the scenes to get this deal done.

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

The NFL world got thrown for a loop this weekend when the Bengals traded with the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah was one of those shocked voices.

He dove into his initial reaction with Chris Long this week on The Green Light Podcast and gave a funny inside story of his interaction with Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin over text after the deal went public.

Trade Emoji

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

Cincinnati traded the No. 10 pick in this year's draft for the two-time All-Pro defensive tackle, while inking him to a one-year, $28 million extension.

"We get to the Bengals at 10, and we're like, okay, they want to go defense," Jeremiah said about his initial conversation with a GM before talking with Tobin. "They need to do it for Burrow. They feel good about their young edges. They got (Shemar) Stewart, whom they picked in the first round last year. And free agency, they brought in (Boye) Mafe. So they've got those two guys. They like the future with those two guys going forward, it was DT and corner. Well, there's now one corner instead of two, and he's gone. 

"There's no DTs ... We are literally on the phone. We're like, the Bengals are kind of screwed with the way this has fallen. Literally within one hour, that trade goes down, and I texted him, I'm like, 'Dude, I feel like they were listening to our conversation here. I think it was a really smart move. I'm so excited about this trade, dude.' So I sent Duke Tobin a text. And I'm like, 'Hey, I was just going through this process. Like, man, you're not gonna find anybody like Dexter Lawrence with the 10th pick.' Like it was really this long thing. And once I hit send, I was like, What am I doing? He doesn't care what I think about this crap. Several hours later, he hit me with the thumbs up emoji."

Long and Jeremiah had fun with the exchange as everyone seemingly felt the shock of this deal.

It marks the first time since 1989 the Bengals won't have a first-round pick entering Day 1 and the first time in the common draft era (since 1966) that the team has traded away a top-10 pick.

Check out the full exchange below:

Daniel Jeremiah and an unnamed GM had no clue what the Bengals would do at No. 10… an hour later, they turned the pick into Dexter Lawrence

Full pod with DJ out tomorrow!! pic.twitter.com/kgUaTXM4Mw

— Green Light with Chris Long (@greenlight) April 20, 2026

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