#Giants star Dexter Lawrence is being traded to the #Bengals in a pre-Draft blockbuster that includes the No. 10 pick heading to the Giants, per me and @MikeGarafolo.
NYG gets premium draft compensation, Cincy gets a lynchpin, while Sexy Dexy gets a new, big-money extension. pic.twitter.com/u807BevKxV
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 19, 2026
Giants Receive:
- No. 10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft
Bengals Receive:
- DT Dexter Lawrence
Giants Grade: A
Replacing a disgruntled, expensive, aging interior lineman with the 10th pick in the draft may be the best move of the Joe Schoen era.
Now armed with both the No. 5 and No. 10 picks in next week’s draft, the Giants could walk away with two Week 1 starters who are inexpensive and under contract for the next half-decade.
Whether it’s RB Jeremiyah Love or S Caleb Downs or WR Carnell Tate or WR Jordyn Tyson or LB Sonny Styles or any number of offensive linemen—the New York Giants are leaving the 2026 NFL Draft with two blue chip prospects to build and develop alongside Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo, Andrew Thomas and Abdul Carter.
Yo, imagine the Giants draft Sonny Styles AND Caleb Downs. Styles—a tradional 100 tackles/season middle linebacker, smashing running backs, calling plays—and Caleb Downs in the secondary, finishing up whatever mess sneaks past Styles in the running game or disrupting deep passes.
The Giants, in one night, could have a Top 10 defense.
The Giants need DT help but that exists in the draft, as the team still has the 37th pick, or maybe even a free agent now that they’ve freed up some cap space.
Bengals Grade: A+
Dexter Lawrence is the best player on the Bengals defense day 1.
He’s absolutely better than whoever the team intended to pick at 10.
Dexter joins defensive end Boye Mafe, safety Bryan Cook and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen as the newest members of the abhorrent Bengals defense of the last two seasons.
Extra important with Trey Hendrickson signing with the Baltimore Ravens.
And they have Dexter Lawrence under contract for the next 3 seasons, after he signed a 1-year extension this morning.
Lawrence’s production fell off a cliff last season.
Let’s compare his 2024 to his 2025:
2024:
- 23 tackles
- 9 sackes
- 8 tackles for loss
- 1 forced fumble
2025:
- 14 tackles
- 0.5 sackes
- 4 tackles for loss
- 0 forced fumbles
In 2024, he played in only 12 games before dislocating his elbow, came back in 2025 and made no real impact.
HOWEVER, after blowing several of the biggest 4th quarter leads in franchise history, the Giants fired their defensive coordinator, Shane Bowen.
Shane had Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Abdul Carter and Dexter Lawrence but couldn’t figure out how to get the most talented pass rushing group anywhere near opposing quarterbacks.
Dexter Lawrence basically gave up trying once the season was lost.
Now, he’s playing for a Bengals organization with Super Bowl expectations and a quarterback in Joe Burrow who is astronomically better than Daniel Jones.
Another season removed from his 2024 injury and a fresh start in a new division, a new conference, playing against Mahomes and Allen and Lamar, Dexter Lawrence may be the difference between a Super Bowl appearance and a loss in the divisional round.
A win-win trade if I ever did see one, I’ll tell ya what.
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