During one of his endlessly-dissected media appearances toward the end of last season, Joe Burrow said one mouthful of a sentence in reference to the team’s dismal performances over the past two years: “Something’s got to change.” Message received. Loudly.
Since the desultory end to Cincinnati’s ugly 6-11 campaign, the Bengals have done things so far outside their norm it boggles the imagination—certainly mine. I never in a million years thought, fantasized, or daydreamed that Cincy would actually trade a top draft pick (a top 10 pick, no less!) for a desperately needed aircraft carrier to anchor the middle of its defensive front. But that’s what happened two weeks ago when the Bengals shipped the #10 overall choice to the New York Giants for defensive tackle Dexter (Sexy Dexy) Lawrence.
While it hurts to give up such a prominent draft pick, Lawrence immediately becomes the defense’s best player and heliocentric point, the black hole that caves in enemy interiors, a player who at 340 pounds can defeat double-teams, stuff the run, rush the passer, and make everyone around him better. He is the player we’ve been begging the Bengals to find a way to acquire, and they actually did it for the first time in nearly four decades. (The last time the team traded its #1 pick was 1989.)
To be fair, Dexter isn’t the player he was in 2022 and 2023, which is sort of like complaining that Ted Williams wasn’t quite as good after hitting .400 in 1941. Even last year, when Lawrence played through a painful elbow injury and “quiet quit,” as the kids say, on the G-Men over salary differences and the overall dreck on hand in New Jersey, he was still one of the league’s best interior defenders. Cincinnati gave him an extra year for $28 million on top of his two existing years for a rough total of 3/$70 million, a relative steal considering what national commentators assumed Lawrence would demand, and so he’s now motivated and hopefully unhindered by ouchiness.
Of course, Dexy wasn’t the lone Midnight Runner the Bengals added. You know by now about the free agent acquisitions from March: Sturdy end Boye Mafe comes over from the champion Seahawks, a heavy-handed two-way defender who will help bend and set the edge; aging but still useful defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, who before the Lawrence addition seemed like the best the Bengals could do at the position; free safety Bryan Cook, a hometown boy and reliable centerfielder and tackler who will hopefully erase the Geno Stone nightmare; safety Kyle Dugger, who provides veteran depth and should play a lot in the “overhang” position covering the slot and providing solid run defense; and the re-signed Dalton Risner to stay at right guard and give positive vibes.
Then came the draft, and here again the Bengals went outside their comfort zone, selecting Texas A&M pass rusher Cashius Howell, aka “Straight Cash, Homey,” with their first pick in the second round, #41 overall. Howell is a super fast and aggressive player but much smaller and shorter-armed than the classic D-end the Bengals prefer. He led the SEC in sacks and was the conference Defensive Player of the Year, so, unlike with last year’s Aggie pick, fellow end Shemar Stewart, the team went with production over traits.
They also didn’t do what the Bengals so often do, which is force a pick into a position of need rather than select the best player. With Stewart, Mafe, and Myles Murphy, edge was not crying out for reinforcements nearly as much as corner or linebacker. But Cincinnati rated Howell much higher than anyone on their board at those other spots, and for once they went with player over position. That doesn’t mean it will work out—the draft is always a crapshoot—but one can certainly envision an immediate role for a pass rush specialist like Cash in the fourth quarter of games, filling the closer role Trey Hendrickson vacates.
The team’s third-round pick (cornerback Tacario Davis from Washington) and fourth-round wideout (Colbie Young from Georgia) were more traditional “traits” selections. Davis is a 6-foot-4 speedster with a pipe-cleaner frame who can hopefully match up with tight ends and larger wideouts, though he isn’t very fluid and didn’t live up to expectations after transferring from Arizona to U-Dub. Young had an off-field incident, a brutal injury, and little production in Athens, though to his credit he rebuilt trust with the coaching staff and locker room at UGA and Dawgs head coach Kirby Smart raved about him to anyone who would listen. Just making a few contested catches in big spots and earning Burrow’s trust would be a valuable rookie season for the long striding receiver.
Cincinnati cleaned up with good players in the latter rounds, imo. Center Connor Lew was a dominant force as a teenager at Auburn and would have been the draft’s top snapper if not for a midseason torn ACL. He profiles as Ted Karras 2.0, and barring any lingering knee issues should have a solid career. Another lineman, sixth-rounder Brian Parker of Duke, played tackle in college but is more likely to be a depth piece along the interior, including at center, where he should be an upgrade on Jalen Rivers and perhaps takes over for Risner down the line.
Tight end Jack Endries mistakenly transferred to Texas instead of going to Indiana with his QB at Cal for two seasons, #1 pick Fernando Mendoza, and the erratic play of Arch Manning and the Longhorn O-line hindered his pro development. But it could pay off, as Endries as a Texas-sized chip on his shoulder. “I’m going to make sure I make every team who didn’t draft me f-ing pay,” he told the media after the Bengals took him in round seven. My man.
Cincinnati also snagged their draft crush, defensive tackle Landon Robinson from Navy, with their final pick. If he works out as well as the last guy they telegraphed so obviously, wideout Andrei Iosivas, we will all be smiling.
The main takeaway is that the Bengals have turned their main area of weakness (defensive front/pass rush) into a potential realm of strength. The depth is shocking—last year’s starting tackles, B.J. Hill and T.J. Slaton, profile to be backups now behind Lawrence and Allen, with 2024 draftees Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson left to fight it out with Robinson for snaps and roster spots. The edge quartet of Murphy, Mafe, Stewart, and Howell may not have an outsize sacker like Hendrickson but could be an unending wave of pressure, ending the “Trey Uber Alles” nature of the last few years.
A good pass rush and a great offense can take a team far, which is why this offseason provides so much optimism. Of course, there are still weaknesses that weren’t addressed, namely at linebacker, where somewhat shockingly no one was added at all to the duo of Demetrious Knight and Barrett Carter, who struggled mightily as rookies in 2025. Some improvement is expected, even likely, from the pair, but it’s still a position badly in need of depth and veteran savvy (What happens if one of them gets injured?). Another post-draft addition, perhaps the aged but still effective Bobby Wagner or Kyle Van Noy, seems imperative.
The secondary, too, is better but not complete. The Stone-out, Cook-in swap is Grade A (Cook missed as many tackles in four seasons in K.C. as Stone did last year alone), and starting corners D.J. Turner and Dax Hill should be strong. But it’s clear the Bengals think the Daviseseseses, newcomer Tacario and holdover slot CB Jalen, will hold up under what is sure to be plenty of attention from enemy quarterbacks. That’s a dubious proposition, and it wouldn’t be surprising if there is a late signing or cut claimant here too.
Of course, the reason the Bengals missed the playoffs in 2023 and 2025 wasn’t the defense but the fact that Burrow was injured and missed the majority of both seasons. It’s surely good to have the still-effective and all-around great guy Joe Flacco back as backup, but we all know that without Joe there’s no Joy.
Keeping Burrow healthy is ultimately somewhat random, and surely the Bengals are due for some good fortune in this area. But as important entering this offseason was keeping him happy.
National media are forever going to speculate about his Hollywood lifestyle and try to speak into existence a Burrow trade demand. That was never happening—at least not yet. But his musings at the press conference dais were clear broadsides aimed at the front office and ownership. Do something, he said.
The Bengals have, in a way they’ve never done before. Now it’s on Burrow, for once, to live up to what the franchise has done for him instead of the other way around.
Robert Weintraub heads up Bengals coverage for Cincinnati Magazine and has written for The New York Times, Grantland, Slate, and Deadspin. He regularly guests on Mo Egger’s radio show. Follow him on X at @robwein.
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