The New York Giants have officially completed a trade with the Cincinnati Bengals to acquire the 10th overall pick in exchange for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
Lawrence has been one of the best nose tackles in the league since being drafted by the team in 2019, but one SNY NFL Insider says the big man’s best days are behind him.
NFL Insider Connor Hughes on the Dexter Lawrence Trade
Even though the Giants have struggled over the past few seasons, they have had a number of talented players, including Lawrence, who the team drafted with the 17th overall pick out of Clemson in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Over the course of seven seasons, Lawrence is a three-time Pro-Bowler and has accrued 341 combined tackles, 40 tackles for loss, 103 quarterback hits, 30.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, 15 passes defended, and one interception.
In PFSN’s NFL Defensive Tackle Impact Metrics, Lawrence ranked as the 38th-best defensive tackle with an impact score of 77.3 and a letter grade of C+. His highest-rated season was 2023, where he ranked 5th with an impact score of 90.2 and a letter grade of A-. His average impact score over his entire career is 80.8.
Now, he’s joining the Bengals defense, which ranked as one of the worst in the league last season. In PFSN’s NFL Defensive Impact Metric, the team finished with an impact score of 65.3 and a letter grade of D, ranking 28th overall.
However, SNY’s Connor Hughes doesn’t think that Lawrence will be an impact player, and his best days are behind him. This morning, he said the following:
“Now this is a situation where the Giants can trade someone where they value, and they like, but in reality, he’s gonna be 29 years old, coming off the worst season of his career; clearly, his best days are behind him. I was told that’s how the building feels about him,” said Hughes.
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He added: “So they get the number 10 overall pick to add to their young core of talent with a premium asset here in the draft.”
According to Hughes, talks between the two teams began about two weeks ago, when the Bengals put the 10th overall pick on the table. However, the Giants were still hopeful to find a resolution to keep Lawrence, but nothing came to fruition, and the move was made.
Lawrence’s contract was set to expire following the 2027 NFL season, but it was reported that he wanted a reworked deal. Thus, the Bengals signed him to a one-year, $28 million contract extension.
Compensation update: Now that he has passed his physical and the trade is official, newly-acquired DT Dexter Lawerence is signing a one-year, $28 million contract extension with the Bengals, per @WinSportsGroup
So in the end, Lawrence gets the trade he wanted while being… pic.twitter.com/GHT2HbAGah
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 19, 2026
Now, the Giants get a younger player they can add to their core, and the Bengals get an established defender to propel them in the AFC North.
