Bengals starter's cryptic message may foreshadow Dexter Lawrence trade

Not since D.J. Reader's heyday have the Cincinnati Bengals had a viable nose tackle to anchor their defensive line. All due respect to T.J. Slaton sort of, he ain't it. Nobody in the 2026 NFL Draft is worthy of filling that role with the 10th overall pick, and probably not even at No. 41 in Round 2.

So what are the Bengals to do? One idea is to trade for New York Giants All-Pro Dexter Lawrence. I've proposed this already with an ingenious plan. Kay Adams is on the bandwagon. Many fans are, too.

We've gone from D.J. to T.J. in this introductory journey. Now let's turn our attention to B.J. Hill.

Bengals DT B.J. Hill has fan speculation running wild after Dexter Lawrence-coded social media post

The Cincinnati Bengals' incumbent defensive tackle is more of a 3-technique than an A-gap space eater. That said, Hill isn't a frequent X poster/tweeter, so when he gets something up, it's (somewhat) newsworthy.

Look what you've done, B.J.! We're really hustling out here on the Who Dey Nation streets to daisy chain social media activity together to create meaning.

Lawrence to Cincinnati is the ultimate pipe dream. Other legitimate Super Bowl contenders who are more serious about winning would sacrifice premium draft capital and whatever it'd take to land a defender of Dex's caliber.

A couple relevant stats here from Sharp Football's Warren Sharp underscore just how valuable Lawrence is, in spite of the fact that he's coming off a down 2025 campaign by his standards.

That second data point may not be as visible, because it's a hilarious illustration of Lawrence's interior pass rushing dominance. Lawrence has 108 quarterback pressures since the start of 2022. The next-closest nose tackle is Vita Vea at 32.

Reader isn't too far behind Vea at 28, but he pales in comparison to Lawrence of course.

HIll could be dropping a hint about either Lawrence or Reader. He was teammates with Lawrence in New York for two seasons, and obviously played alongside Reader in Cincy. While I'd love a Reader reunion, here's hoping Hill is referring to D-Law.

So is Duke Tobin asleep in his office or something? Is he too locked in on draft prospects? Is the Bengals' scouting department spread too thin to evaluate a Lawrence trade scenario?

These are legitimate questions! And they're semi-rhetorical in nature.

Of course the Bengals are asleep at the wheel. Of course they're scheming up new ways to disappoint fans in the draft and taking colossal, unfounded, Shemar Stewart-esque risks. Why would they bother trading for a player they'd need to shell out a top-market contract to!?

Hey Duke, I've got you. Just send this trade package to the G-Men, and if they ask for a little more, pony it up. We the fans are tired of waiting for meaningful improvements to the defense. It's time to be aggressive in willing those to happen.

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