Dexter Lawrence silences Bengals haters who say they overpaid for him after Week 2

Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence made his presence felt in Week 1, even if box score scouts who pointed to his "ZERO TACKLES" figure as evidence that he was terrible. Sexy Dexy made sure he was undeniable in the eyes of lazy analysts in Week 2 against the Houston Texans.

Spearheading a phenomenal effort that stymied Sunday's hosts, Lawrence made a huge 4th and 1 run stop, rendered the Texans' rushing attack generally nonexistent, and had a one-dimensional offense's quarterback, C.J. Stroud, running for his life in a 20-6 Bengals win.

I swear to you, there are people out there who are paid lots and lots of money (here's looking at you, Danny Parkins) who have the audacity to argue the Bengals overpaid for Lawrence.

A reminder of what Parkins said for the uninitiated, which serves as a microcosm for the national media's general Bengals discourse:

"What [the Bengals] did this offseason, you might be able to question the acquisition cost of Dexter Lawrence yeah because they traded a top-10 pick for him and paid him. It's the most expensive way to acquire a player. Like that's not sound business, and then you lose Trey Henderson for basically nothing."

I'd struggle to get out of bed every morning if I ever became aware that I was that stupid.

Lawrence is the ultimate force multiplier in Cincinnati

If the Bengals front office and coaching staff were unwavering in their bets that Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter could take a big step forward as second-year pros, despite how bad they were as rookies, in what world did people think Dexter Lawrence wouldn't be worth the steep cost it took to get him?

And I'd argue it wasn't that steep. You can argue about the 10th overall pick, but look who the New York Giants drafted with that selection. Francis Mauigoa, a freaking offensive guard, y'all.

Lawrence is not only a phenomenal player in his own right. He makes everyone around him better.

Riddle me this: In Week 1, did Dexter Lawrence have absolutely nothing to do with this statistic?

Even some of my peers, I'm sorry to say, fell prey to distorted box score scouting. I guess I get it, but at least try come across like you actually watched the game, ya know?

Boye Mafe was a rotational defensive end in Seattle before signing in free agency. Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was widely viewed as a declining player. Both of them look dominant. Lawrence's presence is even helping to free up rookie Cashius Howell to make some high-impact plays. That's unicorn-rare for Cincinnati's top draft pick to make any kind of mark so soon.

And then yeah, Knight and Carter looked like total liabilities a season ago. The Bengals' run defense was dead-last in the NFL in 2025.

Through two games, Cincinnati has not just mildly improved versus the run. They're legit touching elite territory at this point. Other than scrambles by opposing QBs, Lawrence and Co. are locking it down up front.

Look at these in-game numbers. I ask again: Does Dexter Lawrence have nothing to do with this? Did the Bengals OVERPAY to get him??? REALLY!?

Bengals content guru/film junkie Joe Goodberry counted no fewer than eight high-impact plays from Lawrence in Houston. Last I saw on PFF's live grades, Lawrence had a 92.1 pass rush grade and 92.7 overall grade. It's all but impossible to score in the 90s.

Even if those figures come down a little bit in the postgame aftermath, the raw footage doesn't lie. Dexter Lawrence is elite. He has a middle-of-the-road contract for a player of his caliber. And no, the Bengals absolutely did not overpay to get him, money-wise or compensation-wise.

It's hilarious that this ridiculous "debate" of a topic is over so emphatically so soon into the season.

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